The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-02

3.
 along been the least impressed of the three at all times, has shown more brav- ado than the others, said to Keeper Mur- phy as be dressed himself this morning.:
 Well. I suppose by this time tomorrow we will be In Kinderhook," evidently inti- mating that the brothers expect their bodies to be taken for burial to their home.
 Impressive Services Held.
 It would be difhcult to imagine any, thing more impressive than the solemn service in the room of the steel cages whither Fathers Belanger and Charbon- neau, little after o'clock, administered to the three brothers their first and last communion. signalizing their full accept ance into the faith of the Roman Catho- lie church. To the fullest possible ex- tent the privacy of the ceremony was as- sured. all keepers except the memorable death watch, being excluded.
 A few feet away in his cell, also under sentence of death, Allen Mooney. the only other prisoner in the cell room, sal listening to the ceremony. He stand, convicted of the murder of two womer at Saranac Lake.
 Dr. Ransom. the prisoners physician visited the condemned men in their cell. this morning and closely noted their phys ical condition. In the meanwhile Ward en Deyo had decided upon the order ir which the men will go to the chair, a. follows:
 First, Willis, the oldest and most i'm. questionable of the three.
 f Second. Frederic. the youngest, who has seemed to be the most hardened.
 Third. Burton. the second in point oi age.
 At s:so it was reported by the warden that the men were in the best condition both of mind and body. and well nerved for their ordeal
 Story of the Crime.
 In most all respects the tragedy which closed today at Clinton prison with the death in the electric chair of the three Van Worner brothers was unique in mod ern criminal history. Only once before in this State is 1t recalled that three broth- CTS have gone to their death together for a murder in which they were jointly con cerned.
 On Christmas Eve. 1901. with their cous- in, Harvey Bruce, the three brothers drove from their home in Kinderhook, some fourteen miles to the hamlet of Greendale, in Columbia County, where lived Peter A. Hallenback, the uncle of the Van Wormers On the way they stop ped at the Greendale Church. Thence they went on to Hailenback's house, where MT. Hallenback, his wife and his aged mother were sitting In the lamp light in their living room. Both the wo- men saw them drive past. Tn few mo- ments there was knock at the door and MT. Hallenback answered. to find masked men before him, armed with revolvers. Burton Van wormer led the way, and with him the old man grappied. At once the four began a fisilade of pistol shots which fairly riddled the body of MT. Hal lenbeck. -.-
 Footprints Betrayed Murderers.
 MT. Hallenbeck, although mortally wounded. broke away from his assailants and went to the landing of the stairs, where he kept loaded shot gun The as- sailants saw him get the gun and fled. The man fell to the floor and died. The young men soon afterward were arrested, betrayed by their footprints in the snow, and because they were known to have harbored bitter feelings and to have made threats against their uncle. They were brought to trial before an extraordinary term of the Supreme Court eppointed by Governor odeii and prssided over by Jus.. tice AIdsn chsstsr. iH Aspany. un MaIfI, <, evidence. and it was 10 large extent on his testimony that the conviction of the Van Wormers was secured. He swore that upon the ride back from the scene of the crime each of the brothers boasted of having shot their uncle.
 Mortgage Caused Tragedy.
 It was shown that the bitterness which the brothers felt toward their uncle was due chiefly to his having foreclosed mortgage upon the property in Greendale owned by their step-mother On April 1s all three were found guilty and sentenced to be put to death in the week ending May 30, 1902 Their appeal to the Court of Appeals acted as stay. and the case went over to the present year
 Judge O'Brien. In writing the unanimous opinton of his court against the appeal, incredible the main plea or defense that the expedition of the four to Hallenbeck's house was in the nature Of a young mems prank the fatal outcome or which had not been apparent. The court fixed upon the week of July 9th for the carrying out of the death sentence. but the Van Wormers have been twice re- spited by Governor Odell.
 Except for the efforts of Judge Cady In their behalf and for the futile attempt by Mrs. Van Wormer. the step-mother of the condemn men, to appeal to Governor
  behalf
 Cousins Long Jail Sentence.
 Harvey Bruce. their fellow in crime. for which they died today. was tried alone and was sentenced to Imprisonment for eighteen years.
 Mrs. HaIlenbeck soon followed her hus- band to the grave. as also did the aged mother of the murdered man. A brother, George A. Hallenbeck. survives. but he Is broken in health and nerve by the awful enacted almost within his hear ns.
 The triple execution of today raised to a total of seventy-three the list of the murderers who have died in the electric chair The simultaneous execution of three brothers is not unprecedented In the history of New York State. although to find the parallel one must go back to June !, 1925. when three brothers. Nell son. Israel. Jr., and Isaac Thayer of the town of Boston. Erie County, were hang ed simultaneously on a triple gallows erected at the west side of Niagara square. in the city of Buffalo. The crime for which the Thayers died was the butchery of a peddler named John Love.
 Willis Van Wormer entered the death chamber at Il :34:30, the current was turn ed into his body one minute later and at II :37 he was declared dead. At II 80 Frederick entered the death chamber at :42 the current was turned on and he was declared dead at 11:43:30.
 Burton entered the death chamber at 11:47, the current was turned on at Il :47 80 and he was declared dead at 1l:48:3O The entire proceeding from the start of the II