The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-02
THREE SIT IN
 DEATH CHAIR Brothers Van WOrmer
 EleCtrOCuted. MURDERED THEIR UNCLE Execution Without a. SenSa-
 ti0nal Circumstance. Willis Expressed the Wish That All of Them Could Go to Their Deaths at the Same Moment.

Dannemora. N. Y. Oct. 1.-without one unforeseen incident to mar the perfect and dignlfied execution of the death pen alty imposed by the trial court, sustained by the court of appeals and not interfered with by Governor Odell, Willis. Frederick M, and Burton Van Wormer were put to death in fifteen and a half minutes al Clinton prison this morning, for the mur- der of their uncle, Peter A. Halienbeck, at Greendale, Columbia county. on Christmas eve, 1901 There was not one sensational circumstance connected with the execution. The men walked from the doors of their cells in the care of their priest and fianked on either side with prison deputies, with calm demeanor but extreme pallor.
 Father Bellanger, the picturesque white-haired figure. not in the robes of his office but in the everyday frock coat of clerical cut with a little purple stole about the shoulders, walked along with each of the condemned men in turn, say ing words of consolation.
 During the first execution Father Char bonneau remained in the corridor between the death cells, reading prayers and invo- cations to the remaining VanWormers Every precaution had been taken to pre- vent the remaining men from hearing more than the departure of their brother
  ded and the interstices stuffed with cot ton so that the steps of those who re- moved the lifeless body from the death chamber to the morgue could not be heard.
 Little Time Required. Three applications of the current and further time was required for the execu- ton of Willis, but only two applications of the full current were deemed neces- sary in the case of Frederick and in two minutes from the time he crossed the threshold of the room the doctors pro- nounced him dead. The bodies were car ried out into the prison morgue and the summons for the last brother was taken back by the guards Father Bellanger went with them and when Burton Van wormer was brought into the presence of death he was accompanied by two priests. Fa- ther Charbonneau having no further need to remain in the cell room. Burton was killed even more quickly than the other two The current was turned on at Il :47:S0. Only one application was re- auired. though 1t was retained slightly longer at full pressure than in the other cases.
 Drs Ransom, Spitzka and Mcdonald had carefully examined the other two mems bodies but in the case of Bur ton, the laeI, OlneT pIySiClhiS "iiO "OAO present were asked to step forward and examine the body as 1t remained in the chair, and so the official pronouncement of death was naturally delayed.
 Few Saw Execution.
 In the case of Willis the current was on in three contacts for sixty seconds, in that of Fred with two contacts one min ute and one minute and five seconds; in that of Burton with but one contact Of one minute and thirteen seconds, so that the actual tune consumed in executing the three men was five minutes and fifty four seconds. In order to reduce to the smallest number the list of witnesses the warden counted as witnesses the prison deputies and guards whose duty compeh- ed them to he present Neither the Dis trict Attorney nor the Sheriff of Colum- bia County, in which they were convicted. nor the Supreme Court Judge was pres ent. Father Belanger said after the exc cution that the last hours of the men were in exceeding quiet with the strict est attention to the spiritual intent which were the sole concern.
 The Morning Hours.
 Cloudy skies and drizzling rain dark ened the cell room at the awakening of the three Van Wormer brothers to their last day on earth.
 The condemned men did not sleep last night until nearly 3 o'clock this morn ing. but tossed uneasily upon their cots. The last thing any of them said last night to Assistant Chief Keeper Nash was from the lips of Burton. Said he:
 q have no more fear of the electric chair than of this meal we are about to eat would just as leave be the last one to go in for I know that can stand the farewell. I am not afraid"
 This was not said boastfully. but very quietly.
 Keper Murphy. who was in the coll room from midnight until a. m. said when he came off duty this morning that he had never seen men better pre- pared for death or more fully in possess sion of their nerve.
 "I tell you" he said to the Associated Press representative. they were a lot more self-controiled than T.'
 Leaving out the question of their guilt or whether or not they ought to die I have come to like those three fellows and it made me feel bad to say good bye to them"
 Willis Van Wormer said this morning to Keener Murphy:
 'I only wish there were three chairs instead of one. so that we could all go together. The hardest part of 1t all Is the suspense but we are ready. We are grateful for the Kindness which every body abol,t tho r-iS"1 hoe shown to us"
 Clothed for DeatL.
 Keeper Murphy awakened the young men shortly after o'clock this morning. They were little dazed at first sound sleep in the later hours having followed the restlessness after midnight. but al- most immediately they were all awake, a full realization of the fact that this was their last day.
 Their new clothing was ready for them and they at once clothed themselves in the garb they would wear at the execu- ton, a gray flannel shirt and dark trous- CTS each with the right leg split to the knee to allow the attachment of the low CT electrode.
 They took no breakfast. in accordance with the Catholic requirement to come fasting to their communion. which Fath- CTS Belanger and Charbonneau adminis- tered to them later. They said. moreover. that they would not eat again. so that their meal at midnight was the last.