Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-09
EXPIATES CRIME
ON THE SCAFFOLO
MRS. ROGERS HANGS FOR HER
HUSBANDS MURDER
Meets Death With the stoicsI lndiffer-
enee She Has Maintained Since
Her Arrest--story Of
the Crime
By Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
WINDSOR, VT, Dec. S.-Without n
tremor and without a word, Mrs. Mary
Mabel Rogers today marched to her
death on the gallows at the state prison
here and paid the penalty of murder
ing her husband. Marcus Rogers. at
Bennington on August 49, 1902. TO all
appearances Mrs. Rogers was the
calmest person i'm the chamber of
death. she faced her end with the
same stoical Indifference that has
marked her demeanor ever since her
arrest, more than three years ago.
Greatly to the relief of those Of
ficials who were assisting in executing
the sentence, Mary Rogerss last hour
was remarkably free from narrowing
incidents. 1t had been feared that the
woman's wonderful nerve would desert
her at the final moment and that she
would be carried to the scaffold in a
state of collapse. Instead, however,
Mrs. Rogers met death bravely.
There were no sensational Incidents
in connection with the hanging.
A few minutes after the sheriff had
sent deputies for the condemned
woman the sound of footsteps in the
corridor indicated the approach of the
doomed woman.
The death procession wended its way
down the stairs of the women's section
of the prison, through the guard room
and into the west wing.
Mrs. Rogers appeared to be the
Calmest person in the party, although
her pallor bore silent witness that she
realized the meaning of it all. She was
gowned in black. Deputy sheriffs
marched on each side of her.
Previous to the march to the scaf-
fold Rev. Father Delaney, pastor OF
the local Catholic church, Mrs. Rogers
spiritual adviser, had recited the
prayers for the dying in Mrs. Rogers
cell. The clergyman did not accom-
pany Mrs. Rogers to the scaffold.
Prison Chaplain Hayes witnessed the
execution through "a window.
Does Not rlinch
Passing through the door that opens
from the guard room into the west
wing, Mrs. Rogers was obliged to
descend a fight of iron steps, She did
rot finch. Her step was firm. She re-
fused the aid of the deputy sheriffs and
refrained from steadying herself by the
iron balustrade.
"A few short steps brought her to the
Stairs leading to the scaffold. Again
Mrs. Rogers declined assistance, and,
unaided, mounted steadily to the top,
stopping exactly upon the center of the
trap. She 'sat down in a chair for a
moment and when asked if she had
any final statement to make she shook
her head negatively. To bind the con-
demned woman with leather straps was
the work of a minute only. A long
black sack that was lying open on the
trap was brought up about her body
and fastened around her neck the
moose was adjusted by one of the
depHtiessand another deputy placed the
black cap upon her head. The next
step was the official announcement by
the sheriff: MARY Rogers, / now pro-
ceed to execute the sentence of the law,
and may God have mercy on your
soul"
Hardly had the words been uttered
when the trap was sprung. 1t was
exactly 1:1S p. M. when the drop fell,
and the woman was officially pro-
nounced dead at 1:27h.
In the opinion of the attending ply
sicians, Mrs. Rogers neck was broken
by the fall of the drop. The law hav-
ing been fulfilled the deputies. guards
and spectators quietly left the prison.
The body was cut down and placed in