Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-12-15
MARY ROGERS EXECUTED
PENNINGTON MURDEREss PAYS
LEGAL PENALTY AT WINDSOR.

Execution Devoid Of Sensational Feat
ures and Death instantaneous, the
Woman Going to the oallows Calm.
iy-story of Her Last Hours.
Mrs. Mary Rogers paid the extreme
nenalty of the law on the gallows ut
the state prison at Windsor friday
Dec. s, for the murder OF her nus
band, Marcus Rogers, at Bennington
the night Of Aug. l2, 1902. The exc
cution was accomplished successfully,
without any indecent or sensational 'n'
cidents.
II had been reported that no news
paper men would be included among
The twelve citizens whom Sheriff Peek
was required. by law to invite, but IL
was finally arranged between Iov'
ernor Bell, Sheriff Peck and Superin.
tendent Lowell that three Vermont
newspaper men should be admitted to
the execution in behalf Of the press OF
the state and at large, and that they
should be given every opportunity 10
obtain knowledge Of all the facts ana
circumstances connected with tine iast
DAYS of the condemned woman and the
execution itself and to give them 10
the nublic. 1t was further stipulated
that a plain, uncolored recital of the
simple facts should be given out by
these men to every Vermont uaiiy
newspaper, to The Associated Press,
and to The Publishers Press. These
men were Frank l.. Greene, editor o,
the st. Adams Messenger, Frank n,
Howe. of the Bennington Banner ana
Montpelier Journal, and Frank Ii:
Clark. representative of the natlona,
nress associations. From their Official
report the following facts are taken:
s'The death watch began Nov 20
when Mrs. Rogers was placed IN SOIL
t.rv confinement in cell on the
southwest corner of the women's de-
nartment in the third floor of the
main building. The death watch con
sisted of Mr.. and Mrs. M. IL. Loukes,
of the prison staff, who have passed
every hour of the day and night with
Mrs. Rogers except for an occasional
brief relief by some other prison ON
cial. This room has contained TWO
beds. curtained off from each other
and here Mrs. Rogers and her death
watch slept and here on small table
they have eaten regularly together.
The windows overlooking the prison
ward are painted so that the inmates
of the room have had absolutely no
opportunity to see out of it. The only
visitors to the death cell since solitary
confinement began have been super
intendent Lowell, Warden Palmer,
Miss s. j. Durkee, the matron, the
prison chaplain, the Rev. William IL.
HAYES. the Rev Father G. c. Delaney,
and the four-year-old girl, Marguer-
lite, the daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
Loukes.
"During this time Mrs Rogers has
generally slept well, her appetite mas
not failed and she has been in good
shirts. She has occupied her time to
q great extent in crocheting lace FOR
anrons to be sent to relatives and per
sons who had sent money to her. AT
night her crocheting needle was reg
ularlv taken away from her to be CIV
en- out again the next day. She has
read the Bible and has even commit
ted some passages to memory. she mas
written few letters to relatives ana
sympathizing persons but she has not
written any messages for any news
napers nor has she received any mes
sages from any newspapers and all re-
noTts to the contrary are false. She
has never lost hope that in some way
her life might be spared and even Fiji
day morning appeared to retain some
faint idea that at the last moment
something might interpose to save
her.
The gallows was erected Thursday,
Dec. 7, but the sounds were muilled
and no intimation of the work reached
the death cell until, toward night, IN
answer to Mrs. Rogers S inquiry, she
was told that the gallows was being
made ready. Friday morning Rev.
Father C. C. Delaney of the Roman
Catholic church at Windsor admins
tered communion to Mrs. Rogers and
gave her spiritual consolation. In the
afternoon the Rev. William ID. Hayes,
the prison chaplain, visited her cell
and read the Scriptures and prayed
with her and after he went away Mrs
Rogers joined with Mr.. and Mrs
Loukes in singing hymns. Mrs Rogers
asked for the visit of the clergymen
and appeared to believe that her sins
are forgiven and that she would be
saved. She had not confessed her
crime directly and positively nor had
she explicitly denied it. She said she
did not consider it brave to go to the
scaffold and make confession and