New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1905-12-13

UN LIE dHLLU W.
GOVERNOR OF VERMONT PER-
SIsTs In REFUSAL TO INTER
FERE WITH EXECUTION.
Woman Goes to the Scafold Perfectly |
Ca1m-Hanged for the Murder Of |
Her Husband-Brief Story of Long
Fight to Save Her.
Windsor, Vt, Dec 9.-Without a
tremor and without a word, Mrs.
Mary Mabel Rogers on Friday
marched to her death on the gallows
at the state prison here and paid the
penalty Of numbering her husband,
Marcus Rogers, at Bennington, on Au.
gust IS, 1902. To all appearances,
Mrs. Rogers was the calmest person
in the chamber of death. She faced
her end with the same stoical indiffer-
ence that had marked her demeanor
ever since her arrest more than three
years ago. Greatly to the relief of
| executing the sentence, Mary Rogers
| 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 state of collapse.
| Instead, however, Mrs. Rogers met
death bravely. There were no sensa-
tional incidents in connection with the
/ hanging. Although the woman was
not officially pronounced dead until
IA minutes and 80 seconds after the
trap was sprung, she evidently suffered
no pain. Her neck was broken at the
second cervical vertebra and she lost
consciousness instantly the drop fell
A few feeble convulsive movements of
! her pinioned hands were the only evil
dences that vitality had survived the
first shock. "
At 2:25 D. m, just an hour and -
minutes after death was announced,
the body was taken from the prison to
placed on board the 2:55 train and
sent to Hoosic Falls. N. Y, where Mrs.
Rogers mother lives. Interment will
be at St. Mary's cemetery in that
town Those who witnessed the exc
cution united in saying that it was
successful and humane
Murdered Her Husband.
The career of Mrs. Rogers has been
a remarkable one. A wife at 16 and
a murderess at 10, she was only 90
on the day of her execution. In 1902
having won the affections Of three
men, she killed her husband, Marcus
H. Rogers, with the aid of another
| admirer, Leon Perham, to the END
, that she might marry a third lover
Maurice Knapp. Perham confessed
: and is serving a life sentence. Mrs
: Rogers was born at Hoosic Falls, N
Y, and when married moved to Ben
nington, VT, where the murder wa:
committed. On the day Of the muir
der Marcus Rogers went to Benning
=, ton to visit his wife, and that nigh
Y she arranged to meet him in thu
woods near the WaIloomsac river
t Wine caressing him she induced hin
r to allow her to bind his hands, AM
U while he was powerless she chloro
= formed him. In this she was aidet
y by Perham, a half-witted boy, wht
n was the son of the woman with whom
n she boarded. Another woman. Els
t te1la Bates, was present. After chic
n reforming Rogers, Perham and Mrs
a Rogers rolled the body into the river
where it was found the next day.
To divert suspicion the woman wrot
# note to which she signed her hus
e. bands name giving the impressio
/, that he had committed suicide. Imms
e diately after the murder she tried
4 collect her husbands. life insuranc
e amounting to $500. A few days dfte
the murder Mrs Rogers, Perham an
II the Bates woman were arrested. Pc
o. o. ham made a complete confession, an
"a both he and Mrs. Rogers were foun
= guilty of murder in the first degree.
1t How Case Has Dragged.
~ Under the Vermont law the powt
20 of Communication of sentence rests wit
y the legislature, and the law also pr
tn ylues that when person is sentence
to death q session Of the legislatu
is must be held between the time of Sc
& tence and the date set for the exec
S, ton At the last session OF the legi
ne 1ature various attempts were made
~ commute Mrs. Rogers sentence, b
all failed Then an attempt was ma
- to pass a law abolishing capital pu
cd ishment in Vermont, but that al
10. failed. An attempt to secure a Pc
lis don for the woman shared the sar
e. fate A bill was introduced providf
C for the appointment OF state co
We mission to look into the woman's So
~ ity This bfll passed the house una
mously, but was defeated in the st
~ ate.
ii The date set for the execution W
q February 8, 1905. February 2 G.
ng Bell granted reprieve until June
i've that the claim of her attorneys to ne
sea 1y discovered evidence might be hea