Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-12-15

that Il would not do her any good to
tell what other people had done. When
she allowed herself to dwell upon the
ordeal of Friday she appeared to be
making every effort to 90 TO her rate
brayely and with frmness
The report that opiates were admin
istered to her to deaden her sensibil'
tiles is unqualifedly false, She did
moi even drink tea or coffee, content
Lowell visited her cell for few mo-
ments Thursday evening. She was IN
good spirits and even told story Just
before he left. She said her case was
not properly managed and that II 1t
had been she would not have been
there.
About 1880 'clock Friday morning
Mrs Rogers dressed herself with care
In the clothes she was to wear on the
scaffold and went down to the sitting
room 10 await the call to the scaffold'
She had arrayed herself in plaih
black dress, turnover collar, ana wo,e
some jewelry, asking that she might
be buried in the garments she wore,
AT loo clock Deputy Sheriifs no
maine A. Spafford of White River
Junction. ]. II. Kiniry of Windsor, r.
g pinkbam of Rochester, Henry A.
Bond of Chester, entered the room 10
escort her to the scaffold. The con,
Iomned woman went to the scaffold
with great composurc. The only re-
mark she made on the way was 10
hand her glasses to Deputy sherin
Kiniry, asking him to send them 10 her
sister. 81,
Awaiting the party, on the seaifoid,
were Deputy Sheriffs Angus MacAuley
of Wilder, L. A. Thomas of Woodstock
and James McDermott of Tyson. Dep
uties Kiniry and McDermott tied the
woman s hands in front and tied STRIPS
around her legs outside her dress. she
was then led to the trap at lilo liz
clock. A large black sack lying open
on the trap was quickly brought up
about her body and frightened around
her neck. When asked if she had any
final statement to make she shook her
head Her behavior on the Naffold
was calm and collected, although she
was male. At LIE o'clock Deputy
Stafford adjusted the moose, IN an
other half minute the black cap was
drawn over her head, and at l;iS
q clock Deputy Sheriff MaeAuiey
sprung the trap. The woman zen siA
feet and her neck was broken. for
two or three minutes after the ran
few convulsive witches were noticed
and then the body hung rigidiy at the
end of the rope.
Sensational newspapers have pun
lished reports that the feet OF the wV,
man touched the floor as she feii
through the trap and that ~ became
necessary for two deputy sherlhs 10
ouicklv catch up the rope and hold her
body from touching the foor un.ii sh.
slowly strangled. This is not true ana
has been denied in several signed state
ments by witnesses of the execution,
In one of these. United States Marsha'
Horace w. Bailey says
'sThe report that superintendent
Lowell hid in the barn is untrue. Inc
story Of the hanging being bnnghhg
lob. is likewise untrue. After the Drop
Il was discovered that the rope hao
stretched slightly, so that the toes
touched the floor; thereupon the body
was lifted by the rope an men or TWO
that it might swing clear of the MOOT.
Roth physicians stated that the meek
was broken by the fall and death,
therefore, was instantaneous ana PAIN,
less This event was not considered OF
Importance enough to be sent to the
nublic bv the newspaper men who saw
Il all. The time, IA minutes, taken 1or
the cessation of the heart beating was
not unusual, being at least two MN
utes less than was the case Win Dell
whose hanging occurred some years
ago. The body was taken down IN 'ne
usual way and laid in the casket-a,l
done as tenderly and kindly as though
the men in charge were performing a
last sad rite for friend or neighbor
The law was well executed.
At 1:27 10 clock Drs. Dean Rich
mond. the prison physician, and Q. W..
Daley of White River Junction pro
nounced her dead AS soon as tne
body was cut down, it was placed IN
the coffin and removed from the scene.
1t was claimed by her mother and SIS
ter and an undertaken from Hoosick
Falls, N. Y, accompanied it the same
evening to her mother g home IN
Briggs hollow, between Bennington
and Hoosick Falls Burial took place
Saturday, Dec. 9, in the family lot in
st. Mary's cemetery, at Hoosiek Falls.
Mrs. Rogers mother, her three sisters,
and about half dozen onlookers were
the only ones present and there was no
service at the grave.
Sheriff Henry H. Peck of Hartford
who, under the provisions of the stat,
utes was ex-officio executioner, dld
not take part on account of his recent
severe illness, but guarded the door to
| the execution room.
Among the witnesses at the foot of
the scaffold were the IL legal wit
nesses, the physicians, the deputy