Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-02
ROGERS CASE.
Claim Made That Mrs:
Rogers Was Accomplish.
Governor Bell Hears the Appeal
for Reprieve.
Five Officers of the Law Plead With
Other Petitioners-The Hearing.

Montpelier. Vt, Feb. Nv heih"r
Mary Mabel Rogers. now occupying
the death cell at the Windsor state
prison, will die on the sallows, next
Friday afternoon. as ordered ny the
court in which she was found guilty
of numbering her husband, Marcus
Rogers: or be granted ii reprieve, while
the supreme court is petltloned lot
new trial, will be announced at Water
bury between and 4 O'Clock. tomor-
row afternoon. by Governor Bell.
This much was made known by the
governor at the conclusion OF a hear
ing given by him. today. and at which
the executive was urged to grant a
stay of execution. Governor Bell add
ded that the privilege to resign be-
Ionged to the sheriff and deputies who
were among the petitioners, and who.
if they continue in office. will have
charge of the execution.
Today's hearing presented the some
what unusual spectacle Of the five Of
ficerS of the law charged with the in
Fiction of the death penalty. pleading
with the governor of the state to de-
lay the contamination of their unhappy
duties. These officers We're represent
ed by Attorney f. b. Finn. who read
a petition signed by High Sheriff Peck
and Deputies Lowell Spofford kiniry
and McAuley. The petition WAS dated
at Windsor, Jan. 81. and was as fol-
lows:
AS the day is near when Mary NJ.
l;o
we, the undersigned sheriff and depu-
ty SheriffS of Windsor county. bring
this memorial to your attention,
humbly praying that YOU will exercise
Your power to reprieve which we be-
lieve to be conferred upon YOU by the
constitution as construed by the gov
ernOrS of Vermont. many of whom
have been distinguished for their
learning in law and all of whom. from
the day of Chittenden to the present
have been men noted for their deVO-
ton to justice. We understand well
that yours is the duty to see that the
laws are executed and that all within
our borders shall receive equal rights
and justice. In making this petition
to YOU we further understand it to be
our duty. in this case at least. to carry
into effect the awful sentence of the
law. We would not falter. We all
shall endeaVor to do our duty as Off
GERS of the law. but though we are of
ficers we cannot forget that we are
men-men with homes-citizens of
Vermont. whose good repute is dear
to us all.
we therefore. present this petition.
unsolicited by anyone and moved only
by an ambition to render to the state
cur highest and best services and
ready to bear whatever criticisf may
come TO US for this act Of ours, the re-
sponsibility of which we fully assume.
but with an abiding faith that in time
to come. if this memorial shall have
had even Il little influence in persuad-
ing Your eXcellency to extend for a
little while this Womans time on earth
so that her counsel may have an Op-
portunity to again present her case
to the proper tribunal. it will then be
abundantly demonstrated that We have
performed a higher and hOlier duty to
the law, to order and to civilization
than If now compelled to hang this
woman by the neck until she is dead
Attorney T. w. Moloney appeared for
the condemned woman while speeches
were made by several others.
Briefly. Governor Bell was asked to
delay the execution until newly dis
covered evidence could be presented
before the supreme court with petition
for "A new trial. The petitioners al
legged that Leon Perham, now serving
Il life sentence for completely in the
crime, had recently confessed that he
lied on the standfi swearing away Mrs
Rogers life to save his own neck from
the galloWS: that Mrs. Rogers was An
accessory rather than principal. ac-
cording to Perham'S alleged confess
SION. in which he was quoted as ad-
hitting that he and not Mrs. Rogers
administered the chloroform. that
there was hereditary insanity in tho
Rogers family: and that physical con-
nitlonS of the condemned woman at the
time the crime was committed was
such as to make her mentally incap-
acilated.