The Morris County chronicle., 1909-03-30
MRS. FARMER EXECUTED;
SHE CONFEssES CRIME
The Convicted Murderess Put to
Death In Prison at Auburn, N. Y,
SECOND WOMAN ELECTROcUTED
Mrs. Farmer Hoped by Taking the
Blame to Free Husband, Also
Sentenced to Die - Her Last
Hours and Details Of Execution.

Auburn, N. Y.-Mrs. Mary Farmer
was shocked to death in the electric
chair in the prison here at SIS o'clock
a. M for the murder of Mrs. Mary
Brennan at Brownsville.
Warden Benham and the Rev.
Rather Hickey stole fnoiselessly to the
woman's cell at 5.45, and the priest
began whispering the prayers for the
dying.
Mrs. Farmer sat on her couch. In
one hand was prayer book and in
the other book on the lives of the
saints. Her head was bowed, show
ing where the hair had been cut so
that the electric battery would have
full play.
she gazed about her as one in a
trance. 1t may have been that she
was paralyzed with fright
There was grinding of locks and
hinges as the big cell door swung
wide. Mrs. Donigan and Miss Cor
man, women prison attendants, who
had kept the death watch during the
night, entered the cell, and stood on
either side of Mrs Farmer. The
priest began praying in louder
voice and his words seemed to vi
brate through the line of cells.
The march from the cell to the
room was hardly more than twenty
feet, but the priest walked slowly,
and Mrs. Farmer seemed hardly to
move as she dragged her heelless
slippers over the stone floor.
She was dressed in black bifur-
Gated gown. This gown had been
made especially for the execution,
and under it's folds were slits which
left bare the legs SO that the straps
could be placed next the flesh.
There were nearly score of wit
nesses in the room, all of them
grouped against the furtherest walls
when the door opened and the white
faced priest entered
Then came the condemned woman.
Mrs. Donigan supported her on one
side and Miss German on the other.
Following them were the warden and
Dr. John Germ.
There were no preiminaries. The
chair had been tested and found in
working order. The slippers were
drawn from Mrs. Farmers feet, and
she was assisted to the chair, her bare
feet resting on the wire-covered rest,
her head falling back to wire-cov-
cred support. Both arms rested on
the sides, also covered with wires.
The men and women attendants
worked noiselessly, quickly.
A great strap was fastened about
the centre of her body, a second strap
bound back her neck. her arms were
bound down tight, and then the bifur-
Gated skirt was drawn aside and
about the woman's legs, just above
the knees, more straps bound her
Then a cap arrangement, made of
steel and wires, was fastened about
her head, reaching down on her low
forehead almost to her eyes and COW
ering the back of her head to the
neck.
All was now in readiness. The
Warden stepped aside, the priest con-
tinued to pray, and his voice sounded
hollow and ghostly. The Warden
dropped his handkerchief. The elec-
trician turned on all power, and in
stantly Mrs. Farmers muscles became
taut She strained against the big
straps that bound her until they
seemed ready to snap.
The current was turned on. the
woman stopped straining on the
straps and fell back, the muscles of
her body quivering and her eyes open
ing and shutting. For twenty Sec
onds the electrician stood ready to
again turn on the current Again the
Warden gave the signal, and again
the straps strained as the woman's
body convulsed DR.. Germ came for
ward. He felt the woman's pulse and
placed his ear at her heart.
The straps were unbuckled and the
limp body, still warm, was carried
into rear room and the usual autop-
sy held.
All this while the men and women
who had witnessed the killing of a
fellow being stood as If transfixed
with the horror of it all. They had
been told how Mrs. Farmer had. con-
fessed; how she had said she killed
Mrs. Brennan, hoping to enrich her
son, but they could not but feel sym
pathy for the poor. stupid creature
who had been called insane by so
many persons.
BY her confession In which she
took all the blame, it is believed Mrs.
Farmer hoped to free her husband,
who is also under sentence of death.
He had always claimed that he took
no part in the murder.