Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-29

with the Injunction that it was not to
be made public and which was written
solely for her son.
| Three women were present in the cham
Der at the time Mrs. Farmer was put
to death. They were DR.. Helen NJ West
| fall of Moravia. Agnes Baird of Troy
and Margaret T. Byrne of Auburn. The
last two are professional nurses
Priest Makes Comment.
Father Hickey said the mental condi-
ton Of Mrs. Farmer was such that she
should not have been executed. He
added:
Mrs. Farmer seemed anxious to obtain
| the latest news from the folks at their
old home, and little. if anything, was
said about the execution. When the time
came for the final parting Mrs. Farmer
said. Goodbye, Jim; If don't see you in
| this worlu will in the next.
Locked in his cell in a far away cor
| ner Of the prison, Jim Farmer. the hus-
| band, prayed during the hour of his
wife's execution. She had told him that
she had to die at dawn and that she had
made Il statement that he was innocent
Of the crime. The man verged on col
lapse from grief and frequently gave
way to tears.
Story Of the Crime.
Mrs. Farmer is the second woman to
meet death in the electric chair. The
crime for which she was executed, and
for which her husband. James D. Farm
er. is also under sentence of death, was
the murder of Mrs. Sarah Brennan,
neighbor. in the village of Brownville.
Jefferson county, about four miles from
the city of WATERFOWL, Thursday. April
%, 1908. The body Of Mrs Brennan
was found the following Monday in
trunk owned by Mrs. Farmer and In her
possession. Mrs. Farmer and her husband
ty,nr DIV "a
the evidence was circumstantial, both
were convicted and sentenced to be cleo
| trocuted. Mrs Farmers counsel at
tempted at the trial to establish that she
crime, but the court Of appeals declared
that 1t was clearly a deliberate and
intentional act" and that there was no
circumstance that "mitigated against its
| Nervousness"
Mrs. Farmer came to this country from
| Ireland in 1900 and worked for time
as domestic in Binghamton. going from
there to Buffalo, where she married James
D. Farmer in 1904. Early in 1905 they
moved to Brownville, where they re-
manned for few months at the house Of
one Of Farmers relatives. after which
| they kept boarders in an adjoining viii
portion of an old building formerly used
as hotel in a part of Brownville known
as Paddy Hill.
Mrs. Brennan and her husband Patrick
| lSeO In a mousse nedTDy, WHICH tIlGy HdO
occupied for twenty years and VIII ch was
owned by Mrs Brennan. Mrs. Farmer
became a frequent caller at the Brennan
home and Mrs. Brennan occasionally
called on the Farmers Mrs. Brennan
kept the deed to her property, insurance
papers and a savings bank book in a
| black oilcloth pocketbook in tin case
in her bedroom.
Impersonates Mrs. Brennan.
Months before the homicide. in Octo-
Der. 1907, Mrs. Farmer went to law
yer's office in Watertown, produced
deed OF the Brennan property. and. I'M
personating Mrs Brennan, had the deed
transferred to James D. Farmer, signing
the name Sarah Brennan" The deed
was returned from the clerks Office to
James D. Farmer November 26, and jan
uary Z, 1908. Mrs. Farmer and her hus-
band went to another lawyer in Water
town and had the deed drawn to Peter
j. Farmer, child born to them the pre-
ceding September -
On the day of the crime Mrs. Bren-
mans husband left early for his work,
his wife telling him she was going to visit
a dentist In WATERFOWL. Between and
10 O'Clock she was seen to leave her
home and enter the Farmer house. She
was never seen alive again. Early the
same day Mrs. Farmer took her baby to
the home of a neighbor and left it, saying
she was going up town. Between that
time and the time Mrs. Brennan went to
the Farmer house Mrs. Farmer passed
back and forth between the two houses
several times. Shortly after noon she
went for her baby and arranged for a
young daughter of the neighbor to assist
her In caring for the child.
The girl, upon her arrival, found Farm
er and his wife at lunch. and later he
left for the home of his sister. where he
was laying a walk. Soon after Mrs. Farm
er went into the Brennan house. She
husband, but Farmer refused to return
home. Mrs. Farmer then went to the
sisters home with a package. which
proved to be the black oilcloth pocketbook
surance and other papers, and said she
wanted to leave it for awhile.
News for Mr.. Brennan.
Brennan upon his return from work
that afternoon was unable to get into his
house. The keys which his wife was In
the habit Of leaving were not in their &C.
customed place. While he was trying to
get In he saw Farmer standing nearby,
who remarked:
Brennan. don't you know I bought
this place."
Brennan finally secured ladder. en-
tered q second-story window and occupied
the house that night The next morning
he went to work as usual.
Mrs. Farmer that same morning went
to the sisters house. took Mrs. Bren-
mans oilcloth pocketbook from where 1t
hal been hidden in a chair, and with
her husband went to Watertown, where
they had an attorney prepare papers or
dering Brennan off the premises. which
were served on him that night.
Brennan went to WATERFOWL and made
inquiries for his WIFE, but failed TO find
her, and Saturday morning left for his
work, as usual. after spending the night
in the house. He returned home later
"a