Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-29
CONFESSION MADE PUBLIC
Exonerates Husband From Any Part
in the Crime.
S0LICITUDE FOR BABY BOY
Story of the Murder of Mrs. Sarah
Brennan Last April.
Body in Trunk.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.


after o'clock this morning for the muir
der of Mrs. arah Brennan at Brown
vile. n. Y, in April of last year. She
was the first woman to suffer the death
penalty in the prison and the second in
the state. Mrs. Farmer went to the chair
calmly. Immediately after her death a
statement which she signed Saturday was
made public. In this she confessed the
crime and declared that her husband.
James D. Farmer. had no part in it.
Farmer has also been convicted of mur-
der in the first degree and is under sem
tence of death. His case is on appeal.
Mrs. Farmers statement was written
by herself and was addressed to Rev. j.
]. Hickey, pastor of the Holy Family
Church Of Auburn, her spiritual adviser
while she was in Auburn. 1t follows:
ITO the Rev. J. ]. Hickey: My husband,
James d. Farmer, never had any hand in
Sarah Brennan's death, nor never knew
anything about 1t until the trunk was
opened. l never told him anything about
what had happened. 1 feel he has been
terribly wronged. James d. Farmer was
not at. home the day the affair happened.
neither did James D. Farmer ever put
death. Again, 1 wish to say as strongly
as I can that my husband. James d.
Farmer. Is entirely innocent of the death
of Sarah Brennan. that he, knowingly,
had no part in any plans that led to it
and that he knew nothing whatever about
it. MARY FARMER
Subscribed and sworn to before ME
this 2Sth day of March, 1909.
'B. E. VINEGAR, Notary Public.
''Cayuga county"
Final Talk With Husband.
Mrs. Farmer was allowed to see her
husband last night. She was taken to
the front of his cell in the condemned
row." where Farmer and four other COM
demned men were confined. All through
the afternoon and evening she had been
listening to the words of her spiritual
adviser. and had been reading the Lives
of the Saints 1t was nearly o'clock
when she was taken to the cell where
her husband was confined. The attendants
drew away and the husband and wife con-
versed in whispers. II was after 10
o'clock when the two said their last
farewell, and Mrs. Farmer was taken to
her cell. Her husband was weeping when
she left, but the woman preserved the
outward calm she has exhibited for
weeks.
The death watch stated Mrs. Farmer
had nothing to say during the night.
She appeared to spend all her waking
hours in prayer.
The witnesses gathered this morning in
the Office of Warden Benham before =
o'clock. 1t was just one minute after
that hour when they passed through the
main hall and descended flight of steps
leading to the inner court. A chill wind
caused all to turn up coat collars in
crossing to the door of the small gray
death house that crouched snugly against
the long line of silent shops.
To the east loomed the great stone
house where 1,4OO convicts stirred un-
easily in their cells. all conscious of the
fact that one of their number was about
to be put to death The witnesses in
noisily into the death chamber. where the
humming of the electrical apparatus was
drowned by the rafting of the chairs on
the stone floor as they settled themselves.
Then the purring Of the dynamo again be-
came the predominant sound again, and
the heavy breathing of the witnesses
could be heard as there came a brief wait.
Condemned Woman Enters Cell.
Warden Benham nodded to acting Prin-
cipal Keeper William c. Patterson and he
raped twice on the iron door separating
the chamber from the room which con-
tanned Mary Farmer as it's sole occu-
pant all through the night.
The five men waiting death had been
Farmer was removed to cell 800 feet
distant, out Of earshot Of the proceedings.
Capt John Crowley had been stationed
on the inside and he promptly swung in
the big door flooding the darker row of
cells with light from the brilliantly lighted
chamber. A stir was heard and from cell
No. 1 Mary Farmer stepped into the
broad corridor and alongside of Rev.
Father Hickey. Her attendants, Miss
Mary German and Mrs. J. j. Dunnigan.
d hush fell over the assemblage.
. Father Hickey. with the woman walking
behind him, entered the chamber and. re-
citing the litany for the dying, held his
head close to Mrs. Farmers ear as she
responded, her eyes closed and her hands
clasping a crucifix on her breast She
stumbled slightly on stepping on the mat.
She kept her eyes closed to the last and
her lips moved in prayer as the attend
ants quickly adjusted tine electrodes. Then
she surrendered the crucifix.
Electrician Turns on Current.
She took her seat at 6:04:30 o'clock. and
on the signal from the warden at sos :3S
O'Clock the state electrician threw the
lever. sending a current of 1.S4O volts.
71s amperes. racing through her body
At 6:06: 40 the current was turned off,
the neat black dress opened at the neck
and the stethoscope applied by DIR. John
Germ and DR.. Edward A. Spitzka of Phil
adelphia. A second contact was found
necessary, and this was made at Cos: 10
third contact was given at GIL 30
o'clock for three seconds. the initial pow
er being maintained. and after examina-
ton by all the physicians present the
woman was officially declared dead at
6:15:4O o'clock.
Warden Benham then turned to the wit
nesses and said: The physicians an
nounce the woman to be dead. Dr. Germ
wishes me to say for the benefit of the
physicians present that the autopsy will
he at 63O o'clock. You will go to the
office and sign the death certificate
Father Hickey, without comment. hand
ed out the confession.
James Farmer and the four men con-
demned to die will be returned to the
condemned row today. James Farmer, it
was added. might be allowed to stay out
until tomorrow. 1t is understood that
efforts TO procure a new trial will be
made at once. The baby boy, Peter, will
remain with Farmers brother, Frank
Farmer. of Brownville, jefferson county.
Speaks of Baby Boy.
To her attendants. Mrs. Dunnigan and
Miss Mary German, Mrs. Farmer said
(f.ontipuad n an L,layepfb