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

band occupying the house. Mrs. Farmer
told him that so long as he treated the
Farmers we'll he could stay. Brennan
then reported the matter to the district
attorneys Office and engaged a constable
to search for his wife.
Careful Of Black Trunk.
The Farmers. in the meantime. with
others who were induced to help by free
access to ale which was furnished, COM
menced moving their goods to the Bren-
nan house. In one of the back rooms was
a large black trunk which Mrs. Farmer
asked one of the men to tie with a rope.
while q clothes line was wrapped around
it and tied securely. Mrs. Farmer said
''she had stuff In there she didn't want
broken" and had two men carry 1T to
the Brennan house while she walked along
and directed where 1t should be placed
in a back room. where other things were
piled upon 1t. She then proceeded to do
some washing.
When the constable who had been en-
ployed by Brennan went to the house
and asked where Mrs. Brennan was Mrs.
Farmer told him she had gone to Water
town to get her teeth fixed She sent
for the parish priest. told him a similar
story and had him bless the home.
On the following Monday the sheriff
with several others again visited the
Farmers and asked Mrs. Farmer to pro-
duce the deeds, and after some delay
she pulled the black oilcloth envelope
from a cradle and showed the papers.
Then a search Of the house was begun.
Inquiry was made in regard to the trunk
tied with a clothes line, whereupon Mrs.
Farmer denied that she owned it. saying
it belonged to her husband, and he. with
an oath, said it did not belong to him.
The rope was removed, the lock broken
ana in the trunk the sheriff found the
body Of Mrs. Brennan, fully dressed. The
head and face were horribly mutilated
by many blows from blunt instrument,
but the body was not injured. The tur-
ban hat which the woman wore was
missing. but the burned wire framework
of hat similar to the one she wore was
found in Mrs. Farmers Stove.
Tells Conflicting Stories.
Mrs. Farmer and her husband were ar
rested. charged with the crime, which the
woman at first stoutly denied. Then she
stated that Mrs. Brennan was in her
of the window, and that she stepped UP
behind her and hit her with an ak. Sub
sequently she said to the sheriff that she
had not told the truth; that Jim did it.
She said Mrs. Brennan had been with her
uptown and that when they came back
baby at a neighbours. She said she then
went for the baby and on her return
Jim was just putting the body in the
trunk.
At the Jail Mrs. Farmer made another
statement in which she said that Mrs.
Brennan came to her house and said she
was not feeling well. She said that Mrs.
Brennan said "she would give anything If
she would take that old AK that laid there
and knock her brains out, and 1 said
all right. here she goes. l takes the ak
and kills her" She said then she put the
body in the trunk, washed up the things
that were bloody and burned up the
things from which she could not remove
the blood. She said Mrs. Brennan was
sitting down in chair by the window
when she killed her.
The cases Of Mrs. Farmer and her hus-
band were appealed to the court of ap-
peals. which has yet to determine the
husbands case. Mrs. Farmers conviction
was affirmed. and E. r. Wilcox. her coun-
sci. asked the governor to appoint a COM
mission to examine into the woman S
mental condition, expressing the belief
that the woman was insane.