Connecticut western news., 1909-04-01

Previous to Execution Woman Is AL
 lowed to Spend an Hour With Her
 Husband, Who Is Also Under Death
 Sentence For a Share In the Killing
 of Mrs. Brennan-She Signs State
 ment Declaring Him Innocent.
 Auburn, N. r., March 31.-After con fessing her guilt to her spiritual ad- wiser, Father Hickey, and making a statement eXOnerating her husband, wIO is himself under sentence of death, Mrs. Mary Farmer went calmly to the death chair in the state prison here for the murder of her neighbOr, Ms. Sarah Brennan. of which both were found guilty. There was no hitch ill the electrOcutiOn.
 Mrs. Farmer were to the chair q plain black dress the skirt of which was bifurcated to facilitate the ad- juStment of the electrode upon the leg. She was attended by five women, two of whom were nurses, two attendants and one a physician.
 Mrs. Farmer and her husband met in final communication before day break, the woman being taken over to the mems prison for the interview.
 The wretvhed woman showed no ev- idences of collapse, though the last words between herself and husband, separated ill their parting interview by heavy bars and an impenetrable screen were affecting to the two wo- men attendants and the captain of the guard.
 As the law does not permit it, there was no farewell embrace when the time came fer separation. When the steel dGOr of Mrs. Farmers cell h1d cloet~ and T2mes Farmer, weeping had been led away the woman fell upon her cot ard wept fer few mo- mcr+s ard rhen began to proy. Father J. !. Hickey. pastor of the Holy Fam fly ch;1rch - # q HrrS. Farmer and pr'yod with her. The priest admini" ter q the last sacrament ard offered prayers fer the dvi"r hefCre the short march to the execution chamber.
 Tn the subdued li@I't of early morn ing Mrs. Farmer dressed fer her exc cuticn. She clothed herself in a prison gown and w9i"t ard then carefully ar- ranged her hair. A woman attendant bifurcatcd the gown to the knee ard slit the stOckIn% so that the electrode might be applied to the limb.
 Across the silent yard the woman and her escort walked to the end of the mems building, where a carriage was in waiting to drive them to the entrance of the "death row" It was only a short drive along by the cloth shops and other prison departments, but the fall of the horses hoofs and the crunching gravel in the roadway told the prisoners in their cells the story of what was happening in the yard below.
 The carriage with Mrs. Farmer and her attendants came to a stop, and the door leading to the condemned row was opened. Once inside the door was closed, and Mrs. Farmer was placed within a cell in the receiving room, and her husband was sent for It might have been an hour before Captain Patterson. who. with the two
 
 gave a quiet warning that the time had come for the parting.
 There was an inaudible word spoken. last greeting, the shuff1ing footsteps of woman as she was being led along the dark and narrow corridor and the closing of a cell door next to the exc cutiOn chamber. Farmer was then led away, and Mrs. Farmer was taken to the death chamber.
 Father Hickey and an. assistant led the death march. The leg electrode was adjusted by Captain Patterson, and the two women nurses assisted him. When all was in readiness State Electrician Davis turned on the cur rent. Three contacts, each of 1,S4O volts, were used.
 The crime was committed on the home in the town of HOunsfeld Four days later the body of Sarah Brennan, wife of Patrick Brennan, was found in a trunk in the rear room of the Bren- nan home, into which the Farmer fam fly moved two days following the kill ing
 In Mrs. Farmers written statement eXOnerating her husband she said:
 My husband, James D. Farmer never had any hand in Sarah Bren- nan's death and never knew anything about it till the trunk was opened. never told him anything about what had happened. I feel he has been ter ribly wronged.
 James D. Farmer was not at home the day the affair happened; neither did James D. Farmer ever put hand on Sarah Brennan after her death. He is entirely innocent"