Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-03-30
LAST WORD
FORHUsBAND
Mrs. Farmer On The Eve Of
Her E|GCtr0CutiOn
DECLARES HIS INNOCENCE
The Story of a Crime For
Which a Woman Suffered
Death In the Electric
Chair at Auburn Prison
Yesterday Morning.

Auburn. March 29.-Hoping that she
might save her husband from the fate
that befell her. Mrs. Mary Farmer
! convicted of killing Mrs. Sarah Bren-
| nan last April at Brownville left a
] confesson to be made public after her
execution by electricity. in Auburn
prison early today.
She says her husband, James Far
mer, now under sentence of death. was
/ not guilty Of the crime and knew
nothing of it until ii had been com
| mitted. The woman walked quietly to
the death chamber and died with a
/ prayer on her liUs.
! Mrs. Farmer is the second woman
Ito meet death in the electric chair
The crime for which she was executed
and for, which her husband. James ID.
Farmer, is also under sentence Of
death, was the murder Of Mrs. Sarah
Brennan. a neighbor, in the village of
Brownsville, jefferson county, about
four miles from the city of Water
town, on Thursday, April 23rd, 1908.
The body of Mrs. Brennan was found
on the following Monday in a trunk
owned by Mrs. Farmer and in her pos
session. Mrs Farmer and her hus-
band We're given separate trials and
although the evidence was circum-
stantial. both were convicted and SEN
'tenced to be electrocuted. Mrs. Far
mer's counsel attempted at the trial
to establish that she was insane and
irresponsible for the crime, but the
court of appeals declared that u was
clearly a deliberate and intentional
act and that there was no circum-
stances that ''mitigated against its
Nervousness
Mrs. Farmer came to this country
from Ireland in 1900. and worked for
a time as a domestic in Binshamton
going from there to Buffalo where she
married James ID. Farmer in 1904.
Early in 1905 they moved to Browns
Vile where they remained for a few
monthS at one Of Farmers relatives,
latter which they kept boarders in an
Iadjoining village. In May, 1907, they
moved into a portion Of an old build
ing formerly used as hotel in a
part of Brownsville known as Paddy
Hill
Mrs. Brennan and her husband, Pa
trick, lived in a house nearby. which
they had occupied for twenty years
and which was owned by Mrs. Bron-
nan. Mrs. Farmer became frequent
caller at the Brennan home and Mrs
Brennan occasionally called on the
Farmers. Mrs. Brennan kept the deed
10 her property, insurance papers and
a savings bank book in a black oil
cloth pocketbook in Il tin case in her
bedroom.
Months before the homicide. in Oc-
tober, 1907, Mrs. Farmer went To =
lawyers office in Watertown, produced
a deed of the Brennan property and,
impersOnating Mrs. Brennan, had the
deed transferred t. James -. Farmer.
signing the name Sarah Brennan"
The deed was returned from the
clerks office to James ID. Farmer on
November &c, and on January I, 1908.
Mrs. Farmer aid her husband went to
another lawyer in Watertown and had
the deed drawn To Peter J. Farmer,
child who had been horn To- them tie
p cc''Gme S"nicmber .
on tho GIy "f the crime, his.
i,rennan's husband left eariy fer his
work. his wife telling hirl she was
going to visit = dentist in Narrtcwn.
Between 9 ah1 10 o'clock she was seen
to leave her home. and euter the Far
mer house. She vas never seen alive
again. Early the same day, MrsAFar-
mer took her baby - the home 'of
neighbor and left it. saying she was
going up town. Between that\ time
and the time Mrs. Brennan wcht 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 ar
ranged for a young daughter of the
neighbor to assist her in caring for
the child.
The girl. upon her arrival, found
Farmer and his wife at lunch, and
later he left for the home of his sister
where heS was laying a walk. Soon
after Mrs. Farmer went into the Bren-
nan house, she returned and told the
girl to go for her husband, but Far
mer refused to return home. Mrs.
Farmer then went to the sisters nome
with a package which proved to be
the black oilcloth pocketbook Of Mrs.
Brennan containing the deeds, insur-
ance and other papers, and said she
wanted to leave IL for a while.
Brennan. upon his return from work
that afternoon, was unable to get into
his house. The keys which his wife
was in tine habit Of leaving were not
in their accustomed place. While he
was trying to get in, he saw Farmer
standing nearby, who remarked;
don't you know / bought this place?
Brennan finally secured a ladder, en-
tered a second story window and oc-