The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-29
WOMEN WOU[DN' 7
HELP OFFICIALS
At EXECUTION
Female Guards Not Present at
Farmer EIeCtrOcutiOn.
MURDERESS DIED AT 6.15
Made Statement Which, 1t Is Believed
viii Exonerate Husband of
Crime.
MURDERESS DIED AT 6.l5

Auburn, n. Y, March 29.-Mrs.
Mary Farmer convicted of the killing
of Mrs Sarah Brennan at Brownsville.
was electrocuted at the state prison
here at 6:15 o'clock this morning.
TWO contacts of the electric current
were administered. The women
guards al the prison refused to assist
in the elecuocution.
Mrs. Farmer made statement Sun
day night which she believes will ex-
onerate her husband, who also is I'M
, der the sentence of death for the
same crime Mrs Farmer prepared
the statement in the presence of a
notary public and Father Hickey, her
spiritual adviser
Father Hickey had told the con
demned woman that if she could
fuuthfully make any statement that
would eXonerate her husband she
should do so. Mrs. Farmer replied
that she had no desire to make any
confession but that she would make
a statement concerning the case. 1t
was however at the suggestion of
Mrs Farmer that the notary public
was called in. The statement will be
made public after Mrs Farmers
death
The confession" is said to be in
reality a statement OF the entire life
of the woman, particularly since her
arrival in this country from Ireland,
little less than nine years ago, her
employment In Binghamton and Buff
falo, her meeting at the latter place,
IN 1904, with James Farmer, their
marriage and removal TO Brownsville,
Jefferson county, the birth of their
son Peter, at that place on September
y, 1907, and the planning of the kill
ing of Mrs. Brennan, woman of
some property In order that Peter
Farmer, when he grew up, might be
a land owner, man of wealth as his
father had not been.
Father Hickey declines to discuss
the statement beyond the fact that
the woman has concealed nothing,
but it is said that she has gone into
detail freely in telling of her plans
for the crime. her commission of il,
and when she had done 1t, OF her hus-
bands completely in what followed.
The statement will be reduced to
writing from such notes as Father
Hickey took during the woman's talk,
and is expected here to prove a big
factor in the case of her husband
whose case now before the Court of
Appeals, and who has been generally
held to be equally guilty with his
wife of murder in the first degree.
Mrs. Farmer has left another state
ment the existence OF which Warden
Benham admits which is addressed
to her counsel, h. r. Wilcox of Water
town, who fought yaliantly to save
her from the chair
This statement she gives into the
keeping of Mr.. Wilcox with the in
junction that il be read to Peter Far
mer. her infant son, when he shall
become old enough to understand full
~ its meaning The attorney Is re.
Quested not to diyulge its contents
until such time. This letter for her
child is said to be another admission
of her guilt OF her terrible crime and
the things that prompted her to IT,
II is said to be full of endearing
terms, good advice to the boy to live
as he should live. and prayerful words
that he may be spared through all his
life from ANY consequences of her
rash act
For the first time since they saw
each other in the jail at Watertown
in June last Mr. and Mrs Farmer
saw each other last night and for an
hour, in the presence of four people
they conyersed earnestly, although, It
is said, without much show of emo.
ton by either. The rules of the pris-
on do not allow personal contact be-
tween visiting relatives and conticts,
and Mr.. and Mrs. Farmer, although
close together. We're not in embrace
during any part of the final interview,
which lasted just one hour