The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1909-04-02
MEETS DEATH IN
ELECTRIC CHAIR
THREE SHOCKS WERE APPLIED
AND MARY FARMERS LIFE
is GONE.
CALM TO THE LAST MOMENT
Second Of Her Sex 10 Be Electro
cuted In New York Makes No
compIaint-Husband Only
a Few Feet Away.

Auburn, New York.-With half.
closed eyes and muttering pray.
crs, Mrs Mary Farmer walked to the
electric chair in historic Auburn prIs.
Oh at minutes and 80 seconds past
| 8 O'Clock Monday morning and gave
up her life as penalty for the murder
Of Sarah Brennan.
While the mystic power sufficient
! to move ia" heaviest freight train or
drive the most pondcroHs machinery
was racing through the rigid distend.
ed body annihilating every vestige of
human life. the husband paced his
cell within a stones throw Of the ex.
ecution chamber condemned to die
In the same chair for completely in
the murder which has been styled by
two courts and the governor as one
OF the most deliberate and brutal in
the criminal annals Of the state.
Child a Few Miles Away.
TWO score miles away, within sight
OF the scene Of the murder. In the
little village Of Brownsville, an infant
son lay fretting in his crib, uncon.
sclous OF the significance Of this
dawn.
In a last word to Father Hickey of
the Holy Family church, who had ad-
ministered to her spiritual needs
tlrpuuhput TN, lpp,, irc, -,,,,,ia.. l..
the dungeon of the condemned. Mary
Farmer dictated her confession, a per.
functory. brief declaration of her hus.
bands innocence OF the crime for
which he stands condemned to die.
Hair Arranged in Braids.
Capt. Marting and Electrician Davis
adjusted the wrist contact straps.
the heavy helmet and mask. To safe
guard an emergency, the hair of the
condemned was arranged in little
braids, which hung loosely in the
back.
Electrician Davis sienaled that all
was in readiness and stepped toward
the switchboard. Warden Bcnham
nodded his assent to the electrician.
The switch was jammed into its
socket at G:05:3S, and the limp body
jumped into the crcaking straps, re.
naming rigid in the distended posi-.
ton while 1910 volts, ~ amperes, Of
electricity, raced through IT.
a barely audible moan came from
the lips at the first shock The con.
tact was maintained until G:OG:4O,
just l minute and seconds
Flesh Flushed In Death.
AS the body relaxed into limp pos. |
ture with the opening of the switch, !
Prison Physician John Germ advanced |
with DR.. SpitZka, the alienlst from |
Jefferson medical college, Phlladel. |
phia, and Electrician Davis. to exam.
Inc the condition of the victim. DR..
Germ slit the waist and applied the
stcthoscope to the breast. Attracted
by the flushed condition of the flesh,
DR.. Germ passed the instrument to
DR.. Spitlka, who manifested intense
interest in the peculiar color.
Slowly, under the examination. the
flush faded and, apparently, at the in.
stance of the Alienlst, Electrician Da.
Wis was signaled to apply second
contact sThe second shock Of the
same power was applied at G:OS:l5,
and maintained for seconds. and q
second examination revealed the body
as wax.
A third shock was applied at
6:l1:5O and continued for 3 seconds,
and DR.. Germ again applied the steth.
oscope. Following the examination,
all attending physicians applied the
each nodding assent that
life was extinct.
THE physicians say the woman Ia
lead" announced the warden. DIR.
ierin wishes to announce that the au-
.opsy will take place at $3.50. You
will please return to the office and
sign the death certificate"
Greed Cause of Killing.
Mary Farmer killed Mrs. Sarah
Brennan in their little home In the
hamlet Of HounsHeld. near Browns
lille, Jefferson county. April 81, 1908,
he cause of the murder being greed
o obtain possession of the cottage
Iome owned by Mrs. Brennan. II was
hown at the trial that Mrs. Farmer
n November. 1907, had called at the
ffice of Francis p. Burns, an attor-
icy. declared that she was Mrs. Bren.
an and executed a deed to her prop
rty to Mrs. Mary Farmer. Two
'eeks later she had this deed trans.
erred to her infant son, Peter.