The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-12
MURDERER PAYS
DEATH PENALTY
Warner ElectrOcuted This
Morning in Vermont
State Prison
MORALLY INNOCENT
HIS LAST ASSERTION
Execution at 2.58 O'Clock, 1000 Volts
Being Turned on for One Minute and
II Seconds-Story of Double Murder
Committed by Him.
Especial to The Reformer)

Especial to The Reformer)
WINDSOR, July u.
Every resource to save the life of George
Warner having failed, the condemned muir
derer of Mr. and Mrs Henry f. Wig
gins of Andover was escorted into the
death chamber at the state prison here
early this morning, and under protesta-
tions of innocence paid the death penalty
by electrocution at 2.5S O'Clock. He was
the first prisoner to be executed by that
method in Vermont, and the execution
was success, there being no untoward at
tendant circumstances
About half an hour before the exeeu-
tion Warner seemed considerably agitat-
ed at the near approach of his doom, but
as he approached the electric chair his
demeanor was marked by calmness and
| resignation. About dozen witnesses
were present.
| He came into the chamber with the
prison chaplain, Rev J. w Rafter, the
two repeating together the Lords Prayer.
| As Warner seated himself in the chair
he declared that he. was innocent of the
crime of which he was convicted, at least
morally innocent. and that if it was he
who committed the crime he had no rec
/ objection of it. Then he and the chaplain
repeated together the lith chapter of the
Gospel of st. John.
All adjustments having been made, the
/ signal was given, the current was turned
on and 1000 volts of electricity shot
| through Warmers body, which stiffeneC
and then became limp.
For one minute and u seconds the elec
trical current coursed through the con
demned man and then the circuit was
broken and two physicians began an exam
nation with stethoscopes They were DIR
IF. H. McCuen, the prison physician, an,
DIR. f. f. Quigley of Rutland. Two min
utes were consumed in the examination, a
the close of which the physicians officiall,
, pronounced Warner dead
The body was placed in charge of Tn
dertaker l.. F. Cabot of Windsor, and oil
Monday the burial will take place in 81
monsvile, in the town of Andover il
| which village the double murder was com
fnitted on the afternoon of Nov 4, 1914,
: Warner was Simonsville blacksmith
; and had trouble with his wife, who wa
, postmaster in that village and VIII
t brought divorce proceedings against him
a On the morning of the day of the TRACED
:, Warner called on his wife and abused hel
: She telephoned to her parents, Mr.. an
Mrs Wiggin, and that afternoon Mr.. Wis
n gin hitched up his horse and went to Sc
;, her Meanwhile Warner went to tn
: Wiggin home, and it is supposed that h
: shot Mrs Wiggin and that when Nj
: Wiggin returned home he also was shot
: There was blood in the carriage
: The body of Mrs Wiggin was found i
the woodshed and the body of Mr.. Wis
gin was found under some straw in a sta
! in the barn. Suspicion was directed In
mediately against Warner, who had di
: ! appeared and a posse searched for him.
= AT the trial it was claimed that he wa
mentally defective, but the jury returne
t a verdict of murder in the first degre,
V with capital punishment. The suprem
e court affirmed the findings of the lowe
l. court, A few days ago counsel for Wa
= ner asked leave to file with the suprem
it court a petition for a new trial on til
II ground of newly discovered evidence an
insanity in the family but after hea
&C ing the supreme court denied the reques
and later Gov P. w. Clement declined
a exercise clemeney