The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-09
CAR MURDERED IDA PLACE
,v DECLARES MRS. PLACE GUILTY.
tVH' ~ THE FIRST DEGREE

.ncount of Her Sex the Governor VIII
",p.rmit Her to sit In the Electric Chair.
ruh that same immobility OF domeanor
W." .no has preserved through all the phases
VIZ. ,rol, Mrs. Martha W.. Place listened yes
Csa ,f,crrNnn In the County Court, Brook
n" so rho words that declared her guilty OF
W., in the first degree. The charge was
y ,bo sufTncatcd her lS-year-old stepdauRh-
We ". "A, Place. on Feb, z, at their home. 5eS
w.,o,cL street. Brooklyn. No direct evidence
-. ,ddured. hut the circumstantlal evidence
W ", Az strong a. to leave little room for doubt.
ssnrvw VASE ont lust two hours and three-auar-
,,s, andthe pointof discussion Wasnot the TACT
T EN- Attendants guilt, but the degree OF the
@uor Mrs. Places defence was that the girl
p .mo 10 her death through asphyXiation from
~ c,rsr If which she had no knowledge.
s%~ .n,ir, trial consumed but four days.
iii tho evidence was in when court adjourned
'ThrreIay and Judge Hurd set 0:3O as the
r., ~ openipg Yesterday In order that the
tsnmieht go to the jury by the noon adjourn
-, Mrs Place took her seat looking calm
IA nndisturbed. and with no signs OF fatigue
ss.n1iety visible in her sharply cut features.
E.s,ba defence Lawyer Van 1derstine said in
summing up:
l.,r that YOU are trying the defendant on one
kharce alone. She has been accused OF strik-
,rr down her husband with an axe on the even
;nr NJ Feb. 7, the day on which, II Is charged,
,ba committed the crime with which she stands
.nwsed here. With that alleged assault upon
h.r husband you have nothing to do. and 1t
rust not he suffered to affect your mental atti-
$50 toward my client. 1t Is charged that the
attendant strangled Ida Place. but we
s,ra shown that the testimony OF DR..
psnderson. who performed the autopsy.
~ss Incorrect. and we have adduced
.,nsr, and unimpcachable medical testimony.
showing that the unfortunate girl did not
Ala Of violent strangulation. No evidence con-
r.,tinc this defendant with the death Of Ida
Place has been presented. The prosecution
h,s failed entirely to prove that Mrs. Place went
inside Ida Places room. where tho girl was
found dead. on the day OF her death. or that she
aver saw the girl alive after the scene in the
bathroom. where the defendant was mixing the
dose Of salts which she intended taking.
Remember. gentlemen. that the burden Of
broof rests with the prosecution, and they have
moved nothing except that my unfortunate
blent had not been on good terms always with
the deceased, and had made preparations to
Iaaye the house on the day that Ida Place died.
Mrs Place has had an unfortunate life. a hard
he, but she is not guilty OF this crime, and l
An confident that you will affirm her inno-
= In reply, Assistant District Attorney Mcguire.
summing up for the prosecution, outlined the
home life Of the. Places since the defendant
Changed her position from housekeeper to wife
three years ago. He told Of the wife's growing
jealousy Of the s~tepdaughter, of their frequent
cuarrels and constant es~tranEements, and Of
Mrs. Places threat that she would pay Ida for a
certain taunt ten times over"
Coming to the day Of the murder. Mr.. Nc
I'VE know that Ida Place was killed on that
9Th day Of February. We know that she did
ants own testimony that Ida and her step
mother quarrelled that morning, and that the
accused threw something in lda,s eyes. In her
after the murder she said before witnesses that
t was acid. and We have proved that 1t was acid,
The servant an giGI, HI bda Palm; was sent 8u II
screams, Mrs. Place was in the house at that
time while Ida was being murdered. She must
crime: Why has she not told your, Because il
was she herself who, having blinded the cir
with acid, spranG upon her and suf1ocated her
broken back and tho blood clot found under the
Rkull Of the murdered girl. 1t may we'll have
while helpless. l ask you to remember only
chat Justice must T." done. aid that the only
RSs Re- : oar. who w SSHld lid have Mn mSTdG here. t lds d flfse l.
Throughout this address Mrs. Place sat APP
Parently unconcernrd. looking straight before
her with q calm expression. and occasionally
changing her posture for comfort; One Nigh
have SUPPRESSED her deaf or in a 1T q absent.
glance wander to Judge Hurd as he began his
charge, but quickly looked away again. The
Jury against being Influenced by the horror OF
the alleged crime on the one hand or the sex OF
sme Rr ,i@ " 81 ON the ether, h% IIof. OF the pre- e.
doubt. tircumstantiul evidence was sufficient,
e. said. IN some cases. direct EVIDENCE
beyond rcas9nable i"Ibt. HI then defined
murder in the first degree. murder in the
second degree, and m~anslaughter in, the first
degree. and told them that they were the absO.
!ute Judge OF the facts in the case, eXhortinR
them I" weigh all the evidence with the care
and Judgment necessary in making so grave q
decision. So satisfactory to both sides was the
Judges charge, that neither lawyer made q re-
guest for additional charges on selected points
peacefully ont of the courtroom.
When court was rcconvcned at 2 O'Clock a
end. Judge "I HnTd ma tHs H Si1ierhsnIP Of oant eiR II
Salans. SIX G"rmans. three subjects of Great
Britain two Sweddcs. ono, Dane. and one French
q indictments, after which the court %settlec
down To- wait and the crowd dwindled. At 2::s
Een and women through the entrance from the
Its murder in the second degree" wen
nom mouth 10 mouth.
lSSear where H Sun reporter sat; just out
Gqs b. Pi,o railing nIdinnlg it was spoken 8 o loud tia
inner room, could hardly have helped hearing
t. bqt she made no sign. With the same easl
Gearing. she took her chair and set her impas
eNe lace straight ahead Of her. At 3:40 thu
lurymen were in their seats. Mrs. Place die
not looK, at them. She was not called upon Il
rise and face them. as is the custom. When thu
Huuer ~ the courtroom had died down tn,
CLERK OF the court rose and said:
Gentlemen q the jury. have you agreed
cIWe have said Foreman Kreiger.
ntll Ilrs. Place made no motion. Her neetl.
kIoved hands lay open easily upon her lap. TIL,
nhgers were passive; they did not twitoh o
Stose. ~Neryeless or with nerves of steel mus
me woman be who can support such a momen
20 hrGugh the room; then the clerk said;
% you find the prisoner at the bar guilty a.
onarged or murder in the first degree. Or
we, do said the foreman, as the clerl
paused slightly after the word degree" sup
DGTStihR ms question to have been finished.
me clerk then finished, or not guilty Z"
s9rsman Kreiger,
IS ths at the verdict Of all Of youT
ptRp(prIInG this time all eyes were on Mrs. Place
svt she SAT looking straight in front OF her. bu
~ S,eaannS words guilty OF murder in the first de
Moiee ner forehead puckered into little lines a
SnoS Stuhrpf'sel yeXation. and immediatel
Id0 DO you wish the jury poIled ?" Lawyer Va
Sietstihe was asked. and he bowed in assent
WHcItupOn the clerk read the iurorl' namaS n