The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-07
ON TRIAL FOR HER LIFE.
TEsT1ArONE Al TO MRS. PLACES
HATRED OF II sTEPDAUGHTER.

Her Husband Tells of Events Leading Up
to Her Alleged Murder of the Girl and
OF Her MurderOus Attack on Him with
an AXe-JHe Sheds Tears on the stand.
The trial Of Mrs. Martha w. Place on q charge
OF numbering her 1S.year-old st~epdaughter.
Ida Place, at 6eS Hancock street, Brooklyn, on
Feb. z, was continued before Judge Hurd yes
terdRy. Several policemen testified TO visiting
the house on the night OF the tragedy. They
found Mr.. Place suffering with severe cuts on
the head and sent hin TO a hospital. On going
upstairs they found Ida Place dressed IN a
bicycle suit lying on her bed. dead. Bed clothing
mad been wrapped around her head and gas was
Issuing from two unlighted burners. James Des-
rlond said he found Mr.. Place leaning over the
railing on the stoop. and when he ran up to
render him assistance he found Mrs. Place
standing In the doorway holding IN her hand
an axe. The axe was found subsequently In
the snow In the back yard. Surgeon Gormelly
OF st. Mays Hospital testified that Mr.. Place
was suffering from a compound fracture Of the
skull and severe scalp wounds. He found Mrs.
Place lying on the floor partly asphyxiated by
Eas. and Miss Place was found dead In bed with
the skin ON her lips excoriated. which he be-
lieved was due TO q corrosive acid.
Detective Becker Of the Ralph avenue station
testified that on the day after the murder Mrs.
Place made u statement TO him in which she
said abe had quarrelled with her husband and
that he had struck her. Subsequently she had
"a row with Ida, and then she got some powder
from her husbands desk and, after mixing il,
threw 1t into 1da's face. Ida screamed. and
Mrs. Place then went into the cellar and got the
axe. When Mr.. Place returned she struck him
on the head with the axe. She then ran up
stains and threw the axe out OF the window into
the yard.
Assistant District Attorney Mcguire handed
Ahe axe to the witness and he identified It.
When the axe was produced Mrs. Place averted
her eyes from It.
Frank NJ. Fairchild. an undertaken. said he
found crystals In the corners Of Ida's eyes and
that the skin was excoriated.
Edward j. Scheideker. a private attached to
the Third Battalion OF the Twenty-second Regi-
ment, now stationed at Willets Point. was the
next witness. He appeared in his uniform. He
testified that he had known Ida Place for some
time. and on the day OF the murder he called at
the house to take her out bicycle riding. He
sMd he saw Mrs. Place through the window.
out that she refused to open the door for him.
and after he had rung the bell several times he
William W. Place. the husband OF the defend
ant, testified that he first met Mrs. Place In the
tbse,i 6 III non 63;s ahd ~sH6se9FpSe rnay m engaEedl o her to to
married her. She at first. he said. showed great
hneetion for Ida, which pleased him, The fam
fall OF 1894. when Mrs. Place began to deny ida
the Ytivileges she had been accustomed to, He
her treatment OF his daughter. In the fall Of
hS9S they had a Quarrel and Mrs. Place left the
reconciliation and Mrs. Place treated, Ida with
respect for q time. but then the old quarrels
On, Dec, is. 1897" Mr.. Place said.- we were
invited t9 the wedding Of my niece. returned
hG %as and prePsa are M for b the welding @6H GA and 6a when zen
dressed. She said she was not going. As Ida
$as dressed. we started off. When we returned
later. She then said: I thought YOU we're
going TO the wedding alone, | replied that
Tfusseedd 70 had I'd. s and I fl %esn i that Yss / pt Mou 1ae have re- to
60 without her. On one occasion Mrs. Place
tore tore l d. he het to pieces7, because she said it
Mr.. Place in referring TO a musicale held at
his home shortly before the murder said that
to speak to any OF the young people. She took
aglass of Lemonade and a piece Of cake and
E She re asia9edat I'LL t several Pin ilm Sst and 1t a at T iast iEc
~ mst fEs%$ ssiHttfR' sSs To excuse her. she is not raa's
had a quarrel with, his wife over her monthly
hhi.8GT SeeGmuI hs dfe several II bi flse w h s2 her he in as sae
ed 70 pax At p breakfast EY on the morning q The
Witness or ida. AS he wa, leaving the house at
9o'clock In the morning. Mrs. Place was on the
s'ooG Th ePd 8 Is mo d Sse asfinF her to &ll it,S RI. Place
said, II will not give 1t to you"
Did she make any answer to that ~ asked
Yes said Mr.. Place; she said. II don't
get it III make you pay Tor it ten times over
become as5i r5e cSi@ az h Sei ad SSeSan i! e 'daEIdi n'Tt R Know We w faa
she meant then. but / have since found out"
He then described his return home. at $3.50
o'clock in the evening and OF his meeting Mrs.
Place In the hall and being. struck twice on the
head with an axe. He said he was In the hos
pltal for six weeks and did not see the body OF
his daughter after death. On cross-examina
ton he said his wife at times was violent and
suffered from nervousness. The defence. 1t ID
said, will be insanity.
What did you mean.' he was asked. by
saying on the night Of the party that You must
excuse her; she Is not Ida's motherf"
II wanted them to know. y said Mr.. Place.
that my daughter was too well trained to have
such q mother"
But this Is your WIFE counsel said.
True" replied Mr.. Place.
MIR. Place said that Ida was out OF the house
a good deal OF the time because she was afraid
70 stay In the. house with Mrs. Place. He iden-
tilted two bottles containing acids which were
found In his desk. He said the acids were used
by him in making photographs.
ID Henry Z; Walker OF the Department Of
Health testified to making q chemical analysis
This Is the acid that Mrs. Place is said to have
mixed and thrown In Ila's face. The trial will
be continued this morning.