The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-08
CRIME OF A %STEPM0THER.
,,ps PLACE KILLS HER HUSBANDS
cUILD AND HACKS HIM.

,.,c. FIND, on Searching the uoune, the
or the l7-Year.Old Daughter. or
u,.m the stepmother Vsas J~eaioss-she
-, p.eu Hacked to Death with ar Axe
-. pvrped with Peisen-The woman Ac-
eu,ea or tho Crime Attempts Suicide.
,,-s Martha Place is a prisoner at st. Mary's
ua,n,taI. Brooklyn, charged with numbering
~" .,endsuehter Ida, II years old. and
n,,h murdercus assault upon her hus-
IA william w. Place, who is employed
- IN. Iopdon and Lancashire Insurance Com
nany at 81 William street. this city. The
plaza, lived at sos Hancock street, Williams
h,,r Mrs. Place is believed to have killed her
.tendnughter during the afternoon by striking
h.r nm the head with an axe. forcing acid down
her throat, and then smothering her with bed
clothing.
entered the house last evening on returning
from his place OF business. She cut deep
go,bes in the side of his head, and endan-
S.rcd his life to such an extent that Coroner
Dslap considered it necessary to take his ante
marian statement last night. After hor hus-
b.nd Rad escaped from the house Mrs. Place
went upstairs to her own bedroom and inhaled
Illuminating gas. 1t is believed by the police
that the attempt was not made with q desire to
kill herself.
Napoleon b. Thompson. an advertising agent,
who lives at 500 Hancock street. next door to
The Places house. was the first to give ON alarm.
Hc told a Sun reporter last night that until the
tragedy Of the evening he had never heard Of
any ouarrels in the Place household.
Mr.. Thompson was at dinner in his house at q
quarter past 6 when he heard screams of MUIR
der!' and "Policc!' He ran out to the Sidewalk.
He saw William Place being supported down
the front steps Of his own house by a young
man, q stranger. Mr.. Places face and clothing
were covered with blood, as werc the hands OF
the young man who was neiplng MIN. MT.
Thompson ran to him.
"what is the matter r he cried.
MY wife has shot me-" said Place. "She
has shot me in the head. II I don't get the bull
let out of my head I win die. Where are you
taking mef'
Como into my house." said Mr.. Thompson.
Mr.. Place struggled blindly to get away. Let
me 70 into my own house." he said, land send
for a doctor Meantime the door Of the Place
house was slammed from the inside and
the lock WIGS turned. Mr.. Thompson forced Mr..
Place to accompany him into the basement of
the Thompson house. As they were passing
into the Thorn pson front yard o woman's figure
appeared at the second story windows Of tho
Place house. She jumped back when she saw
Mr. Thompson looking at her.
messenger was sent for Charles II. Place. q
brother Of the injured man, who lives at $50
Hancock street. Another messenger was sent
to telephone for the police. Patrolmen McCau-
ley and Maher of the Ralph avenue station were
sent out at once. and on ambulance was sum-
moned from 81. Mary's Hospital.
The policemen could get no definite statement
49, n,..~ - -.h.A lI L---n.I "
swered their ringing OF the boil and they smashed
in the door. The tiled door Of the vestibule was
covered with blood as II 1t had been painted. The
door mat was soaked with It. They smashed the
inside door and found more blood on tho
carpet. Mr.. Places overcoat and hat were
hanging on the rack in the hall. They ran up
stairs. In the front room they found Mrs. Place
lying on the floor between the bed and the win.
dows that open on the street. Her head was GOV.
cred with a sheet. which she was apparently
trying to crowd into her mouth. Two gas
fixtures on either side of the window had been
pulled together, the lava tips had been pulled
ont. and the gas was turned full on from both.
There was. however, very little gas in the room
so far as they could tell. They tore the sheet
from Mrs. Places face and asked her what was
the matter. She only moaned in answer. The am.
bulance surgeon who was attending Mr.. Place
was called. and another ambulance surgeon
was summoned from st. Msry's Hospital. Both
said that Mrs. Place had undoubtedly tried TO
inhale gas from the two burners, which she had
pulled out together. They came to the con-
clusion. after working over her for half an hour
Ut more. ihat she was not SO badly injured, nor
lieye. N Ava W
Meanwhile the police went through the house.
moor tn tb eSG fon nom ra OF p1 the three aaos on tho second
fSce down on the bed, with her head toward
bed clothing and pillows Ri Q an There SeVS Wss m Wish
blood on the bed and on the sheets, and the room
S SirIs me s,ghs OF a struggle. About the dead
caused by strong acids. There was a wound at
a amin eSe ths OF the head. The surgeon who e!.
nllineu the body said that to the best of his
Judgment the girl had been dead about four
nj The police found. half buried in the snow in
looked TO them as, IL 1t had been thrown from
the seeond;story back room. BY this time
y s@% Sss Ps, sSts sa s%sa' feiies esa9ss III Bs aSHss
OF inc Ralph avenue station cleared everybody
Alter w spS ho9s ent ana put a guard around It.
tS y. IN the case gathered by the police were
At little after noon Yesterday the placss,
servant went to w. T.. Fetzer. an erpressman
~ Hancock street and Reid avenue. and got
he had aIm ca 1aG receipt to for a trunk which
tt erfy station OF the Pennsylvania Railroad
t ,L hrs. Place during the morning, The girl
s"Iu MN that Mrs; Place was In a hurry for the
tseGtpt, pecause she wanted to take the 3:I5
gasn Ior New brunswick. The girl said that she
y Eoing 70 move away herself before Mrs. Place
a. away from the house, as abe had lust been
S.hnrgea, and she arranged with the express
bs W TAKE her trunk. He took It,. Last night
III" ~ 10 the theatre, and until the police saw
lam na tGey were unable to reach the girl and
inc the i pan ner what happened in the house dur
~" Thn iast lew hours of her employment there.
pIhanete IL nothing at all TO substantiate Mr..
s.es pellcf tha' he had been shot or even mai
~ Sa'enan displayed a revolver. Careful search
Sesn ~ premises disclosed no such weapon. II
had hi9si likely TO the police that the woman
s, ~ a uehnitely formed plan to murder her
daaigbtagSn and then run away. When the
tt m wat t9r her husband and XIII him too. SO
sHn.Io y some chance the two bodies were
Mi "rcIen IN he closed house. she would have
s no OyppGLIHhity to make good her escape. IL
IN ,w Wt mhely That any one would have come
10 Nv mouse or noticed its stiffness for al least
imyhty'tour hours II she had succeeded in XIII.
e an ~ the hall when she first attacked him be-
bnno ,he mad taken OFF his coat and hat and
bnnsS mem up, Beyond this there is nothing
Ms ppIu ~" what happened In the house.
refnsn,di iace, AFTER her removal to the hospital.
tStnnSnep 10 say anything. Mr.. Place was also
Gt% = to ST. Mary's Hospital. where the