Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-03-23

attendant. stood with outspread skirts.
Or. Irvine merely superintendent.
Not an instant was lost in throwing
down the lever.
Hardly a witness saw the convulsive
movement that follows an electrical
shock. The body merely stitfencd.
The face remained calm.
Mrs. Places thin lips closed tightly
together. They formed almost a smile
as she died.
1t was all over in a moment. Moth
ing ever was done at Sing Sing so rap
idly before She was dressed in black,
the suit that she had made herself--a
plain gown, which was lifted quickly
to the knee. She wore black stockings
and low tan shoes.
The electrode vas fastened in a
moment: another was placed over her
thick light hair, turning grey, small
circle of which had been clipped way.
The straps were adjusted over her face
and a pad fitted over the forehead.
Only her mouth was visible.
In her hand Mrs. Place carried a
prayer book, and when the shock came
she gripped It tightly, The other held
fast to the chair handle. The woman's
mouth merely closed; the face was a
trifc livid. Her heart ceased to beat
within minute.
DR.. Irvine felt for the pulsations of
this carotid artery in the neck, and then
the woman physician examined the
heart. After her all the physicians
present examined tho heart.
DIR. Irvine gavo it as his opinion that
death had been instantaneous.
Mis-. PLACES AWFUL CRIME.
Tho double crime for which Mrs.
Martha M. Place was put 10 death to-
day was committed on February 18th,
1888. Mrs. Place had made all neces.
sary preparations for killing both her
stepdaughter and her husband. She
had sent away her servant and arranged
matters so that sho should be clone in
the house with her husband S daughter,
Ida.
Tho exterior of tho dwelling. No. 500
Hancock street, Brooklyn. bud u de-
serted air when William W. Place, her
husband, entered it at 6.30 y. m.
Place opened the door, wondering at
the silence and darkness, passed into
the nall, heard what he described after
ward as the 'triffle Of o dress on the
stairs,' and called "Mnrtha!" The
answer was blow on the head from
an axe. A second felled him. He crept
to the door, but lay groaning and help
less in the lobby.
A neighbor had heard the noise and
came peering through the glass door.
He said nothing, but heard the groans.
He called a policeman.
When they entered the house they
discovered Mrs. Place lying on bed in
her room. She had turned on the gas
and was slightly overcome by it. She
had tried to commit suicide.
In a rear room on the top floor the
| policeman found The dead body of a
young girl. There was the excoria-
| tion Of carbolic acid on her lips, in her
eyes and upon her face. This was Ida
Mildred Place. the pretty daughter Of
her husband by former marriage.
During the afternoon Mrs. Place had
first blinded the young girl and ther
had smothered her to death with pill.
lows. =
AN UNUSUAL MOTIVE.
When the police looked for motive,
| they found an unusual one. Mrs.
Place had grown jealous of her pretty
stepdaughter. Her husband, she OBJ.
served, undoubtedly favored Ida. In
addition to that her husband had re-
fused to allow her own son, who had
been adopted by William j. Ashenbach,
a wealthy harness manufacturer of
Newark, N. j., to be brought to her
home. Mrs. Place had pondered ovei
her double grievance. Tho cherishine
by Place of his daughter she contrastet
with her own loneliness. Her resent
ment grew until it bore the fruit Of
| murder. ..z..}
When young woman she bad beer
married to man named Savaooll, anG
there was born to them the boy, who j:
now 10 years of age. Savacoll deserted
his wife and was never heard Of. The
woman tried to support herself and hel
son by needle work, but succeeded
poorly. She was forced to consent Il
the adoption of her son by Mr.. Ashen
bach.
She visited the child occasionally
until the boy devined that she was hi
mother. Then Mrs. Ashenbach, hav
ing become attached to him, refused Il
let them meet. She saw him secretly
In January, 1893, Mrs. Place appealed
to her husband to obtain her chlt
from Mrs. Ashenbach. He refused, ant
his daughter, Ida Mildred Place, de
clined to intercede with her father il
4 the interest of Mrs. Places affection
for her son.
Mrs Place sent to her brother, Pete
d. Garretson of New Brunswick, on TIL
day Of the murder, two bank books
showing balance of Sl,074. As in tn
Howard Saving Institution of Newark
and a balance of 1913 SO in the Brook
Ign Savings Bank. She sent TO hir
also the key of trunk which she ba
expressed to him at the same time
! With these were several letters, sayin
nothing definitely. but Indicating tina