The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-17
MRS. PLACES EXECUTION.
Warden Sage Deluged With
Requests for InVi-
tations.

NEW YORK, March IT, 1S99-Warden
Sage, OF Sing Sing Prison, will send out
some time today the invitations to the
witnesses who will be present at the exc
cution of Mrs. Martha Place for the muir
der of her stepdaughter, Ida Place. The
law does not permit the Warden to make
public in advance the time fixed for carry
ing out the death sentence, but it is gem
orally understood the execution will occur
on Tuesday at about IL A. NJ
The Warden said today that Mrs. Place
had passed a quiet night and seemed to
be resigned. She has now given up all
hope and when her spiritual adviser, Rev.
DIR. Cole of Yonkers left her last evening
she assured him that she would place her
trust in God
Mrs. Place has had but little appetite
since she learned Governor Roosevelt's s
decision yesterday that the law would
have to take its course, and she ate spar
nigly of the breakfast which was sent to
her apartments this morning.
She expects a visit from her brother,
who lives in New Brunswick, and he
may come to the prison on Sunday. She
does not look for visits from any OF her
other relatives. Her husband she does
not speak of. Since she has been in pris-
on she has written him several letters,
none of which he has answered. She
also wrote a number of letters to her
fifteen-year-old son. who IS adopted IN
d. n
answered any of the letters, although his
foster parents allowed him to visit his
mother after her arrest for the murder
nj Brooklyn.
before the Governor wrote him three les-
ters appealing to him to save her, and in
one of the letters she asked for par
don.
BY order of Governor Roosevelt the
execution of Mrs. Place will be conducted
as privately as possible. There will be
present only the required number oI doe- log
warden's deputies, woman attendant
for Mrs. Place, who will adjust the elec.
trode at the leg and limited number e
warden has secured a woman who will at
tend Mrs. Place as she is strapped in the
chair.
ranging the details for this execution
Mrs Place is about five feet ten INCHES
in height and has heavy growth OF hair
always been the custom when executing
man to place one of the electrodes at
the head and to do this a portion Of the
hair hase been shaved off. A portion. Of
Mrs. Places hair were the electrode will
be applied will have to be removed, but
this is not likely to be done until just
before she starts for the execution
The most perplexing question which has
confronted the Warden is how to get Mrs.
Place from her apartment in the old
hospital building to the execution room.
According to the present plan the con-
demned woman after leaving her room
in tho eastern part of the hospital build-
ing will have to walk through two ad-
Joining rooms. descend two fights Of Of
south through the old kitchen to the
principal keepers office and thence along
the corridor in front of the dark cells to
the iron doors leading into. the death
house, where four condemned Inurderers
are confined When these doors are
thrown back Mrs. Place will face the
cages occupied by the condemned murder
ers, but they, will be shut out from view
by curtains which will be hung across the
front of the cages. The condemned
woman viii lhave only few steps further
to go when she will pass through another
set of iron doors INTO the execution cham
ber The old hospital building is being
overhauled and remodeled. The lower
floors and stairway are at present torn
up. and Warden Sage this morning put =
gang of convict carpenters to work relay
ing the floor over which Mrs. Place will
walk on her way to the death chamber.
Thls work will be completed by tomorrow.