Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-21
OF
MRS, PLACE
Went to Her Death as Brayely
as Could BE-.
THERE WAS NOT A HITCH
And All Was Over in an Instant--
She the First Woman to be Elec-
tr0cuted in New York.

New York, March 2o.-Mrs. Martha
Place was executed at Sing Sing prison
today. She vas the first woman to die
IN the electric chair in the state of New
YORK and she went into her death quietly.
Her death was instantaneous. Two
shocks We're given. State Electrician
Davis threw down the lever at exactly
1l:Ol a. IN. The voltage OF the current
was Loo and it was continued for four
seconds. It was then gradually diminish
ed to 200 voltage. which was continued for
81 seconds. Dr.. Irvine, the physician of
the prison, examined the woman and then
ordered a second shock. That was the
same as the first in power and continued
for the same length of time. The second
shock has always been administered at
Sing Sing.
Mrs. Place murdered her stepdaughter,
Ida NJ. Place, a mere girl. on February Z,
1895. She first threw acid in she girls
eys and then smothered her. This was
early in the morning in their home in
Brooklyn. She waited the entire day for
her husband to return and then attacked
him with an AK, fracturing his skull and
otherwise seriously injuring him. Place,
however, recovered. Mrs. Place was con-
victed and sentenced to death, but she
never for a moment believed she would
be electrocuted. She at first claimed she
could remember nothing of the murder
and later the plea of insanity vas sub
mitted in her behalf. 1t was not until
Thursday last that Warden Sage an
nounced to her that Governor Roosevelt
had absolutely refused to interfere with
the course of justice and she must die on
Monday. 1t was a great shock to the
woman. but during the last four days she
bore up wonderfully we'll. She suffered
in two ways after she learned that she
must die, from sIeeplessness and from
loss of appetite. Again yesterday the
warden visited her, SO there might be no
misunderstanding, and told her that she
must be ready at II o'clock Monday
morning.
She was ready at that hou and no one
who watched her could understand what
change must have taken place in the
Woman's nature to so duh her senses that
she could go to her death so calmly and
impassively. 1t had not been expected
that she would do so. The last woman
condemned to die in this state went to
the gallows shrieking and fighting, but
Mrs. Place hardly uttered a SOUND. She
merely a prayer with closed
eyes, her face turned partly upward and
seemingly unconscious of things about
her.
This was the 26th electrocution at Sing
SlllS lllSoH Dul llOlit pclOIc was 81 SUI
cessful as that of today. Not only was
there no scene, but there was nc delay.
Within three minutes after coming
through the iron doors the order of the
law had been carried out. There We're II
witnesses present and only those who
watched every movement witnessed Mrs.
Places death. Few were able to see the
raising of the body as the electrical shock
passed through it. 1t was only when the
current was partly shut off that they
could see the body relax. 1t was an easy
way to die.
On Sunday Mrs. Place had her regu-
lar attendants and during the night she
was visited by her spiritual adviser
Rev. DR.. David Cole Of Yonkers, anC
Mrs. Meury, a mission worker of Brook
Ign, who has taken a great interest il
the woman's welfare. Mrs. Sage, thu
warden's wife, also spent an hour or 81
with her, but at $3.50 Mrs. Place wa!