Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-23
Mrs. Martha Place Pays the
Penalty of Her Crime in
the Electric Chair.
FIRST WOMAN ELEClROCU1ED
In the state of New York Tho Process
Very Successful, Death Being Aim At
Instantaneous-Wa Quietly to
Her Death Every Precautlon
Taken by Warden sage.

New York, March 20--Mrs. Martha
! Place was executed at Sing Sing prison
| to-day. She was the first woman to die
! in the electric chair la the state of New
York and she went to her death quietly
! Her death was instantaneous. but two
shocks were given. State Electrician Da-
Wis threw down the lever at exactly II :0l
a. m. The voltage of the current was 1850
and 1t was continued for four seconds. 1t
was then gradually diminished to two
hundred voltage which was continued Tor
, % seconds. Or. Irvine. the physician of
the prison, examined the woman agd then
| ordered second shock That was the
same as the first in power and con tinued
for the same length Of time. The second
shock has always been administered at
Sing Sing.
Mrs. Place murdered her step daughter.
, Ida NJ. Place, a mere girl, on February Z.
| 1895 She first threw acid in the G.rl's eyes
and then smothercd her. This was early
in the morning in their home in Brooklyn
She waited ne entire day for her husband
to return and then attacked him with an
axe. fracturing his skull and otherwise
seriously injuring him. Place however, re-
covered.
Mrs. Place was convicted and sentenced
to death but she never for a moment be-
loved she would be eectrocuted. She at
first claimed that She could remember
- t,Htt ,,.st.'I &C.
1t was not until Thursday last that War
den Sage announced to her that Gov.
Roosevelt had absolutely refused to in
terfere with the course of justice and
that she must die on Monday. 1t was Il
last f",i, d,vs .h horo ~, ,nrdnet' ,''v
vii ST. .,Sfd - t,,,r> w. - u 10y
1A {
,oss o,,d f.,.r,, ~ n,,1a
vesterdav INC v,.rdan ,.isitad bar go tbat
there ricbt no No Observation-Disclosures md
told bnr ~ ,,,,at he .-nod, a. II o9oloatr
Nnnd"v r,nrrime ut - N''>N
Sbo w.,s rond,q ~ that hour ora no o,,a
u,o u,tChod bor co,Id ,,ndors.ond u.hat
change must ba,a tol,or ,,laoo In no n.n,,,
ans nnturn 70 81 AMI har .,ense. tbat ,bo
could 90 IA nov death 50 calmly and i'm .
nossivcIv nc Nr. place ala II bad not
beon exnocta ri tbot sho would do co The
last woman condenned 70 die in mis-
ctato wont "a thn galIows ehrieking md
frbtinn INT Mrs place hardly uttnred a
sound she merely murmured a nrnver
with closed eyes her face turned part Nv
inward and seemingly unconscious Of
things about her.
This was tho twentv-sixtb electrocution
Mt Sing sing prison but none before was
so successful as that to-day. Not only
was there no scene but there was no ~
lay. Within three minutes after coming
through the iron doors the order of the
law had bCcn carried out. There were
twelve 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 II. 1t was only
when the current was partly shut off that
they could see the body relax. 1t WAS an
easy death
On Sunday Mrs Place had regular at
tendants and during the night she was
visited by her spiritual adviser. Rev. pr.
David Cole, of Yonkcrs and Mrs Meury,
a mission worker of BROOKLYN. who has
taken great interest in the woman's vel
fare. Mrs Sage, the warden's wire, also
spent an hour or two with her, but at
q.3n Mrs Place was left alone with the
night matron. Mrs. Coultrv. with two
keepers in the outer room. The condemn.
ed woman WAS very r, stloss Outside q
terrific Gale was blowing ocross tho IT, A.
son which ratified the windows In the
gloomy old hosoital huillinc whero Mrs
Places oiiarters we're located Thee wa
n dr;viDc Yno,v too and several tires tbe
woman vona 70 bor uindov, 70 u,,tch 10
storm Sbn ala NOT ra,trc u,til go on1
after that she was I'm several times N
nrav Never for a moment ala the rnatror
raIax bar ,ie,ilarca Nj piacr W 9 =
Loved u,itb ostchf,, ava CO.. th, +u.or,,
fo,,r ho,,,., tI,a, nra,oio,, b.. t,,.t,,, =,
=, nan,at ~ dd,,;ol1 - 49,.
& 49,. ..I pS 'ou ~ W 800. %, '
,,ti 49,, - =, ~ .,.,., tns
ta ~ a,5 ''.,' ~ ".' 49, .,t1o ~ il'uo
t ,r's, ~ ha,t paMen ~ ~
rnIn - nv ho. az 49,. ,,,e, s,.s. -,
~ 'n.a ~ ny ~ .'Ii.s ~ - ~,