The age-herald., 1899-03-21
MARTHk*' *'lACE
 [EzlIROCUTED She Met Death Calmly and
 BraVe|y WAS FIRST WOMAN ID DIE In the Electric Chair in the
 State of New York. MURDERED HER STEPDAUGHTER Plea of Insanity Was Disproved by
 Commission of Experts. DEATH CAME INSTANTANEOUSLY The Execution Was the Most Success ful That Has Occurred at Sing
 Sing-Was No Distortion
Plea of Insanity Was Disproyed by
 Commission of Experts.
DEATH CAME INsTANTANEoUsLY
The Execution Was the Most Success ful That Has Occurred at Sing Sing-Was No Distortion
 of the Features.

New York; March 20.-Mrs. Martha Place was executed at Sing Sing prison today She was the first woman to die in the elec- tric chair in the state of New York, and she went to her death quietly. Her death was instantaneous, but two shocks were given.
 Mrs. Place murdere1 her stepdaughter, Ida M. Place, a mere girl, on February ', 1s9S She first threw acid in the girls eyes and then smothered her. This was early in the morning in their home in Brooklyn. She waited the entire day for her hus- band to return and then attacked him with an axe, fracturing his skull and otherwise seriously injuring him. Place, however, recovered Mrs. Place was convicted and sentenced to death, but she never for a moment believed she would be electrocuted She at first claimed that she could remem- Der nothing of the murder and later the plea of insanity was submitted in her be- half It was not until Thursday last that Warden Sage announced to her that Gov ernor Roosevelt had absolutely refused to interfere with the course of justice, and that she must die on Monday. It was a great shock to the woman, but during the last four days she bore up wonderfully well. She suffered in two ways after she learned that she was to die-from sleep- lessness and from loss of appetite. Again yesterday the warden visited her so that there might be no misunderstanding and told her she must be ready at Il o'clock Monday morning.
 Was Ready at the Hour
 She was ready at that hour. and no one wh0 watched har change must have taken place in the wo- mans nature to so dull her senses that she could go to her death so calmly and impassively. It had not been expected that she would do so. The last woman con- demned to die in this state went to the gallows shrieking and fighting, but Mrs Place hardly uttered a sound. She merely murmured a prayer with closed eyes, her face turned partly upward and seemingly unconscious of things about her. This was the twenty-sixth electrocution at Sing Sing prison, but none before was successful as that of today. Not only was there no scene, but there was delay. Within three minutes after coming through the iron doors the order of the law had been carried out. There were twelve witnesses present, and only those who watched every moment witnessed Mrs. Places death. Few were able to see the raising of the body as the electrical shock passed through 1t. It was only when the current was partly shut off that they could see the body re- lax. It was an easy way to die.
 On Sunday Mrs. Place had her regular attendants, and during the night she was visited by her spiritual adviser.
 Condemned Woman Very Restless
 At 9:30 Mrs. Place was let alone with the night matron, with two keepers in the out CT room. The condemned woman was very restless. Outside a terrific gale was blow ing across the Hudson, which rattled the windows in the gloomy old hospital build. ing where Mrs. Places quarters were 10. cated. There was driving snow, too. and several times the woman went to her win- -----------~----------~-
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