The times., 1899-03-15
MARTHA PLACE WILL
Be ELEClROCUTED
She Must Be Put TO Death
Next Week.
Declared Sane When She Killed
Her Stepdaughter.
Sing Sing for the Horribie
Ceremony.

New York. March 14.-Dr. Charles l..
Dana and Dr. William VI. Polk. the experts I
appointed by Governor Roosevelt to en-
quire into the sanity of Mrs. Martha ,
Place who is under sentence of death for
the murder of her stepdaughter, Ida Place.
in Brooklyn. have reported TO the Governor
that in their expert opinion the woman
was sane when she committed the crime.
This can mean only thing in respect
10 Mrs. Places fate. 1t means that the
woman will in accordance with her SEN
tence be put 10 death in the electric chair
in Sing Sing prison some day next week.
probably Monday. Governor Roosevelt has
already defined his position in the matter
of granting executive clemency to the NO
man. He has said that only new facts.
tending TO show innocence or irresPonsi-
bility. would influence him to interfere
with the natural course of justice.
On February 3 il was reported that
petition from women OF Brooklyn In be-
half of executive clemency for Mrs. Place
had been sent to Governor Roosevelt. He
was asked about il and said that he had re-
ceived no such petition. He went on 10
say. however. that il was absolutely un
necessary and useless for any person 10
send petitions to him regarding a case
where a man woman was condemned
10 death. He would in every instance, he
said, examine carefully into the merits nl
the case. whether petitloned TO do so or |
not. and il a pardon was due 10 justice
il would be granted without petition. or !
a Communication of sentence would be given
If the case merited that treatment. He !
promised al this time that he would pass |
on the merits of Mrs. Places case. and he |
declared that he thought the matter of sex |
should not enter into the question of the /
punishment TO be meted 10 condemned |
criminal
RooseveIt Not Sentimental.
MY sympathies in criminal cases, said
the Governor, ARE for the wronged and
not for the wrongdoer. The fact that the
criminal is woman makes no difference 20
me / am always ready 10 try TO see that
Justice is done In ordinary cases, if
woman is found precisely as blameworthy
as man, l would punish the woman ex
actly as much as the man. ! have no |
sympathy with mawkish sentimentality-"
Mrs Place is now in Sing Sing prison. |
The commission in lunacy in her case was /
the result of an appeal by her counsel !
before the Governor on February 20. 1t |
was urged that Mrs. Places actions both !
before and since her trial, showed her mind |
TO be unbalanced.
Drs Dana and Polk visited the woman
In her cell last week and made their eX-
animation as 10 her mental condition. Their
report was submitted to the Governor yes
terday, but its text will not be made pub
lie. 1t is known that the result Of their
examination Tended 10 show that the
woman was sane when she killed her step
daughter, and in view OF the plain words
used by the Governor in reference 10 the
case nothing more is needed 10 determine
that Mrs. Place Will exp;ate her crime by
death.
The crime for which Mrs. Place is under
sentence TO the electric chair is the killing
OF her stepdaughter. Ida Place, at 59S Han
cock Street, Brooklyn, on February last
year. The killing occurred some time on
the afternoon of that day, and when Mrs.
Places husband, William ". Place, came
home from his office in Manhattan. at
o'clock. she assaulted him with an AK, and
nearly succeeded in numbering him also.
The generally accepted theory of the crime
was that jealousy -f her seventeen year-old
stepdaughter was the motive.
Fascinating Housekccper-
Mrs Place had been a housekeeper in the
family OF her husband before she was his
wife Places first wife died seven years
ago. and about eighteen months afterward
he engaged the woman, who afterward kill
ed his daughter as housekeeper. Her maid
married 10 a man of the name OF Sava-
coll who died several years ago. She came
TO the Places from the home of her brother,
Peter d. Garretson, Of New Brunswick, y.
J. Two months after being installed as
housekeeper in the Place homestead she
was engaged to William Place. 1t IS said
that she was extremely kind TO Places
motherless little daughter. Ida, who was
then about twelve years old, and that she
was q model housekeper. II has come out
since the trial. however, that the members
of Mr.. Places family never liked Mrs.
Sayacoll and were opposed TO the mar
Tiage.
II is said that Mrs Place. the wife OF
The household. was quite a different per
son from Mrs. Savacoll, the housekeeper.
She was so ii has been said. possessed Of
AN ungoyernable temper, which frequently
broke out in an alarming way The
place home was a very unhappy one for
a long time before the murder. There
were frequent and bitter quarrels between
the stepmother and her stepdaughter, and
fl Is said that Place and his wife did no,
get along well together. Mrs. Place was
insanely jealous of Ida Place and thought
her husband neglected her in his care for
his only child. serious cause OF diih-
Guilty was Places objection 10 having his
wife's adopted son brought into his house
rs a member Of the family.
The Noman's Awful Crime.
On the evening Of February S a neigh
bor Of the Places saw Place run out Of his
home. covered with blood Mrs. Place had
locked herself inside, and when the dool
was forced she was found covered with
sheet having made an effort TO kill hersel
with gas Ida Place lay on her bed dead
a wound evidently made with an axe, OF
her head and caTbolic acid burns he
face about her mouth. il was believed tina
Mrs Place had only pretended to make al
attempt at suicide. as her condition wa
not serious Her husband said thai he ba
beeu assaulted In the dark just as he en-
tered the hallway of his home. and ha
been struck several blows with an axe.
Mrs. Places story was that she ha
uuarreIed with her stepdaughter in III
afternoon and had in a fury Of rage
thrown a dilution Of carboic acid in he
face. Then she went downstairs and go
The axe. rs she says. TO defend herss
from IN attack from her daughter. Sh
refused al first TO admit that she ha
struck the girl with the axe, but admit; c
that she had attacked her husband as h
entered the door She had made prepaIa
ions 10 flee. packing up her things an
writing to her brother.
Mrs. Place WAS tried last summer befor
Judge Hurd in Brooklyn, and was foun
guilty of murder in the first degree. TIL
attorney who had defended Mrs. Plac
sought reversal of the verdict by III
Court Of Appeals. but that tribunal al
frmed the decision Of the lower court an
Mrs. Place was sentenced 10 the electr
chair Her attorney then appealed To III