The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-21
ro crRE 4 COLD IN ONE DAY
QUIETLY

! in Brooklyn last summer and was found
p,ilrv of murder in the first degree. The
! case was carried 10 the court OF appeals,
! but the conviction was affirmed ana sHe
was sentenced to death. Governor Koose-
Welt was then petitioned to exercise cleIn-
| ency, it being alleged that Mrs. Place was
| insane at the time the crime was commit
ted. and he appointed Drs. Dana and POLK
| Of New York 10 report TO him on TINS
point They informed the governor that
| fba woman WAS sane when she killed her
steDdaughter and was sane now. TINS de-
stroyed her last hope Of life, and on March
ID Governor Roosevelt announced his re-
/ fusal to interfere, accompanying II WIN
the following memorandum:
| NO more painful case can come before
! 4 governor than an appeal to arrest the
! course Of justice in order 10 save wo-
man from capital punishment when that
/ woman's guilt has been clearly establish
ed, and when there are no circumstances
whatever TO mitigate the crime. If there
were any reasonable doubt of the guilt; II
! there were any basos whatsoever for IN
/ reference with the course Of justice IN
| this case, l should so interfere. But there
! is no ground for interference. The accus-
| ed was condemned as guilty of murder in
| the first degree after full and fair trial,
| although. as all men know, jury in such
a case is always reluctant to give u YER
| dict against woman if any justification
! whatsoever exists for Withholding ii.
! This verdict was then reviewed at great
| length by the court of appeals, and was al
frmed without dissenting voice, though
| this court always scrutinizes with the
! most Jealous care such a case, desiring
that the benefit Of every doubt shall be
given TO the accused. I wrote to the dis
! trict attorney and the judge who tried
! the case to learn whether they thought
| Their was amy ground for executive elem
ency. They both answered that there was
none whatever. and that the case was one
! Of peculiar outrage. the letter Of the judge
running as follows:
80 The record before you viii show a
| crime of shocking atrocity, followed by an
| other. the attack on William Place having
murder for is object; that both crimes
were premeditated and deliberate there
can be no doubt; in my opinion the verdict
was eminently just; think the apphca-
! ton entirely without merit, and I know Of
no ground for interfering with the SEN
| tence.'
II went carefully over the evidence.
which showed that the accused had first
! blinde dher stepdaughter with acid and
then Straugled her, and. after waiting in
the house all day. when her husband re
/ turned al dark had attacked him and en-
deavored TO Xii him with an ak.
Her attorneys and her pastor appealed
to me for clemency. They raised no Ques-
ton as to her guilt, but Gained that she
was insane at the time the deed was COM
mit-ed. and was now insane. The clergy
man stated that she was undoubtedly sane
az present. but that he believed her TO be
insane when the deed was committed. al
though he did not then come personally in
contact with her.
4 accordingly appointed two doctors Of
The highest standing. upon whose profes-
sionai capacity. common sense and deep
c7nscieruousness 7 could implicitly rely.
and directed them 70 examine the accused
10 decide whether she Vas or had been
insane. They reported n me that she was
/ not insane that she was sane at the time
Of the murder and before and since.
-uil-. and no question Of her sanity. a,
that remains IS the question IS 20 wheths-
I should be justified in interfering II save
q mu-5e-ess on the ground Of her sex
when no iustf9cauo0 would exis; 20 inter
fe-e on behalf of murderer. The only
case Of capital punishment which has oc-
CURED since the beginning Of my term was
f2- wife murder. and refused 10 consider
the appeals then made II ne on behalf O..
she man who had kfles his wife after !
became convinced that he had really done
tha deed. and was sane. IN thar case q
woman was killed by q man in this case q
woman was killed by another woman. This
law makes no distinction Of sex in such
q crime
'''This murder was one OF peculiar deli5.
Grafton and atroc,ty. To interfere With
The course Of the 'aw in this case could
bs justified only on the ground that neve-
hereafter. under any Circumstances
should clp-tal punishment be inflicted ED.
on any mu-5e-ess even though the r=c-.r
was herself woman. s1d even thouEh
tAa, victims torture preceded her death.