The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1900-09-01
1.-TWO ''BRAVE" DEEDS
IN COLONEL RoosEvRLTs LIFE.
An Old Woman Electro
cuted--A Fleeing Unarmed
Man Shot In The Back
Surely One Or The Other
Should Get Your Vote.
Hearst's Chicago American.

Hearst's Chicago American
First, read, if you please, how
an old woman was killed in the
electric chair.
Martha Place, o half demented
old woman, committed a most
atrocious murder. 1t was mur-
der of jealousy. Homely, old,
ill-tempered, not loved by her
husband, she brutally murdered
her step-daughter because she
was jealous of the husbands at
tention to the step-daughter.
1t was murder so shocking
that nothing worse could be
thought of-that is to say, only
one thing worse could be thought
of, and that was the electric kill
ling of the old woman.
Newspapers had predicted that
she never would die in the cleo
trio chair. Governor Morton, a
PLAIN, kindly old gentleman, who
had never shot anybody in the
back and had no especial claims
to glory, had twice declared when
Governor that he would not allow
a woman to be killed by cleo
tricity. None-not even the very
worst had been executed in the
State for years.
But Martha Place committed
her murder and was convicted
when Roosevelt was Governor.
Roosevelt feared nothing.
When urged by his friends and
family not to allow the old woman
to be killed so brutally, he snap
ped his white teeth and declared
that "mawkish sentimentality"
could not move him.
Women and decent men APP
pealed to him, but his courage"
could not be moved.
"What," he asked, "an electric
chair paid for by the State and
no Governor has had the courage
to send woman to that electric
chair? I'll show them what |
dare do"
1t was no idle boast.
Tuesday came, the old woman
Mds half pushed, half carried into
the death room. The back of her
head was shaved so that the cur
rent might easily reach her brain.
One of her legs was barred to the
hip that the second electrode
might hurn her without setting
fire to her clothing.
"A score of men looked on at
this sight, which history owes to
the "brave" Governor Roosevelt.
1t was n sight to be seen only
once. Roosevelt will never again
be Governor. There will never
again be a man at the head of a
great State capable of sending q
woman in shameful dress to Il
shameful death before many men.
On the testing board long rows of
electric lamps burned brightly to
show that the power which Roose.
welt had ordered was there to kill
when the button should be
touched.
Martha Place turned her pale,
watery eyes about the room. Hen
gray hairs close cropped, her bent
figure, her utter helplessness, hei
shameful dress might even have
touched Roosevelt had his cour.
age reached the point of witness.
ing the atrocity that he haC
ordered. But it was early morn
ing. The "brave" Governor wa:
under his bed-clothes far away
The woman was pushed into the
chair and strapped in, the current
turned on by Roosevelt's ordel
entered the brain. Twice, three
times, it was turned on, while the
feeble frame moved convulsively
| AND THAT WAS THE ENr
lOF ROOSEVELTS BRAVES1
| DEED.
Some men are mawkish. Some
are sentimental. Some could not
enjoy executing an old woman
Some, if especially authorized b,
law to commute sentences to lift
imprisonment whenever thel
thought wise to do so. would hay,
spared Martha Place the suffering
and shame of that death. Per.