Martha M Place

Martha M. Place (September 18, 1849 - April 8, 1899) was the first of 26 women (including a minor) to die in the electric chair in the United States. She was sentenced on March 20, 1899, and her execution took place on April 8 of the same year, at Sing Sing Prison, held responsible for the murder of her stepdaughter, Ida Place.

Background

Martha M. Place was born Martha "Mattie" Garretson on September 18, 1849 in New Jersey. Martha Place was struck by a sled at age 23, her brother claimed that she never fully recovered and that the accident left her mentally unstable. Martha married the widower William Place in 1893, who had a 10-year-old daughter named Ida from her previous marriage. William married Martha so that she would help him raise her daughter, although it was later rumored that Martha was jealous of Ida. William called the police at least once to arrest his wife for threatening to kill his daughter.

Crime

On February 7, 1899, William Place arrived at his home in Brooklyn, New York, and was attacked by Martha, who was holding an axe. Place called for help and when police arrived, the bloody body of 17-year-old Ida was found under a bed, her mouth burned from being forced to ingest acid. Evidence indicated that Ida had been suffocated to death.

Judgment

Martha proclaimed her innocence while awaiting trial. A newspaper of the time describes the defendant this way: "She is a bit tall and reserved, with a pale, sharp face." Her nose is long and pointed, her chin sharp and prominent, her lips thin and her forehead receding. There is something in her face that is reminiscent of a rat, and her bright but changing eyes somehow strengthen that impression."

She was found guilty of the murder of her stepdaughter, Ida, and sentenced to death on March 20, 1899. Her husband was a key witness against her.

Execution

Since no woman had ever been executed in the electric chair before, those responsible for ensuring death were forced to devise a new way of attaching the electrodes. They decided to rip off her dress (length to the feet as was the fashion until the early 20th century) and place the electrode on her ankle. Previously her hair had been cut. The performer was Edwin Davis. According to the testimonies of several witnesses, he died instantly.

New York State Governor Theodore Roosevelt was asked for Place's pardon, but he refused. Martha Place was buried in her family cemetery in East Millstone, New Jersey, without religious ceremonies.

Place was the first woman to die in the electric chair, although she was the third to have been sentenced to death by this method. The first were serial killer Lizzie Halliday (convicted in 1894 but her sentence was commuted and she remained in a mental institution) and Maria Barbella, sentenced in 1895 but her sentence was commuted the following year.