Martha M. Place

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Martha M. Place ( 1855?? - April 8, 1899) was the first of 26 women (including one juvenile) to die in the electric chair when she was executed on April 8, 1899 at Sing Sing prison.

Born in New Jersey, Martha Place was struck in the head by a sleigh at age 23. Her brother claimed that she never completely recovered and that the accident left her mentally unstable. Martha married widower William Place in 1893. Place had a daughter named Ida from a previous marriage. William married Martha to help him raise his 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 Ida.

On February 7, 1899, William Place arrived at his Brooklyn, New York home and was attacked by Martha who was wielding an axe. Place called for help and when the police arrived, the bloodied body of 17 year old Ida was discovered under a bed, her mouth burnt from having acid forced into it. The evidence indicated Ida was smothered to death.

Martha proclaimed her innocence while awaiting trial. One contemporary newspaper report described the defendant in this way: "She is rather tall and spare, with a pale, sharp face. Her nose is long and pointed, her chin sharp and prominent, her lips thin and her forehead retreating. There is something about her face that reminds one of a rat’s, and the bright but changeless eyes somehow strengthen the impression."

Martha Place 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.

Having never executed a woman in the electric chair, those responsible for carrying out the death warrant devised a new way to place the electrodes upon her. They decided to slit her dress and place the electrode on her ankle. Edwin Davis was the executioner. According to the reports of witnesses, she died instantly.

The governor of the State of New York Theodore Roosevelt was asked to pardon Place, but he refused. Martha Place was buried in the family cemetery plot in East Millstone, New Jersey without religious observances.