TL;DR: This month, I’m introducing you to five female trailblazers in crime. In this installment, we’re delving into the troubled mind of Martha Place.
This month, we celebrate notable women in American history. But “notable” doesn’t always mean good. That’s why I’m featuring five fearsome females whose crimes are the stuff of legends.
In the first installment, we met Jane Toppan, America’s first female serial killer. Today, we’re getting to know Martha Place, who was also a first in a long line of female criminals who followed in her evil footsteps.
Martha Place: First Woman Executed in the Electric Chair
Perhaps she was brain damaged, mentally unstable, or just plain jealous. But whatever it was that drove Martha Place to kill, she earned her place in U.S. history as the first woman to be sent to the chair.
Her Backstory
The daughter of a farmer, Martha Place grew up in New Jersey with her two siblings. According to her brother, Martha sustained a serious head injury at age 23, which led to brain damage, which then led to mental instability. She had a child with her first husband, who abandoned her a few years into their marriage. When she was unable to provide for him, Martha eventually surrendered the boy for adoption.
After working as a dressmaker with her sister for a time, she took a job as a housekeeper to William Place, a widower whom she married shortly thereafter. William reportedly wanted a mother for Ida, his daughter from a previous marriage.
Why she did that crazy shit
Over the six years of their marriage, Martha became increasingly jealous of Ida for the affection she received from her father. To top it off, William wouldn’t allow her son, now 14, to move in with them. In her anger, she frequently threatened violence upon both her husband and his daughter—for which William once called the police to have her arrested.
Unsurprisingly, William wanted a divorce from the crazy bitch. He hired a private investigator to follow her around town, in hopes that he would uncover a reason to kick her to the curb. He was unsuccessful, but whether Martha was aware of the P.I. is unknown.
Her Weapons of Choice: Acid & Axes
Following a particularly nasty family fight in which Ida allegedly “made up stories” about her step-mother, Martha waited until William went to work before confronting her step-daughter and throwing acid in her face. The girl collapsed in pain, and Martha hit her a few times with an axe, then smothered her with a pillow for good measure.
When William returned home that evening, he was greeted by an axe-wielding maniac: Martha attacked him with the same bloody axe, fracturing his skull. He managed to escape and call for help. Police arrived soon thereafter to find Martha trying to commit suicide; they revived her and promptly arrested her.
“She has a cruel face, a cruel heart and she is a great actress.”
Detective Becker
How Karma Got Her
We already know how this story ends: Martha went to trial, pled not guilty by reason of insanity, got laughed at and found guilty, attempted a retrial, was denied, and was sent to death row. New York Gov. Teddy Roosevelt refused to commute her death sentence, and a little over one month later, Martha met her fate and became the first woman executed by electric chair. (Side note: This case is also notable for its efficiency in serving justice!)
Source: Martha M. Place (Murderpedia)
Next time, I’ll introduce you to a criminal who’s not only made strides for women, but for the elderly!
Cover photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
