Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-03-15
Death of a Black Hill. Heroine.

Died, on Sunday March 10, 1901 at
the hospital of Our Lady of Lourdes,
Hot Springs, s. D..of brights disease of
the kidneys, Mrs. Uri Gillette, aged 80
years and 10 days. Such is the last
brief note of the passing of one in
whose life was exemplified all the
characteristics of those heroines whose
lives have been celebrated in song and
story; whose acts have colored the ro-
nance of the west; the pioneer women
of the frontier.
Frances A. Chamberlain was born in
Dearborn county Indiana; removed
while child with her parents to ILL.,
inois and again to Colorado in the
early settlement of that territory. Re-
turning to Illinois on visit in 1873
she was married to Uri Gillette and in
1876 accompanied her husband to the
Black Hills where they settled i ID
have since lived OH ranch on the old
''telegraph road" between Custer and
Deadwood. Having been reared
amid the hardships and stirring scenes
of the west, Mrs Gillette had the pc
culiar temperament which fitted her
for the wild life of the new FL Dorado.
On the trip to the Hills the party with
which they travelled was attacked at
early morning by Indians; while the
men of the party were preparing to
meet the attack, the women we're Or
dered to lie down on the ground for
safety FROM flying bullets. Mrs. Gill
cite, with the fearlessness and con-
tempt for Indians of the true western
woman, promptly went out, caught the
horses belonging to her husband and
brought them in, while all the others
belonging to the party were driven off
by the Indians. During t'-s early
years of her life on the ranch "Gillettes"
was we'll known stopping place and
their callers necessarily included ''road
agents "rustlers'' with whom the
country in those days was infested, as
we'll us the common run of travellers.
AT one time while alone she observed
the approach of three we'll known
''road agents" whom she suspected of a
design to rob the house: she promptly
locked the doors, hid her money under
the floor aud prepared to defend the
place with her, life. The men dis
mounted, rcconnoitered tile house and
suspecting u ruse, as they reported, re-
tired. The life of hardships on a from
tier ranch was for years thus filled
with privations varied by wild scenes
Nch would test the fortitude of any
THAT class of heroines to which Mrs
Atte belonged, the stern realities of
whose lives, if they could be written
would be stranger than fiction to read
ers of the next generation.
Mrs. Gillett's health failed five years
ago when she spent several months in
a hospital in Denver. Two months
ago she went to hospital at Rapid
City and came to Hot Springs week
ago where at the Sisters hospital she
received every care that kind hearts
aud the devoted hand of experience
could give. She bore the suffering OF
a painful disease with. the patience and
fol titude of a saint; was conscious tc
the last, talked of the coming death to
|. her husband, calmly and without fear
and died like one falling asleep. He,
remains were attended to the train by
many friends, and accompanied by
husband and sister to Hill City where
the funeral was held on Tuesday. She
3 leaves besides her husband, a mother
brother and three sisters. Mrs. Muss
) er, who attended her in her last illness
: lives in Pennington county, Mrs. Gar
vey in Rapid City, the others in Col
i orado. "X"