Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-04
GILLETTE IN TEARS
HEARS THE STATE
Terrific Arrangement Made by
the Prosecuting Officer.
GRAPHIC TALE OF CRIME
He Listens to the Address With His
Face Covered.
PURE GIRL WAS HIS VICTIM
Counsel Declares That It Was Hon
Spunk That Cost Her Life
Reads the Letters.
PURE GIRL WAS HIS VICTIM
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
COURT HOUSE. HERKIMER n. Y
December To-day comes the climax in
the trial of Chester Gillette for the murder
of Grace Brown at Big Moose Lake on
July IL last. In all probability Gillette
will know his fate before nightcali Dis
trict Attorney Ward continued this morn.
ing his summing up of the states case.
which he began late yesterday afternoon
after Attorney Mills had spoken more than
five hours in defense of the accused man.
If the speech of Gillette's lawyer was
ingenious and artful, that of the District
Attorney was scathing and convincing. Mr..
Mills tried to instill into the jury's mind
a reasonable doubt as to his clients guilt.
and attacked the expert medical testimony
OF the prosecution as having been pur.
chased outright for price
The district attorney replied by asserting
that the lawyers for the defense might
have employed experts also at the state's
expense. but said that they had not been
able to find any reputable physicians who
could honestly testify that Grace Brown
had come to her death by drowning, and
not by injuries inflicted before her body
was put into the waters OF Big Moose
lake.
Indicative of Guilt
If Gillette ever had any fear ;hat tho
jury would send him to the electric chair
it was this noon. He had sat through the
forenoon session of court while District
Attorney Ward closed the case for the
people. The prosecutor insisted that every
word that had been presented To the Jury
from the witness-box was indicative OF the
prisoners guilt. He took up the summing
up address of the lawyer for the defense.
and declared in vehement tones tina; 1t was
fabrication, pure and simple, concocted
for the sole purpose of cheating Justice
The prosecutors address was Intense with
feeling as he read the letters of Grace
Brown and pointed out by the sentiments
she expressed that the writer WAS a girl OF
pure thoughts.
Her spunkNcaused her death-caused
him to stun her on shore with Il blow and
put her in the lake. She wrcte: 4 will
come on Saturday. and the spunk in this
sealed her fate. He knew she would Gomez
was one of the climaxes of his address.
We Will be Very Happy.
Mr.. Ward read the letter in watch Grace
Brown asked permission OF Gillette 10 tell
her uncle and aunt of his coming
yet he has the effrontery the nerve
the cool courage to come on this stand
and say that the reason why he signed
false name at Deruyter was becauso
Grace Brown did not want his presenco
known. After all the planning which these
letters showed. he took her clear to Biz
Moose lake to tell her that she ought to
tell her father.
Il want to establish in your minds gap.
tlemen, three propositions: First. thi- girl
left Cortland against his wishes; second,
that he had convinced her that IL was nee.
essary for them to keep their marriage
secret, and that 1t was necessary that they
should be married at some distant point.
and third, that he had impressed this girl
with keeping absolutely secret from her
parents and friends that It WAS Chester
Gillette who was coming to take her away,
THE girl expected to go away and keen
house. We VIII be very happy, she writes.
Her letters for a time showed that she
was worried about what his plans would
be. Do not her letters finally show that he
had promised 10 make her his welded
wife?
" You must come Saturday, dear l have
tried to be brave, but If you do not come
will do something desperate He did
not want her father to know lac didn't
want her to come to Cortland. lie did not
want her to come and expose him 10 his
uncle and friends.
1T wasn't until he got to Sou n Bay in
Great Moose lake that he told her to 20
and tell her father.
'She wrote: cannot suffer in silence
any longer That was the time when he
should have told her to tell her father
not when he got her on Moose lake far
from human kind"
Defiant as Ever.
Gillette walked into court this morning
with a half smile on his face and his usual
defiant swing. He was still snI.l ng when
he sat down and District Attorney Ward
began almost Immediately to speak con.
tinuing his summing up.
IT do not believe 1t Is necessary" he said,
ito refer further to my opponents speech.
was told after yesterdays SESSION that
you might think that my remarks refer
ring to weak sisters were applicable to
you. meant that the weak men were the
kind to which defendants counseIs usually
appeal. I do not believe that there are any
weak men on the jury, but IL there are now
is the time to stand up and give their judg-
ment with backbone. I caution any of
you against holding to an opinion against
the evidence stubbornly in order in some
way to bring credit on himself"
The counsel touched on some OF the
statements of the counsel of the defense,
which he said had been wrong.
Mr.. Mills, nor you. nor can put our
selves In Glllette's place." continued the
district attorney. HE was laundering,
bungling bloodthirsty. brutal man. Every
thing looked blood red before him. He
looked out upon the world with VOLTS
eyes He said: 4 have fooled the col.
lege professor. have fooled the minister
have fooled my friends.
".At night have stolen to the house OF
this girl and ruined her. Now l VIII take
her into the depths of the forest and Get