Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-30
GILLETTE TELLS A
VERY STRANGE STORY
He Admits That He Lied in
Some Instances. ssA
BUT ALWAYS LOVED GRACE
Did Not Expect Anything to Happen
on the Lake.
HOW HE CHANGED HIS HAT
Tries to Explain the Many Incrimi.
na4ng Incidents After the Girls
Body Was Found.
Did Not Expect Anything to Happen
on the Lake,
HOW HE CHANGED HIS HAT

-
Chester E. Gillette told his story Of Grace
Browns death again today, this time In
response to questions put to him by a
prosecutor who picked out every flaw in the
accused young mans testimony. From p.sO
am. until the courts adjournment at l2:45
Dis'riot Attorney Ward questioned Gillette
with scarcely minutes let-up, and. to thu
surprise Of every one in the room. Gil.
iette was as cool and confident when be
stepped down to go to dinner as he was
When he walked into court this morning
Gillette replied in the affirmative wh.r
Distrlct Attorney Ward asked him II be
swan to shore and left Grace Brown 4o
die In the lake.
"A feature OF this mornings proceedings
was the discovery Of a picture OF Hattie
Benedict on a roll Of film I'm Gillette,s ont.
case. Gillette had sworn that the film uas
unexposed. Miss Benedict Is the Cort-
iand girl whom 1t was first claimed GIL.
lette wanted to marry. Miss Benedict
swore on the stand that she was not on.
gagged to Gillette.
Immediately on the resu,nntio, ., .ho
trial Gillette took the stand seating him.
sei1 carefully and comfortably and look.
ing lntently at his counsel District Attor.
ney Ward cautioned Gillette that he nnst
lace the jury when answering questions
MT. ward read a letter from (,illette IN
trace Brown under date of June % In
winch ne said that he had been to Little
iork Lake with some friends They went
in bathing.
Gillette II you had struck Grace Brown
at Big Moose Lake and stunned her. would
you have told the of1icers?" asked Mr..
Ward.
yes"
Gillette stated that when he departed
i from Cortland with Grace Brown intend
ing not to return, he left everything in his
room undisturbed and said nothing to his
ianoiady about not coming back.
His Finances.
The district attorney went into a lonr
series of questions on the subject of wit
ness financial condition at the time he
started for the Adirondacks, and asked him
IL he had planned to use the girls own
money In making away with her, inasmuch
as his own purse was rather depleted.
Gillette answered No"
Next the district attorney questioned wit
ness closely on the matter of his having
neglected to pay his hotel bill in Utica
when he was there with Miss Brown. en-
route to the Adirondacks.
Asked by the district attorney il when
he rented the boat at Big Moose ana went
out on the lake with Grace Brown he un-
derstood his financial condition would NOT
warrant his hiring boat from noon until
night, Gillette answered he did. but he did
not care about The cost.
Gillette was shown the films that he took
on ms trip to Bear mountain and elsewhere
on his journey through the woods.
OIL ar
your counsel that these films / hold here
were never exposed, didn't your
And then after you had sworn to that
you tod your counsel not to examine you
any further on that point, did you not?"
L cannot state"
Fictitious Registrations.
The witness. after admitting that the flo
titious registrations at DeRuyter, Utica and
Upper lake were because he did not wish
1t known that Grace Brown was with him,
said he registered at the Glenmore as Carl
Graham of Albany and Grace Brown of
South Otselic. because Miss Brown had
sent a postal card from there signed with
her name.
You wanted 1t known at the Glenmore
Hotel that Grace Brown was travelling with
a man named Carl Graham of Albany
didn't your" asked the district attorney.
mo"
so that when her dead body would be
found the authorities would telegraph that
Grace Brown had gone to her death with
an individual named Carl Graham 4"
mo"
well, you expected something to happen
out there on the lake that day, didn't your"
mo, / did not"
Gillette identified number Of articles
which had been found in his suit case, and
the district attorney pressed him at length
regarding the reason for his taking his
overcoat, umbrella and tennis racquet along
on his boat ride with Grace Brown.
He said he took the overcoat along be-
cause he thought Grace might need It. al
though it hot July afternoon.
When questioned about his straw hat,
which was found. with the lining torn out,
floating on the AXE near the overturned
boat, Gillette said it had been done several
months before the tragedy. and not before
he started on his walk through the woods
to Eagle bay.
Changed His Hat.
Gillette said that after getting out of the
water where Grace Brown met death. and
after changing clothes he took a soft hat
out Of his suit case and put 1t on his
head in place of the straw hat he left In
the water.
He denied strenuously. however, having
provided this soft hat for just such an
emergency.
Gillette was asked about his trip through
the woods to Eagle bay and as to the prev
alence on shore of flies and punkses.
There were no flies or punkies on the
lake?''
NO" --------
But you stayed In the brush on shore
for an hour reading?"
Yes"
where the flies were?"
YES"
District Attorney Ward enumerated the
value of the suit case. umbrella and tennis
racquet and other articles Gillette said he
left ashore while he and Miss Brown were
on their row about the lake. and asked Gil