The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-12-11
GILLETTE SENTENCED
Judge Sends Young Man Con-
victed of Girls Murder to
Electric Chair.
MOTHER PRESENT IN COURT.

Acts as Reporter In Order to Be Pres
ent When Son Is CONFERENCE.-The
oner Quaiis Before District Attorney
as Latter Assaifs Him in Summing
Up Case.
Herkiner, N. Y, Dec liz Chester p
Gillette at twenty-three years Of age,
the convicted slayer of Grace Brown,
his sweetheart, was sentenced to death
by Judge Devendorf. Unless the ex-
pected appeal to a higher court acts as
stay Of execution Gillette viii die in
the electric chair at Auburn prison
during the week Of Jan %. Such was
the judges order. He will not be taken
to Auburn until Monday.
The courtroom was crowded to its
capacity when Gillette was arraigned
for sentence. The prisoner, however,
was not the only object of curious
eyes. His mother was in court near
him. She had startled the authorities
and public alike by declaring that she
had come from Denver to report the
case for two newspapers.
In court Mrs. Gillette surprised ev-
cry one by calmly sitting through the
proceedings as her son was sentenced
to death and later writing a business
like bulletin of the news for the papers
she represented.
Had to Work TO See Son.
She pleaded with other newspaper
correspondents to use her gently in
their stories, offering as an excuse for
her willingness to serve Der papers the
statement that she would not have
been able to have got to Herkimer in
any other way.
Charles D. Thomas, Giilette's Junior
counsel, moved that the verdict be set
aside on the grounds that the court
was without jurisdiction, the term be-
ing an extraordinary one called by the
governor; that The verdict was contrary
TO the weight Of evidence. and that the
district attorney had misrepresented
facts in his opening address and also
In his summing up, thus prejudicing
the jury The motion was denied.
Jury Not Agreed at First.
1t was learned that the jury had
some difficulty in reaching an agree
ment. and six ballots were taken be-
fore the twelve men agreed Up to
that time the jury had stood eleven
for conviction and one for acddittal.
Judge Devendorf occupied an hour
and fifteen minutes in bis charge to
the jury. He dealt with the points of
law involved and instructed the jurors
TO consider the evidence from a legal
standpoint and not to be influenced by
sentiment.
Gillette Is cheerful and believes that
his counsels appeal to a higher court
will be successful. There is story
current to the effect that two days be-
fore he went on the witness stand he
confessed to his counsel that he struck
Grace Brown after she went over
board,
Prisoner Bitterly Arraioned.
District Attorney Ward made one
of the most bitter arrangements of a.
prisoner ever heard in court in this
state in summing up
The prosecutor fayed the prisoner
mercilessly, and he quailed In his seat
under the terrible lashing
Gillette appeared on the point of coll
lapse several times and shrank into
himself as the prosecutor pointed his
finger at him as ''murderous plot
ter, "a liar" "a WOLF "a fiend" and
"a coward
For some time Gillette glared defiant
" at the district attorney, but when
the latter read abstracts from the let
tiers sent Gillette by his sweetheart the
prisoner burst into tears aud at times
throu-A9tsv le lyAiaiANee al The SEES
sion seA,a 3g..i N,'slJ