The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-20

stand-Twenty-One witnesses. but
Nothing Sensational wa Brought Out.
HERKDIER, Nov. 1s.-The taking OF testi-
mony in the Gillette murder trial was begun
to-day and twenty-one witnesses were
examined during the two hong sessions.
What sensation was not furnished by tho
witnesses was furnished by the spectators,
for seldom has such a dense crowd OF Curl
Gus sensation hunting persons assembled
In a court OF law as that which squeezed
itself into the court room here to-day
to watch the young defendant stand trial
for his life.
In the morning when he was brought
from the Jail TO the court house across
the street he was met by a crowd which
hung on the court house fence and gathered
on the steps to watch him go through. He
was met by another crowd when he got in
side, and from that time on throughout the
day he was not free from a jam Of morbid
persons who had gathered to look at him
and watch his actions as he sat IN court.
In the morning the court room was well
crowded, but in the afternoon the curiosity
hunters and seekers after thrills gathered
In numbers which made the attendance in
the morning session comparatively sm all
Most OF them were women and young girls.
When Gillette was brought in he came
through ar anteroom. the door OF which
opens beside the Judges bench, This
anteroom, as well "a the court room, was
30 full that il hardly seemed possible to
squeeze another human being in. When
the prisoner and the two deputies who
guarded him had worked their way through
this crowd and stood facing the spectators
the persons in the court room rose as IL at
a p~reconcerted signal, and All went up
from the crowd rs il the show which they
had all come to see had finally started.
The prisoner faced the crowd, which
was not an absolutely hostile one, yet it
wa certainly not friendly, with the same
apparent composure which has marked
his attitude ever since the beginning OF
the trial. There were four bailiffs, with
long tipstafIs and whiskers almost as long
as the stats, to keep the crowd in rider.
They had their work cut out for them all
afternoon to keep the jam Of people quiet
enough so that the Judge and counse could
hear the testimony.
Every once in a while there would be
an upheavsl In the rear of the stream of
people in the center aisle. and those in front
would work up until they we're almost up
% the railing in front Of the Judges bench.
Then the taking OF evidence would stop TO
give the bailiffs time to drive them pack a
bit, but after the interruption he crowd
would gain a little. 10 that at the time of
adjournment this afternoon the leaders,
who were fer the most part women, were
inside the railing and leaping up against
the chairs by the table in front OF the
Judges stand.
The crowd in the ante room had mean
while squeezed in through the narrow
door and stood lined I'M aiN or =oN-aN InnrN
along the whole right side of the judges
desk. Some small boys, who had worked
their way in through the crowd, even went
20 far az to noun the platform and lean
their elbows on the desk.
During the afternoon a five minute recess
10 rest the counsel was ordered, and while
the Judge was out the crowd in the centre
aisle became almost uncomfortable in
their desire to force past the bailhf and get
close enough to scrutinize the prisoner,
In spite Of the effort Of the officer some Of
them did manage to squeeze by and get
within a few feet of Gillette, where they
stayed staring at him long enough TO satisfy
their curiosity. One old woman whom the
bailiR tried to bar, said:
-0h, let me by. am a mother, you know,
and l want to zee him."
h got within two feet of the prisoner and
stared at him until she evidently became
tired and turned back to TAX her place in
the stream which filed the centre aisle.
When the afternoon session was over
a good share of the crowd waited outside
the court room to see the prisoner led back
10 the jail. When he came out handcuffed
to one Of thee deputies he had TO walk through
a lane OF people. mostly women, who stood
with their necks creaned TO get a look at
him. As he passed through the lane closed
behind him. and when he got across the
street the crowd around him was SO thick
the deputies had all they could do
to push through the morbid throng.
Tho fnGftDannU fn-haU ms NOT danca- 1
tional enough to warrant the trouble which
most OF the spectators took to hear it.
Aside from the appearance OF the father
Of the dead girl on the stand there was moth
ing Of the morbid sensation which the crowd
had evidently been led to expect. h
prosecution spent the day laying the founda-
ton for the evidence which they hope to
bring forward in the future. All OF the
twenty-one witnesses came from Cortland
or South Otselic and were called to prove
that while Gillette was friendly with the
Brown girl at the factory and went to see
her on an average Of twice "A week, he did
not appear with her in public.
The dead girls father was the first wit
slight man, with hard work written all
over his thin face, and a long dropping
mustache, which gives him a mournful
expression. He told of meeting Gillette in
once when he was or a visit to
his daughter Grace, and said that this was
bAV OhAy fAh' hD hoN wv HODh hiih thiAtl
the man was captured after Grace Browns
death. He told of her visit to South Otselic
before she left for the North Woods. and
said hat when she went away he drove
her to town, carrying with them a small
iron trunk. The District Attorney and one
of the deputies brought in a trunk and set
IL before the witness. He identified it and
also identified a large crayon portrait which
was brought in as that of his daughter,
Grace Brown. The only sign which the old
man gave Of breaking down was when the
prosecutor asked him il his daughter was
known by any other name than that Of
Grace.
yes he replied, we called her Billy
Billy Brown " He choked and the tears
~perilously near his eyes. The
prisoner, too, seemed more affected than
at any other time during yesterdays testi-
mony, for he appeared TO be swallowing
hard and stuck his tongue in his cheek
nervously.
Mrs. Ada Hawley, the married sister Of
the dead girl, testified that while Grace
Brown was living at her house in Cortland
Gillette came TO see her on the average
of twice a week. Mrs. Hawley brought
her few months old baby to court with her
and while she was on the stand the child
slept in the arms of Mrs. Brown.
49, rlxK tho uhplo wnunafnHar ~ thn go