Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-11-21
LETTERS READ
IN THE TRIAL
Much MenaCed- Threats
Made Against the Prisoner
Story Told in Notes.

HERKIMER, n. ". Nov. 21.-The
pitiful letters fin which Grace Brown
appealed to Chester Gillette to keep
his promise to marry her caused such
a sensation when they were read at
Gillette's trial on the charge Of murder
ing the girl that the sheriff had to
furnish a strong escort of deputies for
the prisoner when he was taken to the
Jail at recess.
When it was time for the prisoner to
return to court it required hard work
by half Il dozen deputies to force a
passage through the crowd which had
gathered around the courthouse.
There were many who used strong
language against the prisoner. The
sheriff's precautions for the safety of
Gillette were fully justified by the
had been worked.
Harriet Benedict of Cortland, whose
name has beer frequently mentioned
in the case, went on the stand and
denied that she ever had been the
sweetheart of the young man who is
on trial for his life.
She did not go near the prisoner,
whose eyes were filed with tears a
short time before during the reading
of Grace Browns letters to him.
Many persons in the crowded court
room, including the parents and sis
tiers of the dead girl, wept audibly as
the letters were read.
1t was the first time that Gillette
had shown emotion since his trial be-
gan. Forty letters in all were read.
A letter dated South Otselic, July 2,
1906, was as follows:
"My Dear Chester-This has been
such a crowded day that l am almost
too tired to write, but l will try, for
| am a little anxious about u trip
and your not writing.
at makes me rather blue to heal the
other girls planning for the Fourth
and know l must stay here. | will
try, dear. and make the week as short
as possible, but / am afraid it will be
dreadful long.
IF | had strength, dear, | do be-
lieve | should walk to the river and
throw myself in. 1t would be rather
cowardly, and 1 despise a coward, but
| would not be n bother to you any
longer. Oh, Chester, the thought that
| am in YOU way just drives me crazy.
How | want to die no one but myself
knows
Her last letter read:
Il do not know what l could do If
you were not there or did not come.
am about crazy now | have been
bidding goodby to some places today.
There are so many hooks and all of
them so dear to me. 1 have lived here
all my life. ~
"First / said goodby to the spring
house, with its great masses of green
moss; then the apple tree, where we
had our playhouse; then the beehive,
IL cute little house; then the orchard
and Of course all the neighbors that
have mended my dresses from a little
tot up to save me a thrashing 1 really
deserved.
sob, dear, don't you realize what all
this is to me? / know / shall
see any of them again. And mamma
great heaven-how / do love mamma!
l don't know what l will do without
her. She is eve cross, and she al
ways helps me so much"
On July 2 Gillette wrote her. saying:
"Dear Kid think it is best that
you should go to Hamilton next Mon
day morning and meet me there. 1t
would be better to go where we are
not known, so we can leave there that
day, although l don't know where we
can or will GO"
Her wedding clothes, which were
made by friends and neighbors for the
girl who went to a watery grave in
Big Moose lake on the very day she
planned to go to the altar as the bride
of Gillette, were shown in court.