Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-19
GILLETTE DOOMED TO
GO IN ELECTRIC CHAIR.
View York State Court Of Appeals
Decides His Sentence Was
Just and Legal.
JUDGE OEAOUNCEs THE MURDERER
Judge Ascock in His Opinion Says
That Gillette Beyond All Doubt
Planned to Murder Poor "n,ry"
Brown When He Took Her to
Moose Lake in the Adirondack.
(ny Assoolntod presal }

(By Associated Press.)
ALBANY. y. Y. Feb. Is The
Court of Appeals decided today that
Chester Gillette of Cortland. must die
III the electric chair for the murder
OF his sweetheart. Grace tor "BlllyD
Brown OF South Otselic, Chenango
county. at Big Moose Lake in the
Adrondacks. The court aIllrms the
judgment of conviction of the muir
dcrer and sentence TO death. ana rem
dcred at the extra tetm OF the SUI
preme Court in licrkimer county.
Gillette Is now in the death cell
at Auburn. The court will soon fix
Il new date for his execution
The opinion of the court reyiscs
the story of the case aud holds that
while the conviction was upon Cir
cumstantial evidence, the counsel for
the prosecution made thorough in
vestigation aud produced evidence es-
tablshlng the fact that the death OF
Miss Brown was due 10 n crime,
and not an accident.
Taking MP the matter of the nd
INSTABILITY of the pathetic letters OF
Grace Brown 10 the defendant the
court says: aside from the permit
tell pnrpuosc of showing the relations
and thoughts OF the defendant to.
wards the dead girl we can think of
40 effect which tile letters would have
been apt To have with the jury so
FAR as the latter could be controlled
by any ruling of the court, except 10
tend to establish a motive for the
commission by the defendant of the
crime which is charged against him.
}ut. as We have seen, they might
have been admitted with entire pro-
priety for this very purpose, and.
therefore If the jury considered them
upon that branch OF tho peoples case.
1t did no more than the court should
have authorized and directed them
to do"
Opinion Was Unanimous.
The unanimous opinion of the
court. written by Judge lIiscock. rid
dies Gillette's story OF the tragedy
To the effect that Grace Brown vol
unfairly jumped from the boat and
was drowned
JUICE Hiscocl ascribes Impressive
unnaturalness" to The principal fea-
tures of Gillette's tale. He alludes
to several points which still further
impeach its truthfulness and declares
that in addition to these deficiencies
and improbabilitIes in his evidence
there are repeated contradictions by
large number of witnesses who
L.. T.,
anything but the truth.
by Gillette's own evidence. as
viewed by Judge IIscick. we see Gil
lette emerging from this catastrophe
where he made 10 omtcry for help.
and with apparent compos,ire turning
TO other pursuits. while he left the
body of the woman he says he loved
better than anyone else and: intended
to marry, lying uncovered and I'M
sought at the bottom of the lake
Grace Brown, the victim. Judge
fiiscock describes as having been
brought IN in country home of an
apparently simple and wholesome at
mosphere." and aside from her re-
iations with Gillette he believes her
to have been a girl of pure character
and unusual intelligence ana attract
iveness.
The journey of the two. which for
her ended in the bottom of Big Moose
Lake, Judge Hiscock says: "Must
have been horn OF the theory. genuine
of course on the part of the woman
that 1t would lead to marriage. 1t
could have presented no other rea-
sonable or lawful purpose. The time
had passed when desire would prompt
such Il trip as the cover or oppor-
tunity for mere Illicit enjoyment. A
condition existed which only could
be relieved in legitimate way by
marriage for the defendant has tes-
tilted that at that time he loved the
deceased and intended to marry her
Yet the opinion goes on, erimly
every significant step taken by him
seems to have led away from this
consunfmation."
Judge Hiscock. in short. accepts az
valid the theory of the prosecution,
that Gillette beat the wretched girl