Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-02-22
MUST NOW DIE
Grace Browns Slayer win Go
to Electric Chair.
DEATH A CRIME, NOT ACCIDENT
Court Of Appeals Affrrs Verdict of
Lower court-olri killed with
Tennis Racket.

Tennis Racket.
/ Albany N Il. FEBRUARY fs-The
i Court Of Appeals today decided that
1 Chester Gillette OF Cortland, must die
i ii the electric chair for the murder
Of his sweetheart, Grace Tor ~BiIIy'o
]. Brown, Of South otseIic. Chenango
l county at Big Dose Lake. in the Adj
] irondacks on July l11a0s The court
affrms the judgment Of convection and
i the sentence Of death rendered al the
extraordinary term Of the supreme
court in Herkimer county
i Gillette Is now tn the death cells
At Auburn The court viii soon fix
a new date for his execution
The opinion Of the court reviews the
story Of the case and holds that.
while the conviction was upon circum-
stantiai evidence. the counsel for the
i prosecution made thorough investiga-
/ ton and produced evidence establish.
ing the fact that the death Of Miss
Brown was due to crime and not
/ to an accident.
4 The unanimous opinion OF the court
written BY judge Hiscooks. riddles
! Gillette's story Of the tragedy to the
| effect that Grace Brown voluntarily
/ jumped from the boat and was drown
ed. Judge Iiscock ascribss Impress
i've unnaturalness" TO the principal
features of Gillette's tale. He ailudes
TO several points which will further
lmpeach its truthfulness. and declares
/ that FIN addition to these deficiencies
and improbablities in his evidence
there are repeated contradictions by a
large number Of witnesses who appar-
emily had no interest in telling any
thing but the truth"
BY Gillette's own evidence. as view
ed by Judge Hiscock, we see Gillette
emerging from this catastrophe, where
he made no cutlery for hep, and with
apparent composure. 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 unsought at
the bottom Of the lake.
Grace Brown, the victim, Judge His
cock describes as having been
brought up in the country home of
an apparently simple and wholesome
atmosphere and he believes her to
have been egirl of pure character
and Of UNUSUAL intelligence and at
Effectiveness"
\ The journey Of the two, which for
her ended in the bottom OF Big Moose
Lake, Judge Hscoek says, must
i have been born of the theory genuine
of course on the part of the woman
that ii would lead to marriage. 1t
could have presented no other rea-
sonable or lawful purpose The time
had passed when desire would prompt
such trip as The cover or opportun-
+ ity for mere Illicit enjoyment. A con-
dition existed which only could be
relieved in a legitimate way by mar
riage and the defendant has testified
that at that time he loved the de-
j ceased and intended to marry her.
Utica, n Y, February 1S.-The
crime of which Gillette was convicted
was one of the most brutal in the his
tory of the state He had gained the
confidence of Grace, better known as
Billy Brown. and betrayed her.
Then. when she wrote him pitiful
letters, asking him to ser her right in
the eyes of the world, he decided to
get rid OF her. He decoyed her to
Big Moose Lake, in the Adirondaclxs.
on promise of marrying her and took
her out in a canoe. Her mutilated
body was found coating in the Lake on
July II. 1906, and after it had been
identified Gillette was arrested. For
time threats of lynching were freely
made but finally in the fall of that
year he was placed on trial and con-
victed at HerSimer, being sentenced
to be e,ectrocuted on January IA, 1907
He got stay following an appeal.
The feature of his trial was the In
PRODUCTION of MANY letters written
him by Grace, which told in heart
rending terms, of the wooing and final
: abandonment of the girl.