The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-19
SLAYER OF BILLY
BROWN MUST DIE
Court of Appeals Decided Gill
Iette Must Go to the
Electric Chair.
COUNTRY GIRL HIS VICTIM.
GILLETTE PREYED ON HER INNo-
CENCE AND WHEN CONFRONT
ED WITH PROBLEM, MURDERED
THE PRETTY LASS.

I Albany, n. Y, Feb. 19.-The court
of appeals has decided that Chester
Gillette OF Cortland must die i'll the
electric chair for the murder OF his
sweetheart, Grace tor "Billy'D Brown
Of South Otselic. Chenango county, at
Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks,
on July IL, 1906. The court affirms
the judgement of conviction OF muir
der in the first degree and the SEN
tence of death, rendered at the extra
ordinary term of the supreme court in
Herkimer county.
Gillette is now in the death cell at
Auburn. The court will 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-
stantial evidence, the counsel for the
prosecution made thorough investiga-
ton and produced evidence establish
ing the fact that the death of Miss
Brown was due to a crime and not to
an accident.
The unanimous opinion of the court,
written by Judge Hiscock, riddles Gill
lette's story of the tragedy to the eff
feet that Grace Brown voluntarily
jumped from the boat and was drown
ed. Judge Hiscock ascribed impress
sive unnaturalness" to the principal
features of Gillette's tale. He alluded
10 several points which still further
impeach it's truthfulness and declared
that, 'in addition to these deficiencies
and improbabilities in his evidence,
there are repeated contradictions by
n large number of witnesses who APP
parently had no interest in telling
anything but the truth
By Gillette's own evidence, as view
ed by Judge Hiscock, I'VE see Gillette
emerging from this catastrophe where
he made no outcry for help, and with
apparent composure turning to other
pursuits while he left the body of the
woman he says he loved better than
any one else and intended to marry
lying uncovered and unsought at
the bottom of the lake"
Victim Country Girl.
Grace Brown, the victim, Judge His
cock described as having been
brought UP in a country home of an
mosphere," and aside from her rela.
tons with Gillette, he believes her to
have been a girl of pure character
and OF pure intellige nee and attrac
tiveness."
The journey of the two. which fol
her ended in the bottom of Big Moose
Lake, Judge Hiscock says, must havH
been born of the theory, genuine OF
course, on the part of women that il
would lead to marriage. 1t could have
presented no other reasonable or law
full purpose. The time had passed
when desire would prompt such a trip
as the cover or the opportunity fol
mere Illicit enjoyment. A condition
existed which only could be relieved
in one way, by marriage, and, the de
PENDANT had testified that at that time
he loved the deceased and intended t.
marry her.
Yet" the opinion goes grimly on
'.every significant step taken by hin
seems to have led away from this con
summation"
Judge Hiscock in short accepts as
valid the theory of the prosecution
that Gillette beat the wretched cir
upon the head and face with his ten
mis- racquet, tumbled her unconscious
body into the lake and fled throusi
the woods to keep his appointment
with the other girls