The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-31
Young Man Pays Penalty for lhs
Murder Of Grace Brown
CONFESSION MADE At LAST
Although II Is Not Made Public, 1t Is
Understood That Gillette Finally
Admitted That He Murdered
His Sweetheart.

Auburn. n. Y, March Colchester E.
Gillette today paid the full penalty for
the brutal murder of Grace Brown He
went to his death in the electric chair
at Auburn prison without sign of weak
ness and with the same lack OF emotion
that has characterized him from the day
| he was arrested charged with the crime.
Gillette appeared to have been fully rec
onciled to his fate and in a statement
given out by his spiritual advisers i'm
mediately after his execution it is inti-
mated that he made confession of his
! guilt. The statement was signed by the
Rev. Henry McIlravey of Little Falls and
| the Rev. Cordello Herrick the prison
chaplain, who had attended Gillette since
| he has been in the death cell at the
prison. 1t follows:
| Because our relationship with Chester
Gillette was privileged, we do not deem
it wise to make detailed statement, and
simply wish to say that no legal mistake
| was made in his electrocuton."
| Gillette himself, so far as the public
was concerned, never admitted his crime.
| His last words. in the form of a state
ment which he prepared with painstaking
care last night, was made public after
he had been put to death this morning.
In this statement Gillette implored young
men to lead Christian lives.
| Any fear which the prison officials may
| have entertained that Gillette's remark
! able composure would desert him at the
| last moment was quicEly dispellea when
| he stepped nom his cell TO the corridor
| leading to the death chamber. His steI
was firm and strong and he walked rap
| idly toward the instrument of death
| Not even by the CULVER of an eyelash did
he betray the least sign of emotion and
| at no stage did he require assistance
| from the keepers and his spiritual ad-
| visers who accompanied him In his last
| walk. He seated himself in the chair,
the straps and electros were placed and
within two minutes Gillette had been
| officially pronounced dead.
Electrocution Well Done.
| The electrocution was the most success
| full that ever took place in the local
| prison. But one contact was required to
| carry the sentence of the law into ef-
| feet, and when that was over the muir
| derer of Grace Brown had paid the PEN
| atty of his crime.
| The electrocution was marked through
| o, with celerity. The man was declared
| dead by the officials at 6:1S, but by the
! watches held by some of the newspaper
| reporters it was two minutes after tnat
| time when the warden said to the wit
nesses and attendants
Gentlemen, the physicians announce
| that the man is dead"
Ffst.- nnlEa
| solemnity of former executions, and dur
| ing most of the time except for the Drief
sIace when the electric current was cours-
| irg through the mans body, there was a
hum of voices in conversation. This grew
| so marked during the time That the physi-
| clans were making the examination of the
| b -dy for life that the warden found IL
necessary to pound on the tile-covered
! 1oor of the chamber for silence. The cur
| rent was of 1900 volts at M amperes, and
| II was held on one minute and three Sec
| ends. When this had been done, careful
| examinations of the mans heart We're
| made, but there was no sign OF life Inc
Rev. Henry MacIlravey of Little Falls,
| who had been with Gillette, was so ovef-
| come at the electrocution that he was
taken from the death chamber before the
contact was turned off.
Fearful that ne would collapse he start
ed for the door leading to the prison
| yard. Keepers walked beside him.
March To Death.
| witnesses assembled at the warden $
| office at 6 o'clock and at 6:10 the march
| from the office down the south wing of
| the prison to the death chamber was
| started, and at GIL, when State Elec-
| tr. clan Davis made his test of the ma
| chinery with the bank of lights, the wit
nesses had taken the places assigned to
teem.
rhe test being finished, the word was
given and the door leading from the death
cell was opened Gillette walked hrmly,
end looking neither to the right or left,
ke pt briskly along the row and into the
chamber On either side of him was
minister of the gospel, Chaplain HerWlck
on his right and Pew. Mac-lraVey on MIS-
left. 1t was 6:12:S5 when the little party
entered the chamber and the work OF
strapping the ma1 in the chair was quick
lv over. The electric current was turned
On at 6:14:03, and was switched off at
q :I5:O6 Immediately after DR.. Spitzka
made an examination of the heart Other
heart examinations followed, and at 6:B
Warden Benham made the announcement
kat Gillette was dead.
Gillette made a confession to his spir-
;tual advisers, regarding wnicn they to-
dcy gave out the following:
Because our relationship with Chester
Gillette was privileged we do not deem
IL wise to make detailed statement, and
simply wish to say that no legal mistake
was made in his electrocution
"CORDELIE HERRICK."
'HENRY McILRAVEY,
Giliette's Last Word.
Besides the confession. Gillette had
word to say to the young men of the
norld This was IN a communication that