Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1908-03-29
ny Glenn aaernsey.)

Dut 1mplacaDle execuJlOnerS,. strdppeu
shuddering, into the fatal electric
chair and then hurled quickly and
quietly, into eternity-this is to be
the fate next week of Chester E. Gil
lette. So will end the last chapter
in the tragedy of Big Moose Lake, in
which Grace Brown gave Up ner life
for love of the cowardly, wretched lad
whose life must now pay the penalty !
Of his crime. To the last the famous
prisoner of Auburn penitentiary main
tains his innocence-declares that
Grace Brown leaped from. the boat on
that trip on Big. Moose Lake which |
was to have been their honeymoon
voyage, and that he, frightened, ran
away and let her drown
1t is an old story, this tragedy Of
Big Moose lake-a story OF the great
Hove of maid for man, an affec-
ton so overpowering that she willingly
placed her honor and good name In
! his keeping. The man tired OF his
| conquest, as men SO often do. and
sought relief from the ties that bound
him by Staying the innocent young
girl who had loved and trusted him
with all her heart.
poor little grill" said the Herki-
mer policeman who found the swollen
battered body of lone moreu nfortu-
nate" and poor little girl!' the peo-
pie of the nation echoed when her let
tiers, Written to the man who had so
often promised to marry her and had
so often failed, were read during Gil
lette's trial in the little Herkimer
court house. Those letters, written
from a heart wavering between love
and shame, are classics and might well
furnish material for a poet, novelist
or philosopher.
After Gillette had postponed the
wedding she wrote him: =
81 simply can't stay here any longer
Mamma worries and wonders why
cry SO much. Please come and take
me, dear. l am afraid you won't come
and I'm frightened, dear. Chester
there is not girl in the whole work
so miserable as l am tonight, and
YOU have made me feel so. l dom
mean that, dear; you have always
been so good to me and know you
always will be-"
Three weeks before her death she
wrote, from the depths of her poor
buffeted heart:
81 won't interfere with any of YOU
plans. I was i'll nearly all yesterday
and tonight the veins in my head are
frightfully swollen. Mamma bathet
them in cologne and they are not Sc
bad today They were swollen be
cause 1 cry SO much. Chester, don
suppose you will ever know how l re
greet being all this trouble to you.
know you hate me and can't blam'
you one bit. My whole life is ruined
and in a measure, yours, too. o
course it's worse for me than you, bu
the world and you, too, think an
the one to blame, but somehow l can
4 just simply can't think am, Ches
ter. l said, No. so many times, deai
II OF course the world will not know tina
: but it's true, all the same. My httl
sister came up just minute ago wit
her hands full of daisies and aske
, me IL didn't want my fortune TOLD
1 told her guessed it was pretty we
told. Now, / don't want you to min
this letter, for am blue tonight"
c. And there were many other letter
.lr -pitiful appeals that would hav
re- touched the most hardened heart:
81 will try and not worry. You al
a dear, anyhow. have cried so muc
I am a sight, dear. am so thin, an
as my face is SO deathly white.
or 20. / can't wait until see yo
Nv again. We will be happy and l won
y get cross. 1 know you will be awf
- good to me, dear, for will die In
90 short time. / know will, and then
70 o, 1 think you will always be glad W
ne were SO good to me.
he "If l had strength, dear, I believe
ith should walk to the river and thro
ne myself in. 1t would be rather cowaI
ly, and despise coward, but Iwou
~, not be bother to you any long
ie- o, Chester, the thought that am
las your way just drives me crazy. HI
ID II want to die no one but mys
knows. 80 You would smie
you know how l am trying to 6
strong, for don't care how rou
life is after next Saturday.
aink / could carry packs, like v
~ peddlers. shall certainly