Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-11-28

UelWttn Huihdht oyAhPathy anu tHS
law and places upon the grand jury
the burden of deciding whether
euthanasia is justiiable under certain
conditions or must rigidly be adjudged
crime, no matter what may be the
surrounding conditions.
Sister Sadie l.. Marchant, one OF the
members of the small Shaker colony
which owns farm OF about 1000
acres around Lake Alligator, near
Ashton, died on August 22, last, after
having suffered for some time from
consumption. After her death it was
rumored that her Shaker friends had
relieved her sufferings and, at her
own request, had assisted her out Of
her torturesome life" by administer
ing chloroform 10 her. The matter
was brought to the attention Of the
authorities and an investigation was
made. Brother Gillette and Sister
Sears, who had been with Sister
Marchant at the time of her death,
admitted without hesitation that they
had helped Sister Marchant 10 pain
les sand peaceful death by giving her
chloroform.
Upon their own admission Brother
Gillette and Sister Elizabeth were ar
rested and brought before Judge Par
ker for a preliminary hearing. They
repeated their admission and added
that they had administered the anaes-
thetic upon the urgent prayer of Sister
Marchant. They stated that Sister
Marchant had for long time suffered
from tuberculosis. One of her lungs
was completely destroyed by the ter
rible disease and the ravages OF the
disease in the other lung caused the
patient excruciating pain. Sister
Sadie had always longed for a peace.
full and painless death, and when the
end approached and her sufferings be-
came almost unbearable, she prayed
her friends to have mercy and to help
her TO a quiet and painless death.
Upon her own, often expressed wish
they had given her the chloroform.
Before God and man | believe that
we did exactly right" declared Brother
Gillette, and he added that his con-
science was perfectly at ease and he
did not believe that he had committed
wrong. If his act had been unwise,
only his great feeling of sympathy for
the deceased sister prompted him to
commit it.
After formal hearing Brother Gil
lette and Sister Elizabeth were held
on a charge of murder, but Judge
Parker admitted them to bail, Sister
Elizabeth in $4,000 and Brother Gil
lette in $4,000 The other members OF
the colony promptly furnished the bail.
At the same time the coroner began
an investigation of the case and on
September G the body of Sister Sadie
was exhumed The medical eXamina-
ton of the body is said to have shown
that the disease of Sister Sadie had
not been so far advanced as was
stated by Brother Gillette and that,
jduging from the condition of her
lungs, she might have lived for some
time. The coroner's jury thereupon
gave a verdict, finding Brother Gil
lette guilty of wilful murder.
Brother Gillette was rearrested and
held to await the action of the grand
Jury without being admitted to bail
Sister Elizabeth, not having been in
dicted by the coroner's jury, was per.
mitted to remain under bail.
II is understood that no attempt will
be made on the part of Brother Gil
lette to deny the simple facts OF the
case. As there is nothing in the laws
of the state of Florida that could be
construed into sanctioning the prac-
tice of euthnasia under any condition,
it is feared that the grand jury Will
have no alternative in the case but
ILL 10 oh1ioad IN indipt