Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-09-16
DRUCCED DYING
WOMAN Iii PITY
Two Shakers Are Charged
With Murder.
RELEASED ON SMALL BOND
Accused of Ending Misery Of Woman
Dying From Consumption by Admin.
istering chloroform.

istering chIoroform.
a dispatch received from Kissimee,
Fla. says
Sister Sadie l.. Marchant a Shaker,
a member OF that altrustic sect's col
ony in this county. passed out
OF the bOdy"-on Aug. % last, just as
the day was losing itself in dusk.
Sister Elizabeth Sears and Brother
Egbert Il. Gillette. Shakers, too, char.
acterized like all their fellows by the
attempt of perfect purity in thought
word and act. by gentleness. honesty
and obedience to law. are accused Of
Sister Sadies murder.
For. seeing her death was newt
able from consumption. plying her
frightful sufferings. Sister Elizabeth
and Brother Gillette. it is charged
administered chloroform to Sister Sa.
die, made her physical tortures to end
In euihanasia. in peaceful. painless
death
And II was at Sister Sadies PRAYER
that her loving. sympathetic friends
administered the ana sthetic under
which she passed from unconscious
ness into the hereafter.
Before God think | did right"
calmly said Brother Gillette. My con
science is perfectly at ease. II the
act was unwisc. only my great feeling
for her prompted me to commit II. on!
how she suffered"
After a formal hearing Sister Eliza
beth and Brother Gillette were held on
the charge of murder, Yet Judge G..
+ Parker took an unprecedented step
and admitted them 10 bail, Sister
Elizabeth in $1,000. Brother Gillette
in $4,000. Other members Of the cot.
ony. which is near Ashton. about nine
miles east OF Kissimee. furnished the
bail
Never before were Shakers in n
court in this county. the whole com
munity regards them a. persoNfyng
righteousness and honesty That the
magistrate admitted them to bail
when accused OF a capital crime makes
il plain that in his opinion they were
far from being actnated by any crimi-
nal purpose OF intent Indeed. public
sentiment already favors their dismis-
sal by the grand jury: and even
whether a jury could be found to con-
Wet them.
II may be stated as rather en-
tightening fact that an attempt to take
ones own life l. not crime in this
state. and the general opinion Is hat
Sister Sadie's death was by suicide;
assisted suicide.
There is no doubt that Sister Eliza
beth and Rrother Gillette con 'ulied.
prayer together, before they yielded
to Sister Sadle's prayers 10 end her
misery. Probably they cons ilied wi II
others of the colony. but Brother Gil.
lette implicated no one in the state
ment he made compescdly.
Sister Sadie l.. Marchant came TO
our colony six years and three months
ago" said Brother Gillette while he
waited in Jail for bail to be given for
him she was doomed to death from
consumption then. One Of her lungs
had been destroyed She had been
suffering terribly for several weeks,
and we all knew the time was short
before she would he called 20 her final
reward.
THE climax came on Aug 20. She
was seized with chills. hemorrhage
and other symptoms. which every one
knows mean that The end OF any one
with consumption is near.
Sister Sadie had always told us to
let her die in peace and without pain.
and asked Sistei Elizabeth that day TO
let her get out of the body Sister
Sadie refused 10 eat anything more
after that On Sunday night. the goth,
sne was in agony. and toward morn
ing begged us TO kill her She said
she was al peace with God and with
all on earth. and was ready to go"