The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-28
TO INVESTIGATE A
HUMANE MURDER
Quiz Shakers Who Chloro-
formed Consumptive to
Relieve Suffering.
National News Association


KISSIMMEE. Fla, Nov. 28.-Rarely
has a grand jury in this state or else
where been confronted with a more
delicate and difficult task than is the
grand jury which met here today to
take up the case OF the two Shakers,
Brother Egbert b. Gillette and Sister
Elizabeth Sears, charged with wilful
murder for having caused the death OF
another member of the Shaker colony
near Aashton, Sister Sadie l.. Mar
chant. on August %. last. by having
administered chloroform to her.
More than ordinary interest Is at
tached to the case and the action OF
the grand jury will be awaited with
sympathetic attention throughout the
country, for the case in question in
wolves q striking example of a conflict
between humane sympathy and the law
and places upon the grand jury the
burden OF deciding whether euthanasia
is justifiable under certain conditions
or must rigidly be adjudged crime,
no matter what may be the surround
Ing conditions.
Sister Sadie l.. Marchant, one OF the
members of the small Shaker colony
which owns a farm OF about 1000 acres
around Lake Alligator, near Ashton,
died ON August %, last, after having
suffered for some time from consump-
ton. After her death it was rumored
that her Shaker friends had relieved
her sI.fferings and, at her own request,
had assisted her out of here torture
some life" by administering chloro-
form to her. The matter was brought
to the att ention 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 hesita-
ton that they had helped Sister Mar
chant to a painless and 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 Sis
ter Marchant. They stated that Sis
fered from tuber culosis. One of her
lungs was completely destroyed by the
terrible disease and the ravages of the
disease in the other lung caused the
patient excruciating pain. Sister Sa-
die had always longsd for . peaceful
and painless death and, when the end
approached and her sufferings became
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 I 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
q wrong. If his act had been unwise,
only his great feeling of sympathy for
the deceased sister prompted him to
commit it.
After u formal hearing Brother Gill
lette and Sister Elizabeth were held on
q charge of murder. but Judge Par.
ker admitted them to bail, Sister Eliz.
abeth in $4,000, Brother Gillette 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 6, 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