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letters. Brown then returned to her parents' home for a time, but returned to
Cortland when she discovered that Gillette had been courting other girls. One popular story involved Miss Harriet Benedict, a wealthy acquaintance of Gillette who the newspapers later speculated was the "other woman" for whom Chester had left Grace. Harriet heatedly denied this, going so far as to issue a formal
469:
As the spring and summer of 1906 progressed, others noticed an increasing frequency of
Gillette's raised voice and Brown's tears at the factory or at each other's homes. Brown continued to press Gillette for some kind of decision, and Gillette played for time with vague statements about their future
531:
The trial took place in
Herkimer County, and quickly drew nationwide attention. Gillette's uncle refused to pay for his defense. Court appointed attorneys claimed that their client was innocent, that Brown had committed suicide, and that Gillette was a helpless onlooker to the suicide. It did not
504:
on Big Moose Lake, where he clubbed her with his tennis racquet and left her to drown. An overturned boat was found floating in the lake, together with
Gillette's hat, leading authorities initially to believe both had drowned. Meanwhile, Gillette, carrying a suitcase, hiked through the woods to
461:
At the factory, Gillette met Grace Brown, another employee. Gillette and Brown soon began a sexual relationship, with Brown assuming
Gillette would marry her. In the spring of 1906, Brown revealed that she was pregnant. She continued to pressure Gillette to marry her, often writing him pleading
532:
help that
Gillette had changed his story – claiming he was not there when Brown drowned, then accidental drowning, then suicide. He also had a hard time explaining to the jury Brown's injuries, why he took his suitcase on a boat ride, and how it ended up dry even though the boat overturned.
497:. At the lakeside Glenmore Hotel, Gillette registered under a false name (although one that used his own initials to match the monogram on his suitcase). He was carrying one suitcase and a tennis racquet. Brown, at this point, may have expected some kind of elopement ceremony.
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to
Franklin Gillette and Louisa Maria Rice, who married on October 21, 1883, two months after their son's birth. His parents were financially comfortable, but deeply religious, and eventually renounced material wealth to join
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Brown's body was found at the bottom of the lake the next day. An autopsy revealed she had suffered major head trauma, turning an accidental drowning case into a murder investigation.
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509:, where he checked into the Arrowhead Hotel under his real name. Later, witnesses said that Gillette seemed calm, collected, and perfectly at ease; nothing seemed to be amiss.
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proclaiming: "I have never been engaged to
Chester E. Gillette ... Our acquaintance was of ... a limited duration, and ... not a word or suggestion was ever made between us ."
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on the generosity of a wealthy uncle, but left after two years in 1903. After leaving school, he worked at odd jobs until 1905 when he took a position at another uncle's
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Library by
Gillette's grandniece. In addition to the diary, 12 letters written by Gillette during his time in prison also were donated.
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164:(August 9, 1883 – March 30, 1908), was an American convicted murderer, who became the basis for the fictional character
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The diary and letters were published in
December 2007, almost 100 years after the execution of Chester Gillette.
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In 2007, Gillette's diary, which he wrote during the last seven months he was in prison, was donated to the
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The jury convicted Gillette of murder. A New York State Appeals Court upheld the verdict, and Governor
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during his adolescence. Gillette never took to the religious aspects of his upbringing. He attended
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Eleven of the letters were addressed to Bernice Ferrin, a friend of the family who moved to
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Gillette had done a poor job of planning the cover-up, and was quickly arrested in nearby
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178:. The novel, and thus Gillette's case indirectly, was adapted in turn for the 1931 film
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aired an episode about the historical incident of Gillette and Brown in January 1996.
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375: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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519:. Grace Brown was buried in Valley View Cemetery in her hometown,
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894:. Los Altos, California: William Kaufmann, Inc., 1981: 195–196.
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755:, dreiseronlinecom.wordpress.com. Accessed October 29, 2022.
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is based on the case. His novel inspired two films in turn:
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Finally, Gillette made arrangements for a trip to the
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People executed by New York (state) by electric chair
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On March 30, 1908, Chester Gillette was executed by
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in upstate New York. The pair stayed for a night in
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753:Franklin Gillette-Louisa Rice marriage certificate
470:and of their going away on a trip sometime soon.
913:Murders, mysteries and misdemeanors in New York
313:. Gillette thus spent part of his childhood in
998:People convicted of murder by New York (state)
834: (1908). And unofficially at 83 N.E. 680,
8:
983:20th-century executions by New York (state)
836:https://casetext.com/case/people-v-gillette
604:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
558:. Gillette was buried in Soule Cemetery in
302:Wickes, Jefferson County, Montana Territory
58:Wickes, Jefferson County, Montana Territory
978:20th-century executions of American people
31:
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668:Learn how and when to remove this message
435:Learn how and when to remove this message
288:Learn how and when to remove this message
745:
16:American convicted murderer (1883–1908)
1008:People from Jefferson County, Montana
500:On July 11, Gillette took Brown in a
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824:The case was officially reported as
602:adding citations to reliable sources
373:adding citations to reliable sources
226:adding citations to reliable sources
988:American people executed for murder
915:. Arcadia Publishing. p. 77.
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309:. The family traveled around the
732:. Also based on the case is the
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1003:People from Spokane, Washington
892:The Almanac of American Letters
360:needs additional citations for
311:West Coast of the United States
213:needs additional citations for
937:"The Murder at Big Moose Lake"
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1013:Executed people from Montana
874:"Murder in the Adirondacks"
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162:Chester Ellsworth Gillette
91:Execution by electrocution
44:Chester Ellsworth Gillette
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30:
734:Ballad of Big Moose Lake
481:, and then continued to
872:Brandon, Craig (2006).
521:South Otselic, New York
911:Walsh, Robert (2019).
796:"The American Tragedy"
766:"The American Tragedy"
680:The television series
458:
543:or give a reprieve.
456:
449:Murder of Grace Brown
341:Murder of Grace Brown
300:Gillette was born in
880:on February 8, 2011.
832:191 N.Y. 107
598:improve this section
537:Charles Evans Hughes
475:Adirondack Mountains
369:improve this article
222:improve this article
861:on January 2, 2011.
776:on October 20, 2011
723:An American Tragedy
717:An American Tragedy
527:Trial and execution
315:Spokane, Washington
181:An American Tragedy
175:An American Tragedy
119:First degree murder
87:Cause of death
827:People v. Gillette
729:A Place In The Sun
683:Unsolved Mysteries
617:"Chester Gillette"
507:Fulton Chain Lakes
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384:"Chester Gillette"
335:Cortland, New York
327:preparatory school
307:The Salvation Army
237:"Chester Gillette"
187:A Place in the Sun
184:and the 1951 film
922:978-1-63499-174-2
890:Nelson, Randy F.
849:"Reprieve Denied"
806:on April 26, 2010
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560:Sennett, New York
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479:Utica, New York
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583:This section
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362:verification
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70:(1908-03-30)
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973:1908 deaths
968:1883 births
946:December 2,
483:Tupper Lake
457:Grace Brown
333:factory in
143:Grace Brown
962:Categories
740:References
628:newspapers
395:newspapers
248:newspapers
194:Background
50:1883-08-09
810:August 8,
780:August 8,
585:does not
172:'s novel
714:'s 1925
541:clemency
101:Executed
642:scholar
606:removed
591:sources
502:rowboat
409:scholar
262:scholar
140:Victims
135:Details
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649:JSTOR
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402:books
331:skirt
269:JSTOR
255:books
129:Death
948:2020
917:ISBN
896:ISBN
812:2017
782:2017
726:and
621:news
589:any
587:cite
388:news
241:news
148:Date
65:Died
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