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Grace Brown to
Chester Gillette
r
1 Womans Simple Documents That Made
a Criminal Case Famous and Virtually
Sealed the Fate of a Murderer
When Read to the Jury
That Tried Him for
His Life
Herkimer N Y Printed below are
jletters which within the past few
weeks have become known almost
from one end of the country to the
other as Grace Browns letters
They need no introduction save per
haps the statement that these are the
letters which were read at the trial
of Chester Gillette
They formed the most remarkable
feature of that case The whole struc
ture of the prosecuting attorney was
built upon them It passes under
standing why the murderer of the
girl should have preserved a series of
documents which it is safe to say
spelled his doom from the moment
they were placed in the hands of a
jury of 12 men It is inconceivable
that Gillette kept them for their
pathos or the gentleness of charac
ter which they revealed for he is not
the kind of a man to whom such
things appeal It is utterly improb
able that he ever recognized in them
a simple literary beauty although
such they do possess in an unusual
degree the more unusual when it is
remembered that Grace Brown was
a country girl of plain education who
had worked as a factory hand
Yet somehow Gillette kept them
and the American public has come into
the possession of one of the most re
markable series of documents that
ever appeared in a criminal case As
a revelation of character as the writ
ten record of a tortured soul they
have already taken a place unique in
the annals of real life tragedies
Here are the letters
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
But Somehow I Have Trusted You
More Than Any One Else
South Otselic June 21st 190G
Wednesday Night My Dear Chester
I am just ready for bed and am so ill
I could not help writing to you
Chester I came home because I
thought I could trust you I dont
think now I will be here after next
Friday This girl wrote me that you
seemed to be having an awfully good
time and she guessed that my coming
home had done you good as you had
not seemed so cheerful in weeks She
also said that you spent most of your
time with that detestable Grace Hill
Now Chester she does not know
I dislike Miss Hill and so did not
write that because she knew it would
make me feel badly but just because
she didnt think I should have
known Chester that you did not care
for me But somehow I have trusted
you more than anyone else When
ever the other girls have said hateful
things to me of 3rou I could not be
lieve them You told me even prom
ised me you would have nothing to
do with her while I was gone
Perhaps Chester you dont think
or you cant lielp making me grieve
but I wish things were different You
may say you do too but you cant
possibly wish so more than I I have
been very brave since I came home
but to night I am very discouraged
Chester if I could only die I know
how you feel about this affair and I
wish for your sake you need not be
troubled If I die I hope you can then
be happy I hope I can die The doc
tor says I will and then you can do
just as you like I am not the least
bit offended with you only I am a lit
tle blue to night and I feel this way
I miss you Oh dear you dont
know how much I miss you Honest
ly deal I am coming back next week
unless you can come for me right
away I am so lonesome I cant stand
it Week ago to night we were to
gether Dont you remember how I
cried dear I have cried like that
nearly all the time since I left Cort
land I am awfully blue
Now dear let me tell you You
will get this Monday some time Now
you please write me Monday night and
be sure and post it Tuesday morning
and then I Avill get it or ought to
Wednesday morning I just want to
see what the trouble is why I dont
War from you I was telling mamma
yesterday how you wrote and I never
got it and she said Why Billy if
he wrote you would have received
it
She did not mean anything but I
was mad and said Mamma Ches
ter never lied to me and I know he
wrote If you were only here dear
how glad I would be
Dont you think I am awfully brave
I am doing so much better than I
thought I should I think about
you dear all the time and wonder
what you are doing I am so fright
ened dear Maude has invited me
down for next Tuesday but I dont
think I can go Oh say if you post
a letter to me Tuesday morning I will
get it Tuesday night Well dear
they are calling me to dinner and I
will stop Please write or I will be
crazy Be a good kid and God bless
you Lovingly
THE KID
P S I am crying
COME AND TAKE ME AWAY
There Isnt a Girl in the World as
Miserable as 1 Am To night
South Otselic June 20th 1906 Tues
day Night My Dear Chester I am
writing to tell you that I am coming
back to Cortland I simply cant stay
here any longer Mamma worries and
wonders why I cry so much and I am
just about sick Please come and
take me away some place dear I
came up home this morning and I just
cant help crying all the time just as
I did Saturday night
I cant stay here dear and please
dont ask me to any longer Do you
miss me much I am so lonesome
without you I dont know how I am
going to manage about going to Uncle
Charles I presume I will have to
write you to meet me in Cincinnatus
now we dont know anyone there
Chester there isnt a girl in the world
as miserable as I am to night and
you have made me feel so Chester
I dont mean that dear you have
always been awfully good to me and
I know you will always be You just
wont be a coward I know My broth
ers and sisters are at a social recep
tion to night but they cant get over
my crying
I do wish you were here I cant
wait so long for letters dear You
must write more often please and
dear when you read my letters if
you think I am unreasonable please
do not mind it but do think I am
about crazy with grief and that I
dont know just what to do Please
write to me dear
Lovingly you know whom
South Otselic June 19 190G
THERE ARE SO MANYNOOKS
I Have Been Bidding Good bye
to Some Places To day
South Otselic July G Thursday
Night My Dear Chester If you take
the 945 train from the Lehigh there
you will get here about 11 I am sorry
I could not go to Hamilton dear but
papa and mamma did not want me to
and there are so many things I have
had to work hard for in the last two
weeks They think I am just going
out there to Deruyter for a visit Now
dear when I get there I will go at
once to the hotel and I dont think
I will see any of the people If I do
and they ask me to come to the house
I will say something so they wont
mistrust anything tell them I have a
friend coming from Cortland and that
we were to meet there to go to a
funeral or wedding in some town far
ther along Awfully stupid but we
were invited to come and so I had to
cut my vacation a little short and go
Will that be O K dear
You must come in the morning for
I have had to make you dont know
how many new plans since your last
letter in order to meet you Monday
I dislike waiting until Monday but
now that I have to I dont think it
anything but fair that you should come
up Monday morning But dear you
must see the necessity yourself of get
ting here and not making me wait
If you dislike the idea of coming Mon
day morning and can get a train up
there Sunday night you would come
up Sunday night and be there to meet
me Perhaps that would be the best
way All I care is that I dont want
to wait there all day or half a day
I think there is a train that leaves
the Lehigh at six something Sunday
night I do not know what I would
do if you were not to come I am
about crazy I have been bidding
good by to some places to day There
are so many nooks dear and all of
them so dear to me I have lived here
nearly all my life
First I said good by to the spring
house with its great masses of green
moss then the apple tree where we
had our playhouse then the Bee
hive a cute little house in the or
chard and of course all the neighbors
that have mended my dresses from a
little tot up to save me a threshing I
really deserved
Oh dear you dont realize what all
this means to me I know I shall
never see any of them again and
mamma great Heaven how I do love
mamma I dont know what I will
do without her She is never cross
and she always helps me so much
Sometimes I think if I tell mamma
but I cant She has trouble enough
as it is and I couldnt break her heart
like that
If I came back dead perhaps If she
doesnt know she wont be angry with
me I will never be happy again dear
UU
ifm Tnil
m ymLJm ja m ira
1 Qace Billy Brown Ghester Gillette 1
I wish I could die You will never
know what you have made me suffer
dear I miss you and want to see
you but I wish I could die I am go
ing to bed now dear Please come
and dont make me wait there If
you had made plans for something
Sunday you must come Monday morn
ing
Please think dear that I had to give
up a whole summers pleasure and you
surely will be brave enough to give
up one evening for me I shall expect
and look for you Monday forenoon
Heaven bless you until then
Lovingly and with kisses
THE KID
P S Please come up Sunday night
dear
CANT YOU COME TO ME
Chester 1 Need You More Than
You Think 1 Do
South Otselic June 26 190G Monday
Night Dear Chester I am much too
tired to write a decent letter or even
follow the line but I have been un
easy all day and I cant go to sleep
because I am sorry I sent you such a
hateful letter this morning so I am
going to write and ask your forgive
ness dear I was cross and wrote
things I ought not to have written I
am sorry dear and I shall never feel
quite right about all this until you
write and say you forgive me I was
ill and did not realize what I was writ
ing and then this morning mamma
gave my letters to papa before I was
down I should not have had it posted
but it went long before I was awake
I am very tired to night dear I have
been helping mamma sew to day My
sister is making me a new white Peter
Pan suit and I do get so tired having
it fitted and then there are other
ried and tired I never liked to have
dresses fitted and now it is ten times j
worse Oh Chester you will never
know how glad I shall be when this
worry is all over I am making myself
ill over it Maybe there is no use to
worry but I do and I guess everyone
does I am quite brave to night and
I always feel better after I write you
Chester so I hope you mind the hate
ful things I say and I hope you wont
mind my writing so much Where do
you suppose we will be two weeks
from to night I wish you would write
and tell me dear all about your com
ing I am awfully afraid I cant go
to Hamilton Chester
Papa cant take me and I am nerv
ous about going alone You see I
would have to ride quite a distance
before I could take the train and then
there is a long wait and Chester I
am getting awfully sensitive If I
cant go up there what shall I do Do
you think it would be wise to come
back there Could you come to Der
uyter and meet me I have Telatives
there but perhaps I could arrange it
somehow I was pleased yesterday
morning You know I have a lot of
bed quilts six I guess and I was
asking mamma where they were and
saying I wished I had a dozen when
my little sister said Just you and
someone else will not need so many
Of course my face got crimson and
the rest of the family roared Mam
ma is so nice about fixing my dresses
she has them all up now in nice shape
You remember the white dress I wore
and you once asked me why I didnt
have a new yoke Well she has al
most made a new dress out of that
I am afraid the time will seem awfully
long before I see you Chester I wish
you would always post your letters in
the morning after you write them or
the same night They are a day later
here if you wait until noon Of
course I will be glad to get them only
I dislike waiting for them
Oh dear I do get so blue Chester
Please dont wait until the last of the
week before you come Cant you come
the first of the week Chester I need
you more than you think I do I really
think it will be impossible for me to
stay here any longer than this week
I want to please you but I think
Chester it would be very unwise
If I should stay here and anything
should happen I would always regret
it for your sake You do not know
papa as well as I do and I would not
like you to be disgraced here We
have both suffered enough and I
would rather go away quietly In a
measure I will suffer tne more but
I will not complain if you will not get
cross and will come for me I must
close Write me Wednesday night
dear and tell me what you think
about everything Lets not leave all
our plans until the last moment and
above all please write and say you
forgive me for that letter I sent you
this morning I am sorry and if I were
there I know you would say it would
be all O K
Lovingly
THE KID i
MY LITTLE SISTER CAME
I Told Her I Guessed My Fortune
Was Pretty Well Told Now
South Otselic June 23d 1906 Sun
day Night My Dear Chester I was
glad to hear from you and surprised as
well I thought you would rather
have my letters affectionate but yours
was so businesslike that I have come
to the conclusion that you wish mine
to be that way I may tell you
though that I am not a business wom
an and so presume that these letters
will not satisfy you any more than
the others did I would not like to
have you think I was not glad to hear
from you for I was very glad but it
was not the kind of letter I had hoped
to get from you
I think pardon me that I under
stand my position and that it is rather
unnecessary for you to be so fright
fully frank in showing it to ae I
can see my position as keenly as any
one I think You say you were sur
prised but you thought I would be
discouraged I dont see why I should
be discouraged What words have I
had from you since I came home to
encourage me
You write as though I was the one
to blame because the girls wouldnt
come I invited them here because I
thought I wouldnt be so lonesome I
am sure I cannot help it because
mamma is away As to the financial
difficulty I am the one who will be
most affected by that You say your
trip Wont it be your trip as well as
mine I understand how you feel
about the affair You consider me as
something troublesome that you both
ered with You think if it wasnt for
me you could do as you lilted all sum
mer and not be obliged to give up
your position there I know how you
feel but once in awhile you make me
see these things a great deal more
plainly than ever
Chester I dont suppose you will
ever know how I regret being all this
trouble to you I know you hate me
and I cant blame you one bit My
whole life is ruined and in a measure
yours is too Of course its worse
for me than for you but the world
and you too may think I am the one
to blame but somehow I cant just
simply cant think that I am Chester
I said No so many times dear Of
course the world will not know that
but its true all the same
My little sister came up just a min
ute ago with her hands full of daisies
and asked if I didnt want my fortune
told I told her I guessed it was
pretty well told now I dont want
you to mind this letter for I am blue
to night and get so mad when the girls
write things about me Your letter
was nice and I was glad to get it I
simply feel out of sorts to night
When you are cross just think I
am sick and cant help all this If
you were me you couldnt help find
ing fault I know I dont dare think
how glad I will be to see you If you
wrote me a letter like this I wouldnt
write in a long time but I know you
wont tease me in that waj You will
just forget it and be your own dear
self You know I always am cross in
the beginning It vras that way Sat
urday night so dor t be angry dear
Lovingly KID
THIS IN NEBRASKA
EVENTS OF INTEREST OF MORE
OR LESS IMPORTANCE
State Universitys Great Work In
Cattle Breeding Prizes That Its
Entries Have Won
Nebraska Cattle Exhibit
All Nebraskans will be interested
to know that the exhibit of Tat came
soat to Chicago from the State Uni
versity farm was again successful in
winning several of the highest prizes
offered by this the largest live stock
show in the world Of the nine steers
exhibited by our university six were
prize winners one of them a nine
months calf bred on the University
farm winning the Grade Angus Cham
pionship over all ages exhibited by the
various state universities and agricul
tural colleges Had Mr Turner who
came from Herefordshire England to
judge the grade steers and award the
iGrand Championship judged the pure
bred steers the University would have
iwon on Ruby a two-year-old An
gus pure bred the same honor that
came to Challenger in 17903 viz the
Grand Championship plum Ruby
under the English judge in the College
Classes was placed ahead of the two
steers that had defeated him under a
Chicago judge and was pronounced by
the English judge the best steer in the
show This however was after the
Grand Championship had been award
ed to a breeder from Illinois Ruby
was sold to The Fair department
state at fifteen cents per pound live
-weight the top price of the show for
single individuals bringing for beet
273 On the yearling steers entered
In the carcass contest the University
of Nebraska won both first ana second
prizes which is a strong testimonial
for the system of feeding practiced at
our State Farm
The exhibit this year nine head
was the largest ever made by the
Univeisity of Nebraska and a total of
450 in prizes was won to say noth
ing of the high prices recieved for the
beef One of the prize winners Avaa
selected from a carload of calves at
the South Omaha stock yards nearly
two years ago when a party of stu
dents were being instructed by Prof
Smith on the selection of feeding
steers
During the past few years the- Uni
versity has won 1500 in prizes at the
International Stock Show on fifteen
steers one of the number Challenger
winning 430 in 1903 The high prices
received for the beef have more than
paid the expenses for exhibiting and
the prize money has therefore been
net profit to the state
Charities and Corrections
OMAHA The tenth Nebraska state
conference of Charities and Correc
tions met at Creighton institute for
a two days session
Rev Father Joseph Reusing presi
dent of the conference delivered the
annual address in which he empha
sized the need of awakening intelli
gent co operation and the revision of
certain state laws He declared that
there had existed in the organization
a general apathy and that there were
not two dozen genuine active member
He reviewed the objects of the or
ganization which embraced the best
methods of disbursing charity among
the needy
He said the State Conference of
Charities and Corrections was a spe
cies of clearing house for all charitable
activities He reviewed the different
work which can be and ought to bo
done by the organization
Referring to te statute creating the
State Board of Charities and Correc
tions he said
Often we have been indignant and
disgusted at the wording of the law
creating that board The law must
be revised The State Board of Pub
lic Lands and Buildings is responsible
for all state buildings Why then
should the plans for such buildings be
referred to the State Board of Char
ities and Corrections They never are
so referred and that part of the law
is a dead letter The four advisory
secretaries have to pay their travel
ing expenses out of their own pockets
and then wait months before being re
imbursed This is due to a blunder
made in enumerating the items for
which the 4000 state appropriation
should be used The secretaries
should go about visiting the state in
stitutions investigating the manner
in which they are conducted Had
the secretaries been in a position to
do this the abuses at the Norfolk asy
lum could never have occurred
Levy for State Fair
The State Fair board decided to in
troduce a bill in the legislature asking
for a levy of of a mill for the benefit
of the state fair No other appropria
tion will be asked for Secretary Mel
lor was authorized to send out a cir
cular letter over the state caning at
tention to the needs of permanent
buildings on the fair grounds and to
the work of other states along this
line
Free Postage for the Blind
Senator Burkett of Nebraska intro
duced a bill providing for carrying
free of postage in the mails reading
matter for use of the blind The bill
provides that all reading matter in
Embest type whether in Braille New
York point or Moon type shall be
carried in the mails free of postage
to or from any blind persn desiring to
read the same Such matter shall be
forwarded and exchanged free with
Canada and other countries where
free postage for the blind is now or
may be granted
NEBRASKA BRIEFS
Mrs Lillio is seeking a pardon from
Gov Mickey wero
there
In the revival at Fremont
550 conversions -v
Several new cases of diphtheria are
reported at Clearwater
of Cuming county
The district court
will convene January 7th
Postmaster McNally of Ed garhaa
resigned and will remove to Iowa
at once on
Work is to be started
the new Catholic parsonage in ueai
rice
Sioux City la and Dakota
Neb are to be connected by
City
inter-
urban
Bogus ten dollar bills were passed
in Fremont and a half dozen or more
mmerchants are losers on account or
them
John Close of Columbus charged by
being father of her
Josie Sturek with
child has been bound over to the dis
trict court
George Meyer of Platte county wad
and hid
injured in a runaway accident
leg has been amputated to prevent
blood poisoning
to organize
Measures are being taken
ganize an anti tobacco league among
the young men who are students in
the normal at Peru
Nebraska has no outstanding bonds
and has 2022SS1 invested in the
bonds of other states and 3G1G747 in
bonds of Nebraska counties
The new state bank at Rosalie a
new town on the Great Northern ex
tension located a few miles from Ban
croft opened for business last week
A man was found a mile from
Greenwood lying in the road with his
throat cut He was taken to a city
hospital and it is thought he will r
cover
Andrew Arnold of Red Cloud was so
badly injured by the horse on which
he was riding falling with him that
very small hopes are entertained for
his recovery
Columbus is jubilant oxer the expec
tation of a 45000 appropriation for
the new public building Sealed offers
have been put in by a number of
people who have sites to sell
Thieves entered the Burlington tool
house in Wymore and stole a wagon
load of valuable tools Bloodhounds
were put upon the trail which was
lost before proceeding very far
E J King sentenced to the peni j
tentiary for two years and six months
for burglary from Douglas county was
discharged by the governor who com
muted his sentence to a term some
thing over nine months
The Board of Supervisors of Butler
county has employed John Streeter as-
superintendent of the county poor farm
for another year at a salary or 800
He has held that position for several
years and has made a good superin
tendent
Jay OHearn a Omaha boy murderer
under sentence of death sentenced for
the killing of Nels Lausten a saloon
keeper has filed a brief in support ofj
his petition in error in the supreme
court Tiie brief is filed by Attorney
James P English 1
The semi annual school apportion
ment which has been made by the
state treasurer gives Antelope county
317032 The amount will be at once
apportioned to the different school dis
tricts by Superintendent Ward and
the directors notified
The Nemaha county fair grounds
located at Salem were sold at sheriffs
sale in Falls City to satisfy a mort
gage held by the Salem Interstate
Chautauque association The prop
erty was purchased by the Richardson
County Fair association
A counference is now on wherebyj
eastern capital figures to install an
electric light and power plant in
liance in case proper arrangements
can be made The town for some time
has been considering the feasibility of
establishing such a plant
A check for 24955S4 was received
by County Treasurer Troupe of Buf i
falo county from the Union Pacific
Railroad company in payment of a
part of the taxes of the company for
the year 190G The total amount of
the tax is 3711225 leaving a bal
ance of 1215654 unpaid
A campaign has been instituted to
do away with the orthopedic hospital
at Lincoln and to distribute the cripi
pled children among the general hos
pitals of the state using them for
clinical demonstrations and keeping
them at the expense of the state This
movement meets with strong disap
proval on the part of most physicians
Governor Mickey has informed Dn
F M Sisson of the Omana child sav
ing society that he will not commute
the death sentence of Jay OHearn of
Douglas count y to life imprisonment
Dr Sisson visited the governor to
for the young prisoner Mrs
OHearn visit d her son at tho prison
and an affectionate interview followed
State Oil Inspector Ed A Church
broke the monthly record for the year
during the month of November by
turning into the state treasurv a bal
ance of 143467 the
as surplus of re
ceipts over expenditures He received
253040 and expended 1095 includ
ing salaries for himself and office
force and deputy inspectors
and sup
plies for the office
He is a candidate for commandant
of the soldiers home He is one of
the oldest residents of the southeast
ern part of the
state and is a promi
nent member of the Grand Armv of the
Republic
Steady improvement in efficiencv of
marksmanship in the Nebraska Na
tional guard is shown in the annual
report of Lieutenant E H Mullowney
inspector of
small arms practice
The percentage of the Frst regimem
tWG fT 12 S t0 22S Per cents
i
G SeCnd
Mo reSlnent rrom 733
to 1987 per cent
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