It is rare that the public has the opportunity to read the private thoughts of a convicted murderer and even more so when that individual has committed one of the 20th century's most notorious crimes. Chester Gillette, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant lover on Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks in 1906, maintained a diary in prison during the six months prior to his execution. His diary and letters were donated to Hamilton last year by Gillette's grandniece, Marlynn McWade-Murray. On Friday, March 7, at 4:15 p.m., Murray and the diary's' editors will participate in a lecture/discussion on Gillette's recently published thoughts and correspondence.
"The Murder of Grace Brown and the Prison Diary of Chester Gillette," presented in the Kennedy Science Auditorium (G041), will include presentations by Murray and the book's editors, Jack Sherman, a New York county judge who has written and directed re-enactments of Gillette's trial, and Craig Brandon. a noted researcher on the case and author of Murder in the Adirondacks. Brandon will also present slides about the history of the case.
The threesome will present again on Saturday, March 8, at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Bookstore on Commercial Drive in New Hartford. Both events are free and open to the public, and The Prison Diary and Letters of Chester Gillette will be available for purchase and signing.
Interest in the case was sustained throughout the century by Theodore Dreiser's classic novel, An American Tragedy, and the 1951 Academy award winning film, A Place in the Sun, both of which were inspired by the murder. In 2006 the Metropolitan Opera in New York City performed an opera also based on the case.
There were no eyewitnesses to the crime. Gillette was convicted of murder on circumstantial evidence, despite claiming that Brown had drowned accidentally. Controversy over his guilt continues today.
"In all that I have done, I hope I have done as men would have me do. I know that I am right with God, and that is the all important thing," Gillette wrote in his diary's final entry. Sunday, March 30, will mark the 100th anniversary of his execution.
The Prison Diary and Letters of Chester Gillette, published by Hamilton's Richard W. Couper Press, includes personal reflections by Murray, a summary of the case by Brand and an introduction by Sherman. There are 32 black-and-white illustrations and photographs, as well as a Gillette family tree. The book retails for $25 and is available from the Couper Press and North Country Books as well as at Barnes & Noble. For additional information, contact April Caprak at (315) 859-4475 or e-mail acaprak@hamilton.edu.
"The Murder of Grace Brown and the Prison Diary of Chester Gillette," presented in the Kennedy Science Auditorium (G041), will include presentations by Murray and the book's editors, Jack Sherman, a New York county judge who has written and directed re-enactments of Gillette's trial, and Craig Brandon. a noted researcher on the case and author of Murder in the Adirondacks. Brandon will also present slides about the history of the case.
The threesome will present again on Saturday, March 8, at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Bookstore on Commercial Drive in New Hartford. Both events are free and open to the public, and The Prison Diary and Letters of Chester Gillette will be available for purchase and signing.
Interest in the case was sustained throughout the century by Theodore Dreiser's classic novel, An American Tragedy, and the 1951 Academy award winning film, A Place in the Sun, both of which were inspired by the murder. In 2006 the Metropolitan Opera in New York City performed an opera also based on the case.
There were no eyewitnesses to the crime. Gillette was convicted of murder on circumstantial evidence, despite claiming that Brown had drowned accidentally. Controversy over his guilt continues today.
"In all that I have done, I hope I have done as men would have me do. I know that I am right with God, and that is the all important thing," Gillette wrote in his diary's final entry. Sunday, March 30, will mark the 100th anniversary of his execution.
The Prison Diary and Letters of Chester Gillette, published by Hamilton's Richard W. Couper Press, includes personal reflections by Murray, a summary of the case by Brand and an introduction by Sherman. There are 32 black-and-white illustrations and photographs, as well as a Gillette family tree. The book retails for $25 and is available from the Couper Press and North Country Books as well as at Barnes & Noble. For additional information, contact April Caprak at (315) 859-4475 or e-mail acaprak@hamilton.edu.
