| "One hundred and nine witnesses were called, and the Gillette skirt factory was closed temporarily because so many workers were summoned. Hundreds of people were attracted to the trial, some bringing their lunch and spending the day. At one time over 800 were said to be in the courtroom. Grace Brown’s clothes, the rowboat, and the suitcase, which weighed thirty-five pounds, were shown in court. The dead girl’s family attended many sessions, and their painful reactions were noted in detail by the press. When the letters of the girl were read, the entire courtroom wept—judge, jurors, lawyers, and the district attorney, who was forced to stop reading at one point. Chester maintained his calm throughout. He chewed gum, took notes, smiled, and accepted an apple from a reporter." (from "The Tragedy of the 'North Woods'" by Eleanor Waterbury Franz) |
