Chester and Grace: The Real American Tragedy

4/15-06- WAYWARD SON


IN CONTRAST, CHESTER GILLETTE'S LIFE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF HIS LOVER TURNED VICTIM, GRACE BROWN'S. GRACE RARELY, IF EVER, TRAVELED, WHILE CHESTER'S LIFE HAS BEEN SPENT TRAVELLING ALL OVER THE WEST.

HIS JOURNEY BEGAN ON AUGUST 9, 1883 IN MONTANA, THE FIRSTBORN SON OF FRANK AND LOUISA GILLETTE. THE FAMILY TRAVELLED FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WERE MISSIONARIES IN THE SALVATION ARMY, BEGINNING WHEN CHESTER WAS 9 YEARS OLD. THEY HAD BEEN TO WASHINGTON, OREGON, CALIFORNIA, AND EVEN TO HAWAII. THE TRAVELLING TOOK A TOLL ON CHESTER'S SCHOOLING, WHICH LED CHESTER'S UNCLE, N.H GILLETTE, A SELF-MADE WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN TO MAKE A DEAL WITH CHESTER'S FAMILY TO SEND CHESTER TO OBERLIN ACADEMY, A PREPRATORY SCHOOL IN OHIO.

CHESTER'S TIME IN OBERLIN OPENED HIS EYES TO THE WORLD IN WHICH HIS UNCLE ROAMED AND WHAT HE LEARNED THERE WOULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HIM LATER ON. HIS GRADES WERE PRETTY GOOD HIS FIRST YEAR AND HE WAS THE CAPTAIN OF HIS SCHOOL'S BASKETBALL TEAM. BUT BY THE SECOND YEAR, HIS GRADES STARTED FALLING. IN SOME CASES, BAD ASSOCIATIONS WERE TO BLAME, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT HE WAS INVOLVED WITH A GIRL IN THE TOWN. FINALLY, IN THE EARLY PART OF 1903, HE DROPPED OUT.

WHILE CHESTER WAS IN OBERLIN, HIS FAMILY BECAME DISENCHANTED WITH THE SALVATION ARMY AND LEFT IN 1901 BECAUSE CHESTER'S FATHER BECAME SICK WHILE IN HAWAII. EVENTUALLY, THEY SETTLED IN ZION CITY, ILLINOIS, A THEOCRATIC TOWN OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO. THERE, THEY JOINED A CULT HEADED BY JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE, WHO CLAIMED TO BE THE BIBLICAL PROPHET, "ELIJAH THE RESTORER." IN REALITY, HE WAS DISMISSED AS A RELIGIOUS NUTCASE WHO TRIED AND FAILED TO CONVERT NEW YORK CITY TO HIS RELIGION.

AFTER DROPPING OUT OF OBERLIN, CHESTER MOVED TO CHICAGO, WHERE HE GOT A JOB ON THE RAILROAD WHICH RAN BETWEEN CHICAGO AND MILWAUKEE. HE ALSO HAD A SIDE JOB AS A BOOK SALESMAN. HE DID HAVE A FORESHADOWING EVENT IN A TOWN IN ILLINOIS WHERE HE STAYED IN A HOTEL AND DID NOT PAY THE BILL. HE DID NOT GET AWAY WITH IT THAT TIME, BUT THAT INCIDENT WOULD PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE EVENTS THAT WOULD HAPPEN LATER ON.

IN LATE 1904, N.H. GILLETTE, WHO ATTENDED THE ST. LOUIS AUTOMOBILE EXPOSITION, STOPPED OFF IN CHICAGO TO SEE CHESTER. FORGIVING HIM FOR HIS FAILURE IN OBERLIN, HE OFFERED CHESTER THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK WITH HIM TO WORK IN HIS SKIRT FACTORY IN CORTLAND, N.Y. CHESTER HAD WORKED THERE HIS FIRST SUMMER OFF FROM OBERLIN IN 1902. BUT BY THEN, THE SKIRT FACTORY WAS IN A CONCRETE BUILDING BECAUSE THE BUILDING THAT CHESTER KNEW WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN JANUARY, 1904. APPARANTLY, CHESTER SAID YES, BECAUSE BY APRIL OF 1905, HE WAS IN CORTLAND AND EMPLOYED BY HIS UNCLE AS A STOCK ROOM CLERK.

THE WHEELS WERE NOW SET IN MOTION.