Chester and Grace: The Real American Tragedy

5/10/06- LADY IN THE LAKE


ON THE MORNING OF JULY 12, 1906, ROBERT MORRISON, THE BOATKEEPER AT THE GLENMORE HOTEL AT BIG MOOSE LAKE WAITED NERVOUSLY FOR THE YOUNG COUPLE WHO RENTED A ROWBOAT FROM HIM THE PREVIOUS MORNING. THEY HAD NOT RETURNED AS THEY HAD SAID THEY WOULD THAT NIGHT. AT FIRST, HE ASSUMED THAT THE COUPLE HAD GOTTEN LOST. AT BIG MOOSE LAKE, THAT WAS VERY COMMON. THEN HE BEGAN TO FEAR THAT THE COUPLE HAD DROWNED IN A BOATING ACCIDENT. A SEARCH PARTY WAS SOON ORGANIZED AND THEY FOUND AN OVERTURNED ROWBOAT WITH A WOMAN'S PETTICOAT DRAPED ACROSS THE KEEL FLOATING IN SOUTH BAY.

ON BOARD THE STEAMBOAT ZILPHA, 13-YEAR-OLD ROY HIGBY, SON OF THE LOCAL JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, WHO WAS ALSO ON BOARD, DISCOVERED A WHITE BLUR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. USING A SPIKED POLE, THE SEARCH PARTY PULLED A DEAD WOMAN'S BODY OUT OF THE WATER. THE DEAD WOMAN LOOKED LIKE SHE HAD BEEN BEATEN UP BADLY. SHE HAD A GASH ON THE SIDE OF HER FOREHEAD AND HER OUTFIT HAD BEEN RIPPED AND DISARRAYED.

WHEN THE SEARCH PARTY RETURNED TO THE GLENMORE, THE BODY WAS SOON IDENTIFIED AS GRACE BROWN OF SOUTH OTSELIC, NY. ROBERT MORRISON CONFIRMED THAT SHE WAS THE GIRL IN THE BOAT THAT THE COUPLE RENTED FROM HIM THE PREVIOUS MORNING. HOWEVER, THE SEARCH PARTY HAD NOT FOUND ANY TRACE OF HER MALE COMPANION, WHO WAS TRAVELLING UNDER THE ASSUMED NAME OF "CARL GRAHM OF ALBANY." THE ONLY THING THEY FOUND OF HIM WAS A STRAW HAT WITH THE LINING TORN OUT. HAD HE DROWNED TOO? OR DID HE SOMEHOW ESCAPE AND FIND HIS WAY BACK TO ALBANY?

WHEN THE BIG MOOSE AUTHORITIES WIRED ALBANY POLICE, THEY WERE SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT THERE WAS NOONE IN ALBANY WITH THE NAME OF CARL GRAHM. IT WAS THEN THAT THE AUTHORITIES BECAME AWARE THAT THE GIRL'S DEATH WAS NO ACCIDENT AND THAT THERE WAS SOME KIND OF FOUL PLAY INVOLVED. THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAD TO ASK THEMSELVES WERE "WHAT WAS THE REAL NAME OF CARL GRAHM?, " AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, "WHERE WAS HE?" THE SEARCH FOR HIS BODY WAS ABANDONED.

THE NEWS OF GRACE'S DEATH SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE. IT MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO UTICA WHERE HERKIMER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY GEORGE W. WARD, 35, AND DEPUTY SHERIFF AUSTIN KLOCK, 52, WERE ENJOYING A HORSE RACE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS. WHEN THEY SAW THE NEWSPAPERS, THEY LEFT QUICKLY TO CATCH THE FIRST AVAILABLE TRAIN TO THE ADIRONDACKS. WHILE THEY WERE AT THE STATION, THEY WERE APPROACHED BY ALBERT GROSS, A YOUNG MAN FROM CORTLAND, WHO WAS ON HIS WAY TO EAGLE BAY AT THE REQUEST OF A FRIEND. HE INQUIRED ABOUT GRACE'S DEATH AND THAT HE KNEW HER FROM THE GILLETTE SKIRT FACTORY. THEN HE INQUIRED ABOUT ANOTHER YOUNG MAN NAMED CHESTER GILLETTE, WHO WAS ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND HAD BEEN KNOWN TO BE INVOLVED WITH GRACE. HE WONDERED IF CHESTER HAD ALSO DROWNED. THE DESCRIPTION THAT ALBERT GAVE WARD AND KLOCK MATCHED THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON WHO CALLED HIMSELF "CARL GRAHM."

AT LAST, WARD WAS CONVINCED THAT HE HAD HIS MAN. NOW ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS FIND HIM.