An NPC just said, "Hello, traveler. Are you lost https://pokiesnzonline.com/?" Actually, yes. Oh, shit. [quietly] What is this. That person-- [louder] Did you see that?
Who is that? He keeps saying "are you lost" over and over again. I typed "help." It's not working. [music continues] [music fades out] [music: ominous drums] [reversed Latin chanting] Someone in chat just said it's kind of sad to think that this was once filled with players. And now it's just completely empty. It gives me the option to click some things but then nothing happens. Here's something that's kind of alive...ish. Float Pig. Months of one's life into this, and games like it. Think of all the... the virtual, like, graveyards that now exist. You know, we're leaving behind... a lot. Stuff that had years of work put into it, and it's just-- you know? So what, it's virtual. But... it's still stuff that meant a lot to some people. I'm stuck in Goblin Village. It's control, I forgot. Yeah there's a control for pass-through. Oh, it's disabled here. See, they like this place so much that they disabled the button that allows you to walk through walls. An NPC just said, "Hello traveler, are you lost?" Actually, yes. [music: ominous synth] [music: "Cirrus Minor" by Pink Floyd] He told me to follow him. He opened the gate! [quietly] He saved me. [quietly] Actually... What the fuck. [Vinny gasps] [more gasps of disbelief] I don't know! Hhh-- [laughs] [music: psychedelic rock] Goodnight. But you know we can't just leave off like that. He's been following me. I need closure. Ghhh! Okay, well, that's the end of that. I guess I should say now that that was-- that was not planned. If you know me, you know how lazy I am. I don't plan for shit like this. I don't know who that was. I don't know why more people didn't flood that place. But yet one guy did. He somehow was able to open the gate. I don't know how he did it. I don't know how that happened, and I don't know how other people didn't join. I don't know how it was just one dude. I thought he was scripted. I thought that was... like, an AI that was left behind by someone who made that land. Thank you guys for joining me tonight, and I'll see you soon.
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From real moats to minefields, here are 9 of the most heavily guarded homes on Earth! 9. The Zombie Bunker In a world where The Walking Dead is one of the biggest TV shows on Earth, you might think that there are people crazy enough to want to build their own zombie shelter should the worst come to pass. And...you would be right in making that assumption.
In fact, not only does such a shelter exist, it exists in a place you might not expect: London, England. Known as "The Zombie Bunker", this place was built head-to-toe to deal with the threat of not only zombies, but people who might want to try and break into the bunker to save themselves, even if it meant costing others their lives. Because, you know, if there’s a zombie apocalypse all those conspiracy theorists would have been right and we will all be knocking on their bunkers for help!! The place itself is layered with concrete and iron. Now, the person who built the Zombie Bunker wasn't stupid, they know that people have to move around inside of it, as well as being able to see outside from time to time check this website. So, there are actually moveable walls within the complex, and there are windows you can see out of. But, when it's in lockdown mode, the windows get concrete sheets put behind them, the walls on the inside are moved into defensive positions, and no one is getting in. Also clever is that the bunker features a drawbridge of all things to let people in or out. While it's fair to say the zombie apocalypse isn't coming anytime soon...I hope...if it does...the people who make it to the bunker have nothing to worry about! 8. Bill Gates’ Home Ah, Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft, the owner of DOS, one of the masterminds behind the Xbox, and one of the most charitable men on the planet. Gates has a reputation for being kind and generous, and wants to help the world however he can. But, that doesn't mean he wants people invading his privacy and invading his massive mansion. And since he's a tech guy, he really does go all out. He has mines and an electrical fence, he has security cameras and sensors that can alert him and his family if there is a person coming. In fact, they can actually detect people from a mile away from the house! As if that's not enough, he made it so that trees and various plantations actually surround the house, making it so people can't get good clear pictures of the property without getting a lot of greenery in the way. The ironic thing is, even if you're INVITED to the house, you have to go through special security measures. Mainly, you have to wear a special pin that'll allow you to get through the security surrounding the house. A little too elaborate? A bit eccentric? Maybe, but when you're one of the most brilliant minds in the world, you have the right to go all out to protect yourself. 7. Fair Field Estate From one rich mogul to another, we now head to the Hamptons. For those who don't know, this is where a lot of wealthy New Yorkers and other rich people go to during the Summer months to get away from it all. All these rich people need security. As a side note, this area was the "setting" of the hit USA TV show Royal Pains, and they did a good job interpreting how rich and lavish some of the people in the Hamptons are, but, nothing compares to the Fairfield Estate in terms of both lavishness and security. The property itself is owned by junk bond billionaire Ira Rennert, and he's not afraid to spend those billions as you're about to see. The massive property he has in the Hamptons is worth about 248 million dollars alone, which is one of the most expensive in the United States. And it is one of the largest homes in the US with 62,000 square feet. Even before so many of the natives were killed, a good many of them did not live in teepees at all. There were many different forms of dwellings used by different tribes in different regions. Teepees were mainly used by natives who needed to travel regularly, because they were easy to break down and take with them, but many tribes had much more permanent dwellings. 5. Their Medicine Was Primitive The first image that comes to mind for many people when they think of Native American healthcare is a medicine man dressed in very strange, colorful garb performing bizarre rituals, mainly because of movies and their knack for making up literally everything and selling it as fact.
Due to popular culture, many people think of Native American medicine as primitive, but when the Europeans first came to America, their medicine really wasn’t any more advanced than that of the natives, just different. Also, many of the herbal remedies used by the Native American people have been found with recent study to be very effective, and some drugs were only discovered because scientists decided to test some of the plants the natives had been using for ages. 4. There Is Indian Royalty This is a fairly funny one. Many people will claim that they have an ancestor who was an “Indian princess”, usually evoking laughs or other similar reactions if a real native is around to hear it. The reason for this one might be because of Disney movies, or poor translating, or possibly an old derogatory name for light-skinned African-American women. While we don’t know for sure where this misconception came from, it definitely is not true. Chiefs were not ordained from birth; they were generally chosen for their excellence, and their family might have been well-treated but they were not royalty. Such distinctions simply do not exist in Native American culture. 3. They Worship Nature Many people are under the impression that Native Americans worship nature. While there is a certain amount of truth to this, it isn’t really accurate. Native Americans have incredible respect for the Earth and all of nature, but they do not worship it specifically. Some Natives would worship a corn god, for instance, but they were worshiping a god who would help with the yield of the crop. They were not worshiping the corn itself. Also, some natives such as the Iroquois believe in a “Great Spirit,” and also believe in another spirit that is somewhat like the Christian idea of Satan. Native American religious beliefs are extremely in tune with nature, but they clearly do not worship it. 2. They Don’t Have To Pay Taxes As proof that many people still have ugly feelings toward Native Americans, even after how marginalized they have become, there are myths that they are living on government handouts, and do not have to pay taxes. Under certain circumstances, in some states, which usually require some combination of living and working on their reservation, some Native Americans are exempt from paying state taxes. However, all Native Americans must pay federal income taxes, and have had to do so as long as they have been citizens of the USA. The truth is that most Native Americans are extremely poor, and are getting little if any help from the federal or state government. 1. They All Still Live On Reservations Many people are under the impression that all Native Americans live on “Indian reservations.” As you might have already guessed, that is not the case. As of 2008, around 40% of Native Americans were living on reservations, which of course is not even half of the population. In addition, there are currently 334 reservations, and about half of all the Native Americans who live on them are concentrated in the ten largest ones. The conditions in these reservations are not particularly good much of the time, so it is not surprising that many do not wish to live there. Top 10 Common Misconceptions About Native Americans Native Americans have been featured in many different forms of popular culture. Unfortunately, since most people only know of them through said popular culture, the worldwide perception of them includes an incredible amount of errors and misconceptions. This is made more diff2icult by the fact that there are so few of them left, making it difficult for them to have a voice and dispel the myths surrounding them. Myths such as … 10. They Want To Be Called Native Americans While “Native American” is often used in the USA as a politically correct term, it is not accepted by many actual natives. In Canada, they have used terms such as “first nations;” while it is less offensive because it does not refer to them as “Americans”, it has still not been completely accepted by the native people.
If you shouldn’t call them Native Americans, what should you call them then? Unfortunately, as with so many things in life, there is no simple answer to this question. It is unlikely that all of the natives will ever agree on a scholarly term to be used for all of them, because there are hundreds of different tribes and they all have different opinions. Ultimately, any PC word is a catch-all term, used mainly when speaking very generally. In truth, most would prefer you use the name of their tribe, of which there are untold numbers. So get to studying. 9. They Were War-Hungry Savages In popular media, the stereotype of a Native American is easily recognizable: tomahawk, bow and arrow, feathers in the hair, and a thirst to scalp you. The thing is, however, that many Native American tribes were very peaceful. And some of the tribes who went to war only did so after the Europeans came to America and upset the balance of things, often trying to take land from the native people who had a much different idea of land ownership. The length and depth of the propaganda to make the natives look savage was incredible, and it worked completely. The Europeans invaded native lands and yet, even today, the most common image of a Native American is a warlike stereotype1. 8. They Weren’t Nearly As Advanced As Europeans Another common misconception is that Native Americans were primitive people, and many people view their society as similar to that of a third-world country. This view could not be farther from the truth; the Native Americans had a very advanced society with medicine, trading, farming, and many other things that were common in European culture. They just did things differently, and it is important to understand that different does not necessarily mean primitive. The French had a fair amount of respect for the natives, and mainly traded furs with them; they understood that the natives were not lesser people than them. In fact, they understood that there were some things that the natives had a better grasp of than they did. 7. They Were A Bunch Of Drug Abusers1 Another popular myth is the “peace pipe.” Just about every movie, book or TV show that features interactions with Native Americans seems to require that someone smokes a pipe with the natives. Now, they do sometimes smoke a drug called peyote, though it is not something that is generally used for recreational purposes. Peyote is more a ritual drug, used mainly in religious services and other similar applications, for this reason, it is actually legal for Native Americans to use it in the USA, just not anyone else. 6. They All Lived In Teepees If you ask most people where Native Americans live, they would probably tell you that they live in a teepee. However, again, this is really not accurate at all. He saying here: "You should let your trades breathe, by giving them wider stop losses than you may want." You didn't let your trades breathe at all. There's complete contradiction here, from what Nial Fuller says, and what he actually does, and what he actually did. And this is also interesting, because keep in mind, according to his own words from the actual competition, he was applying sophisticated money management.
Sophisticated money management. So, 51% of his trades had inverted risk to reward ratios, and somehow that's sophisticated money management? A bunch of his trades had no stop loss or take profit, and somehow that's sophisticated running management? He also further said about the competition: "These are the exact same strategies I have been teaching to other traders. I'm not a day trader." Which is interesting, because when you start to look at the risk... Where it actually shows the actual duration in terms of the trades, this black line is the 25 hour mark. The majority of trades are clustered inside a few hours. And over half of his trades are closed within 24 hours. So, now you're saying you're not a day trader, but yet the majority of your trades were closed inside, not only one day, but inside half a day https://casinoslots-sa.co.za/entropay. You are a day trader. It's just complete fabrication here. Now, luckily FX Blue has a good risk assessment, where the analyse all the trades in the competition. And so this is, again, million@Maverick, this is his account. Now, this is where it starts to talk about risk over ruin. Nial Fuller's final risk of ruin was 53.2%. And what that basically means is, is that the chances of him losing 100% of his count, was 53.2%. In other words, you could flip a coin and on any given day of Nial Fuller's trading, that account, he has a 53% chance that that account's gonna blow up. The entire account. He has a 53.2 chance his entire account is gonna blow up. His single worst day was -40.1%. And when you start to look at the percent chance or the risk of ruin that he will lose 50% of his account, 73% chance that he will lose half of his entire account. This is absolutely horrible risk metics. This is something no professional trader would be doing. And if you were trying to manage funds for somebody, or applying to manage funds, if they were to see these stats, they would kick you out the door and they would never talk to you again. Yet, somehow AxiTrader thougtht it was a great idea, and said yes. Let's give that guy a million dollars. He's the winner. These stats are fantastic. Let's invest in that guy. That really tells you something about AxiTrader for that matter. Now, also looking at his statistics here, he had a total of four days with 10% losses or greater. Which it shows right here. It measures it this all in the risk statistics here. In fact, if you look, the majority of the days now Fuller is trading, he's losing money. If it weren't for just a few big wins, and then a couple here, this account would have blown up completely. The majority of time, if Nial Fuller's trading and making trades, he's losing money. I want you to think about that. Four trading days with 10% losses or more. Statistically, if you have two months of 10% losses, your chances of recovering that entire account fall to next to nothing. Your chances go exponentially higher that you will not recover your account. Less than 7% of all accounts that have two months of 10% draw-downs or more, will not recover their account. So less than 7% will actually recover it. 93% plus, will not. He's had four days with 10%. So, again, absolutely horrible risk metrics here. I've gone over all the trades. I've gone over the risk analysis. And I've kinda pointed out some of these stats. You know, just to kinda point this out a little bit more here, kinda go back to this here for a second. 18 trades had an inverted risk to reward ratio. Only three had favourable risk to reward ratio. That means Nial is six times more likely to have an inverted risk to reward ratio than he will have a trade with a favourable risk to reward ratio. 600% chance. 600%. Six times greater. For every one he has a favourable risk to reward ratio, he's gonna have six other that are inverted. He actually has a greater chance, a three times greater chance that his trades will actually not have a stop loss, take profit, or both, than he will produce an actual trade with a favourable risk to reward ratio. These are absolutely horrible statistics. These are not sophisticated money management strategies. This is not something a professional trader does. This is not somebody who shows discipline or a strong mindset or consistency in their trading. These are thing that you would expect out of a retail trader who's been struggling for years and continually blowing up account, blowing up account, blowing up account. This should tell you very clearly, this should bring you to the same inevitable conclusion, that Nial Fuller does not trade the way he says he does. At all. It's a complete farce. He says one thing, he trades another. And the proof is in the pudding. These are his trades. This is all the trades he ever took. There's no other inevitable conclusion on this one here. And so with that being said, I have five questions for Nial Fuller. These are questions you should, you know, if you're a student or thinking about becoming a student of his, these are questions you should be asking yourself. You should have an immense amount of questions here. ... one that won't turn into the worst memory of your trip!
Still perfectly possible to find good, cheap London hotel rooms. And they don't have to be miles outside the center of town, either. Of course, a lot depends on what you mean by 'very cheap'. As far as I'm concerned, a very cheap London hotel is one costing less than £100 per night for a double room. Be warned: you'll be looking at something very basic - a tiny room, possibly with shared facilities, most probably in an old building with no lift. The upside of this, however, is that a full English breakfast and free Wi-Fi are often included in the price - which is more than you can say for most luxury hotels in London! Comfort, cleanliness and security are the watchwords in this price bracket, and that's what the budget hotels listed below offer. Seven Dials Hotel Address: 7 Monmouth Street, WC2 Tube: Covent Garden/Leicester Square Size: 18 rooms As far as very cheap London hotels go, the Seven Dials Hotel is one of the best deals you'll find in the capital. At a little over £100 per night, it falls just outside the parameters set for inclusion on this page, but I had to include it because the location, just a few minutes' walk away from Covent Garden, is unbeatable. There's no lift, and the narrow, winding stairs are difficult to negotiate with luggage. However, the 18 rooms, though tiny, are spotlessly clean. All come with tea/coffee making facilities, direct-dial telephones, color TVs and hairdryers, and the reception is manned 24 hours. Here you can play online casino whole night, because there is a free Wifi in the hotel. Jesmond Hotel Address: 63 Gower Street, WC1 Tube: Goodge Street Size: 15 rooms The Jesmond Hotel is a friendly, family-run hotel that prides itself on being 'clean, comfortable and affordable'. It was established by the Beynon family in 1979 and has been managed by them ever since. It has a wonderful location in the heart of Bloomsbury (which is a great area for finding a very cheap London hotel), set in a row of Georgian terraced houses, opposite the University of London. This proximity to the university means that the area is overflowing with shops and affordably priced cafes and restaurants. It's also a very safe part of town, with excellent transport links. Most of the main attractions are within walking distance and the British Museum is just round the corner. Ridgemount Hotel Address: 65-67 Gower Street, WC1 Tube: Goodge Street Size: 32 rooms Part of a row of Georgian terraced houses in Bloomsbury, the Ridgemount Hotel has been run by the Rees family, originally from South Wales, for the past 45 years, and the owners are always on hand to give it that personal touch. Part One
The young woman on the left was my cousin, Grace Brown. The young man on the right was Chester Gillette. He was also my cousin. When I started learning their story, I had no idea there was any kinship to add to the many connections of geography, and one other coincidence, which I'll save for later. On a whim, I took a look at Grace's ancestry and found we had several sets of ancestors in common. With Chester, there was even more shared ancestry. I haven't been able to connect their families together, but I wouldn't be surprised to find they were related to each other. Grace drowned in 1906. She was 20 years old. Chester was convicted of her murder and was executed in 1908 at the age of 24. Behind those simple, stark facts, there are many details known, and many more obscure. There are a great many facts known about Chester and the life he led before it was ended in Auburn Prison on March 30,1908. Born in Montana in 1883, he did a great deal of traveling with his parents, "captains" in the Salvation Army. The family's wanderings are interesting, perhaps, but they hardly seem relevant. There is nothing there that gives us much explanation as to what happened later. About Grace, there is little to say. She was one of several children of a farming family, and Grace never traveled at all. Still, we are "aware" of Grace in a way that we can never know Chester. You see, Grace wrote letters. Ah, such letters! They tell us worlds about their young writer, about her concerns, her fears, her state of mind. They propelled her story into national prominence, probably contributed to the novel ("An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser) and the movie ("A Place in the Sun" starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelly Winters), and they may well have assured that her fickle boyfriend, Chester, was convicted of her murder. This is a story of real people and, as such, has no easily identifiable beginning. A young man goes to work in his uncle's skirt factory in Cortland, New York, where he meets many attractive young women who interest him. There are others that he knows from other settings. Grace was employed in that factory in the cutting room, and she was one of the girls Chester dated. Perhaps "dated" is the wrong word to use here. Chester did date others, taking them places and attending parties with them, but Grace he visited at her place of residence. For a time she lived in her sister's home and later in a boarding house. They had a sexual relationship in these houses for perhaps ten months, but they did not appear in public places together, outside of the skirt factory. During the spring months of 1906, Grace became pregnant. There was never any doubt as to paternity. Whatever the two discussed with each other, whatever alternatives were considered, whatever plans were made are open to speculation, but only to speculation. There were no witnesses to conversations, and nothing was confided by either to any third party, as far as is known. Grace took time off from work for a "vacation" at home on her parents' farm. She and Chester kept in touch through letters during this time, and Grace also received letters from friends working in the factory. It was apparent that they were keeping her informed of Chester's dates with other women. In writing to Chester, Grace alludes to plans they have made to go away together, for him to come and take her somewhere, the destination unspecified and purpose unclear. Were they going to marry? Were they merely planning to live somewhere until the baby was born and they could return to their respective homes? No one knows, and probably this question will be one of many remaining unanswered. LETTERS FROM GRACE Chester, I have done nothing but cry since I got here. If you were only here I would not feel so badly. I knew I should worry all the time. I do try to be brave dear, but how can I when everything goes wrong? I can't help thinking you will never come for me, but then I say you can't be so mean as that, and besides, you told me you would come and you have never disappointed me when you said you would not. Everything worries me and I am so frightened, dear. It won't make any difference to you about your coming a few days earlier than you intended, will it dear? It means so much to me...I will try to be brave dear....I don't believe I will sleep a wink tonight. Please write often and in every one of your letters I wish you would tell me not to worry about your coming for me. If you were only here, dear. I am so blue....Please write often, dear, and tell me you will come for me before papa makes me tell the whole affair, or they find it out themselves. I just can't rest one single minute until I hear from you.... My dear Chester - I am writing to tell you I am coming back to Cortland. I simply can't stay here any longer. Mama worries and wonders why I cry so much and I am just about sick. Please come and take me away from some place, dear.....I am afraid you won't come, and I am so frightened, dear. I know you will think it queer, but I can't help it....Chester, there isn't a girl in the whole world as miserable as I am tonight, and you have made me feel so. Chester, I don't mean that dear. You have always been awfully good to me. You just won't be a coward, I know....I can't wait so long for letters, dear....if you think I am unreasonable please do not mind it, but do think I am about crazy with grief and that I don't know just what to do. Please write to me, dear. My dear Chester - I am just ready for bed, and I am so ill I could not help writing to you....This p.m. my brother brought me a letter from one of the first [at the factory], and after I read the letter I fainted again. Chester, I came home because I thought I could trust you. I don't think now I will be here after next Friday. [Grace continues to threaten to return to Cortland, thus causing trouble.] This girl wrote me that you seemed to be having an awfully good time....She also said that you spent most of your time with that detestable Grace Hill....I should have known, Chester, that you did not care for me. But somehow I have trusted you more than anyone else....I presume you won't think you can come for me when I ask you to, 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....and then you can do just as you like. I am not the least bit offended with you, only I am a little blue tonight....Chester, please don't think I am unreasonable. I wish I could hear from you, and I wish - oh dear, come please and take me away....I do want you to have a good time, though, and I won't be cross.... My dear Chester - I am just wild because I don't get a letter from you....I miss you. Oh dear, you don't know how much I miss you. Honestly, dear, I am coming back next week unless you come for me right away. [another threat] I am so lonesome I can't stand it. A week ago tonight we were together. Don't you remember how I cried, dear? I have cried like that nearly all the time since I left Cortland. I am awfully blue...Please write or I will be crazy. Be a good kid and God bless you. 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 understand my position and that it is rather unnecessary for you to be so frightfully frank in making me see it. I can see my position as keenly as anyone, I think....You tell me not to worry and think less about how I feel and have a good time. Don't you think if you were me you would worry?....I understand how you feel about this affair. You consider me as something troublesome, that you are bothered with. You think if it wasn't for me you could do as you liked all summer and not be obligated to give up your position there. I know how you feel, but once in a while, you make me see all these things a great deal more plainly than ever. I don't suppose you have ever considered how it puts me out of all the good times for the summer and how I had to give up my position there? I think all this is about as bad for me as for you, don't you?...I don't suppose you will ever know how I regret being all this trouble to you. I know you hate me, and I can't blame you one bit. My whole life is ruined, and in a measure, yours is too. Of course, it is worse for me than for you, but the world and you too may think I am the only one to blame, but somehow I can't, just simply can't think I am, Chester. I said no so many times dear. Of course, the world will not know that, but it's true all the same....I wish for your sake things were different, but I have done all I can do to prevent your being bothered. I know you will be cross when you read this, but you won't be angry and blame me will you?... [Apparently frightened at the tone of her previous letter and its possible consequences, Grace wrote the next day] ...I have been uneasy all day and I can't 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 forgiveness, dear. I was cross and wrote things I ought not to have written. I am very sorry dear and I shall never feel quite right about all this until you write and say you quite forgive me.....Where do you suppose we will be two weeks from tonight? I wish you would write and tell me, dear, all about your coming.... My dear Chester - I wish you could have known how pleased I was to hear from you today....I think I shall die of joy when I see you, dear....I will try and not worry so much, and I won't believe the horrid things the girls write....Chester, dear, I hope you will have an awfully nice time the Fourth [of July]. Really dear, I don't care where you go or who you are with if you only come for me the 7th....I was cross and ill when I wrote about it before, but really, I don't mind the least bit.... ....You must come Saturday, dear, for I can never stay any longer. I have done my best and been as brave as possible these last weeks, but if you should not come I will do something desperate. Or dear, dear, dear! I can't see anything but just trouble. What if I should not be able to travel? [Grace is apparently weak and ill from loss of weight, worry, and perhaps a difficult pregnancy.] There are so many things to think about. If I had strength dear, I do believe I should walk to the river and throw myself in. It would be rather cowardly, and I despise a coward, but I would not be a bother to you any longer. Oh Chester, the thought that I am in your way just drives me crazy. How I want to die no one but myself knows....I cannot tell how I really and truly need you, and I presume you will never know what I have suffered....And you must not fail to come. I will be so glad to see you, I will promise not to quarrel for a long time. Write as often as you can dear, and please come.... Chester wrote Grace one last letter a week after his previous one. In it, he says I think it is best that you should go to Hamilton next Monday and meet me there. It would be better to go where we are not known and so we can leave there that day, although I don't know where we can or will go. I have really no plans beyond that, as I do not know how much money I can get or anything about the country. If you have any suggestions to make I wish you would and also just when and where you can meet me....Don't worry about anything and tell me about what I ask about the time and so forth. Don't worry about anything? Grace was entrusting, had to entrust, her whole well-being and future to this man who had no plans. LAST LETTER FROM GRACE My dear Chester - I am curled up by the kitchen fire....Everyone else is in bed....This is the last letter I can write dear. I feel as though you are not coming. Perhaps this is not right, but I cannot help feeling that I am never going to see you again. How I wish this was Monday [the day they planned to meet in the village of DeRuyter].... I have been bidding goodbye to some places today. There are so many nooks, dear, and all of them so dear to me. I have lived here nearly all of my life. First, I said goodbye to the spring house with its great masses of green moss; then the beehive, a cute little house in the orchard, and, of course, all of the neighbors that have mended my dresses from a little tot up to save me a thrashing I really deserved. Oh dear, you don't realize what all of this is to me. I know I shall never see any of them again. And Mama! Great heavens, how I do love Mama! I don't know what I shall do without her. She is never cross and she always helps me so much. Sometimes, I think if I could tell Mama, but I can't. She has trouble enough as it is, and I couldn't break her heart like that. If I come back dead, perhaps, if she does not know, she won't be angry with me. I will never be happy again, dear. I wish I could die. I am going to bed now dear. Please come and don't let me wait there. It is for both of us to be there....I shall expect and look for you Monday forenoon. Heaven bless you until then. Lovingly and with kisses, The Kid Contrary to Grace's worst fears, Chester did meet her in DeRuyter as planned. There are so many "what ifs" in this story, as there are in all stories, one of which is what if Chester had backed out, leaving Grace there in that tiny hamlet alone. Would she have gone home, confided to her mother, a sister, a friend? Would she have lived? The journey from DeRuyter to Big Moose Lake took from Monday to Wednesday, requiring two nights in hotels. Chester registered under false names for himself, as he had done in DeRuyter. At Big Moose Lake, he rented a row boat and the pair set off from the shore. The boat was observed by several witnesses, some on the shore, others on the lake. The understanding of the proprietor of the Glennmore Hotel, where Chester rented the boat, was that the couple would return in time for dinner. They didn't return, and the next day several people became involved in the search for the boat and its occupants. The boat was found, floating upside down. Grace was found, drowned. There was no sign of Chester. Chester's account of what happened fluctuated, but he settled on a story about Grace being distraught and jumping into the lake to commit suicide, overturning the boat in the process. Unable to rescue her, he swam to shore and then walked four miles to Eagle Bay. When the boat left the Glennmore dock, it was known that he had a suitcase with him. His explanation for the dry clothes he was seen wearing on his hike was that the suitcase was left on shore when the couple stopped to picnic. He said he had planned to retrieve it on the way back to the Glennmore. There never was a satisfactory explanation as to why Chester failed to seek help or report the incident. He arrived at Eagle Bay on foot, then took a small steamboat across the lake to the village of Inlet. He registered at the Arrowhead Hotel under his own name, Chester Gillette, Cortland. For the next three days, Chester behaved very much like a young man with not a care in the world, on vacation, and enjoying every minute. He acted like any other tourist, hiking up a nearby mountain, conversing freely with people he met, and generally being charming, particularly when chatting with young women. For Chester, life was about to change dramatically. Grace died on Wednesday, July 11, 1906. Chester was arrested for her murder on Saturday, right after eating a leisurely breakfast at the Arrowhead Hotel. Auburn Prison, Site of Chester's Execution in 1908 Chester was tried in Herkimer, Herkimer County, and the outcome was never in very much doubt. He had competent lawyers acting in his defense, but the prosecutor had amassed an astonishing amount of evidence against him. That evidence was entirely circumstantial; there were no witnesses to what happened to Grace on that summer day in the Adirondacks. Some of the evidence was secured in ways that would not be legal procedures today, but rights of the accused were secondary in that era. The defendant himself had made too many mistakes, had acted like a man planning a crime before the fact with his use of aliases, had failed to do what "common decency" dictated when he walked away from the scene of Grace's death. When he then proceeded to act the tourist and enjoy life, he may have offended every last person who might otherwise have wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Publicly, Chester maintained to the end that he did not kill Grace. He may have confessed privately shortly before his execution; both his religious advisor and his mother said later he had. New York State's Governor, Charles E. Hughes [at left], called the prison the night before the execution and spoke with the former. He was apparently informed that a confession had been forthcoming. Governor Hughes proved himself a bright star in public life, an honorable man before, during, and after his brief career as Governor of New York State. It seems likely he made that phone call to the prison in good faith and a willingness to act, had he been given any reason to do so. Chester Gillette was electrocuted at Auburn State Prison on March 30, 1908. He was buried in a cemetery in Auburn. His grave is unmarked and its exact location is unknown. Grace Brown is buried in a cemetery not far from her family home. Her small headstone, aside from her name and dates of birth and death, says only "At Rest." All of the scenes of this story are very familiar to me, having lived most of my life in Central New York State. The landscape, the small towns, the lakes and mountains of the Adirondacks, the farms and open fields spreading across the countryside are as familiar to me as my own neighborhood. South Otselic, DeRuyter, Cortland - places I have visited and explored many times. Herkimer County, even including the lakes in its northern region, is my territory too. Many of my extended family and their friends had small farms like the one that nurtured and sheltered Grace Brown, and as a child I loved visiting those rural homes. Chester Gillette's life seems more remote, several times removed from the places where I grew up. He was in Montana and Oregon, Washington State, California. He was in the east only the last two years of his short life. Still, in addition to our common ancestors, there is another coincidence in our respective lives. As I read his story, particularly the way it ended, I couldn't help thinking of a story my mother told many times. As a young child, she lived for a while in Auburn. The Prison's warden was a family friend, and he gave my mother and her family a tour of the prison. The itinerary included the "death chamber", no longer used by that time. Electrocutions were then held only at Sing Sing State Prison. Would she like to try out the electric chair? She would. And she did. For a lark, someone flipped the light switch, as if power was surging to the chair. My mother laughs when she tells that story. |
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