The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-01-11
THE KNOX MURDER TRIAL.
"A Wife and step-Daushter Who Killed
Nicholas Gerarty.

a Wife and step-Daushter Who Killed
Nicholas Gerarty.
Knox. Jan. Especial. The trial Of
Mrs. Gerarty and Mrs. Charles Kersting
began here today.
The crime was committed last Septem-
Der near San Pierre. q small town in the
west end Of this county. Nicholas Gerar-
ty, an old German farmer, had a misun-
derstanding with his wife and she left
him, going over TO live with her married
daughter, Mrs. Charles Kersting, who
lived on an adjoining farm. The old man
tried to ersuaie he wife to return, which
she refused to do, whereupon he tried to
eject her from the house. At this juno
ture his step-deughter, Mrs. Kersting.
struck him on the head with an ak,
knocking him down. The two women
then dragged him out into the front yard,
where Mrs. Gerarty held him while Mrs.
Kersting stabbed MIN to death with a
butcher knife. He was stabbed and cut
IN over fifty places on the body and face.
One cut severed the jugular vein, ard
eight cuts were through the groin and abb
domen. His face was almost literally
slashed to pieces.
The women wero promptly arrested,
and il was necessary to strongly guard
them or they would probably have been
lynched by their Infatuated neighbors.
The states evidence in chief closed this
afternoon and two Witnesses on the side
OF the defense were examined. The only
claim OF the defense is that the murder
vas committed solely in self-de.ense
Gerarty and his wife had had family
trouble and had been separated, Mrs.
Gerardy living at such times with her
daughter. Mrs. Kersting. GeraTty came
there, the women say. with a re-
volver in hand and commanded his wife
TO 90 home with him. She refused
and shut the door in his face. He.
after trying 10 shoot them through
ant with an AK smashed in the door I'M
der stairway. where the two women
and Mrs. Kertseng's four-year-old daugh-
ter Emma had taken refuge. The en-
counter began which ended in GarartY's
death. His body was found in a meadow
seventy five feet from the house with the
Bkuii mashed In, numerous stabs in
the abdomen, face and arms ,and
his head was badly mangled.
Mrs. Gerarty is sevenfY-thres wears old
and admits administering the blow on the
back of the head with e bed Stat, which
the coroner said would have caused his
death. Mira. Kers,ing admits to having
done the cutting with the butcher knife.
The forenoon was consumed in getting a
jury. Sympathy is decidedly with the
women.
Knox. Jan. Especial. After being
ont to l..
case returned verdict OF guilty at a.
n. today and sentenced Mrs Kersing to
i've years confinement in the state re-
formatory at indianapolis for maa-
slaughter. The defendant, Mrs. E. Kers-
ling. is forty-three years old. The murder
was committed Sept. /, near San Pierre, q
small town west of here. The deceased,
Nicholas Gerardy, was her stepfather
and her mother, Caroline Gersrdy, sew
enty-three years old. is in Jail awaiting
trial for assisting in the crime. The de-
Tense will get new trial. The old lady
admits cutting the deceased from thirty
five to fifty times with a butcher knife.
Both claim that al was done in self de-
Tense because Gerardy came to Kersling's
residence after his wife. She refused to
60 because they had family trouble and
he tried to shoot the woman. Mrs.
Kersing's fouryeaT-old daughter, Emma.
took refuge in the stairway. Gerardy
mashed in the door with an ak swearing
TO Kill all of them. Then an encounter
ensued in which Gerardy met his death.
The women were badly wounded. The
body was found seventy-fve feet from the
mouse. The old ady's trial will be taken
from this county.
The deceased was German. He formerly
worked at the tailoring business in Indi-
annapolis This was his third vile. The
second one was an Indianapolis woman
from whom he secured divorce after he