The Somerset reporter., 1901-12-05
(For the RRPoRTRR.)
Review of Terrio Case.


jury is not questioned, it is undoubtedly
true that many thought there would be a
disagreement. Perhaps reason for the
public opinion may be found without
difficulty. There can be no questioe that
whatever public opinion existed was
based upon the newspaper reports of
what the State had discovered previous
to the trial. When the officers started
upon the investigation OF this crime.
they did so under instructions 10 tell
what they learned to the prosecuting
attorney and TO no one else. For that
reason, the reporters, assuming that the
State had little If anything more than
they knew, took it for granted, perhaps,
that ferrio would not be be convicted.
and the public through reading their re-
ports, obtained the same idea. That the
officers did their duty faithfully and well
is beyond question. During the trial it
WAS generally remarked among the MEN,
bers of the legal fraternity that it WAS
the best prepared and best tried murder
case that had ever been tried In the State
and that can only be accounted for on
the assumption that the sheriff and his
deputies carried out their instructions, to
the letter, find out everything, as well
in Terrio's favor as against him, for we
do not wish to prosecute an innocent
man.
-Four persons were mentioned by the
defendants counsel as possibly knowing
something about the crime, viz, Fred
Pooler, william Butler, Simeon +. New
ton and Joseph Mauray, but no evidence
was offered to show their Implication be-
yond the fact brought out by the State,
that William Butler picked up the grip
known to have been Pare's on the first
day of April while in company with sev-
eral other persons. II WAS conceded that
the murder was committed on the l1lh
day of March and 1t WAS important to
know the whereabouts OF those persons
on that day. 1t was found that Butler
was employed all that day in loading
rocks upon the several teams who were
hauling to the piers on Brassua pond al
as he was some six miles from where the
body was found, his alibi was establish
ed. Pooler, on the same day between
nine and ten o'clock in the forenoon, was
at Gaudet's to return lantern which he
had borrowed the night before, and Gau-
DEF lived six miles away. The evidence
WAS uncontradicted that Newton left
Askwith at 1890 a. m. to 20 over this
same road and that when he left Ask
with and reached Buffers beyond where
the crime was committed, he had no rifle
or weapon of any kind. Msuray lett
home at 8 O'Clock to go to his camp six
miles distant, visited his camp, attended
to his traps and reached home at p. ~.
and did not pass within three miles of
the locus of the crime.
1t was also proven that an empty 80 80
| Winchester rifle shell was found near the
body; that inside the murdered mans
clothing WAS found a jacket from a 5000
Winchester rifle cartridge; that the
jacket WAS irregular in shape; that the
wound In the breast correspondent with
the shape OF this jacket; that lead weigh
ing 53.7 grains and II piece of metallic
jacket were taken from the left shoulder
of the dead man in Canada, 1t was also
proven that Mauray had with him %
calibre rifle commonly called a Flobert
rife; that the heaviest bullet made that
will go into this rifle weighs only 40
grains, or 1877 grains less than the lead
taken from the shoulder, and that there
is no bullet made for this rifle which has
a metallic jacket, and as it was not at
tempted to be shown that Mauray had a
1920 rifle, it is evident that the bullet
wounds were not from his rifle. 1t was
also in evidence that the tracks of snow
shoes, one longer and wider than the
other, were seen early in the morning of
March 18th going in the direction of the
place where the crime was committed
Newton testified that he saw similar
tracks within a few feet of the place
where the body was found, and that
within 20 rods of the same place and
within 10 rods from him he saw man
with similar snow shoes, disappearing In
the woods and that later he identified
that man as being Terrio. Snowshoes
corresponding with the tracks were
found at Terrio's house and identified as
being his snowshoes.
A large amount of evidence was offered
tending to show that prior to the muir.
der Terrio had been in extreme poverty
that he was owing various persons; that
he tried to borrow money of several that
he did hire money Of several and gave
his notes on time; that he had earned IL
money during the winter previous and
but little since leaving Madison about
two years before; that when he WAS ne.
gotating for the purchase of the King
farm, he tried to hire 5000 of his brother
in-law Parent with which to make thu
first payment; that he also tried to hir,
the money of one Mayo; that he did ii
nally buy the Raspberry farm for $l70
paying $50 cash down and giving hh
three notes in payment for the balance
Terrio testified that he had several hun
dred dollars by him during all this time
and the reason why he did not pay foI
the farm was because Raspberry did moi
want the money; that his (rerrio's)
money was buried In his cellar. On the
other hand, the State proved that Rasp
berry was very poor and had no money
or property except the Terrio notes thai
he did not have IA deed Of this land, but
only verbal agreement with the Coburr
estate that when he paid for the land ht
should have deed, and that he never
paid for 1t or had deed while he lived
that when his counsel dug for the money
none was found or anything 10 indicate
that any had ever been buried there
that In the spring Terrio had paid out
considerable sums OF money and that
every dollar was paid out after Pare was
murdered, and some $i5 WAS found in
Ierrio's house.
1errio claimed that on March llth, the
day the murder was committed, he
worked in his woodlot In the forenoon
and laid chamber door in his house in
the afternoon. The State offered cyl
dence to show that certain neighhor
called at Terrio's house twice that day
and saw nothing Of Tcrrio; that in the