Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-07
THE Zero TRIAL.
The Chesuicook Murder Case
Opened at Dover, Thursday.
County Attorney Durgin Outlines
Contentious Of the State.
Evidence Shows That Mrs. Zero
Stabbed Her Husband.


Zero. charged with assault and battery
ana mansIaughter. causing the death Of
her husband, Thomas Zero, oct. y,
I1og1 was arraigned in the supreme
court. today. The selection of a jury
ana the opening Of County Attorney
Durgin occupied all day. The case will
extend through Friday and perhaps
Saturday.
The evidence brought out at the pre-
liminary hearing was that Zero, VINO
lived at Chesuncook. came to his death
by being stabbed in the right leg just
below the hip with a hunting knife in
the hands of some person unknown.
The femoral artery was severed and
death was almost instantaneous. Mrs.
Zero was soon arrested and charged
with the deed.
One Of the witnesses, named Holt.
testified that when he entered the door
of the Gero house on the lake shore,
Mrs. Zero was on the floor with the
hunting knife in one hand, while Mr..
Zero stood over her with blood stream
ing from his hands and leg.
Mr.. Gibbons, another witness, claims
that Mrs. Zero was using her husband S
hunting knife to cut meat and that he
objected. The knife disappeared and
has notvbeen seen since.
In opening the case for the State
County Attorney Durgin said:
May it please the court and gentle
men of the jury: On the goth day of last
October, Thomas Zero came to his
death as the result of a knife wound
which entered his right leg, just below
the hip, extending across the leg and
downward, penetrating to the depth of
oversfour inches and severing the fem
|oral artery causing almost instant
death. The State claims that this wound
was inflicted by the respondent at the
bag the then wife of Thomas Gero.
Mr.. Zero, with his wife, had lived for
many years on the northerly shores of
Chesuncook lake and had raised a
family of children, several of them now
grown to manhood and womanhood.
Their homo was a rude log building
containing but two rooms located on
the northeasterly shore Of this beautiful
lake and in one of these rooms the
wound was inflicted that caused the
death Of Mr.. Zero. 1t will be in evil
dence that on the morning of the 18th.
Zero and his wife had been drinking
some, but | am satisfied that neither of
them was badly intoxicated when the
trouble occurred which resulted in the
mans death.
We shall show you that Zero intended
to work on mis- farm that day, digging
nOtatnpc and had 4
Holt of Augusta to help him. Young
Holt had been at work for Largay &
Sons. who were numbering a few miles
from Chcsuncook, and later for Lester
Black, al his house a short distance
below the Zero place. Holt stayed at
the Zero house the night of the 2Sth.
leaving there quite early the next
morning and returning again to go to
work about s o'clock. After returning
ne ascertained that Mr. Zero had de-
ferred digging potatoes as he had in
tended and so he remained there in the
house a short time playing a game OF
cards after which he took, the old gen
tieman's canoe and went out on the
lake TO see some people. who were going
up the lake. having, as he supposed. a
moose in their canoe.
There was also another man there nj
the Zero place that morning. Thomas
Gibbons OF Bangor, who was the foreman
OF Largay's numbering crews, and when
Holt left to so out on the lake he left
Gibbons sitting in the Zero cabin in the
southerly room. After Holt had been
gon some little time and as he neared the
Zero house he heard loud voices coming
from that direction. On landing he i'm
mediately went up the bank around the
southerly end of the house. and he will
tell YOU that when he reached the win
dow on the easterly side of the house he
saw Zero and this respondent clinched
or standing up close, to each other and
both were talking.
Holt went TO the door TO enter and will
tell you that between the time of going
from window to door he heard a fall ana
when he looked in at the door Mrs. Zero
the respondent, was lying on the floor.
clutching in her left hand a large hunt
ing knife, the blade covered with blood.
and that Gero was standing with the
blood running off his hands and down
his leg. As Holt went in, Zero turned
and went out and just got outside the
door when Holt heard him exclaim:
For Gods sake Someone help me-
And then fell, expiring almost instant
ly.
Gibbons, who had been up all night be-
fore. and had been drinking more or less
this morning, will tell YOU that he imme-
diately went out and asked Zero who