Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-25
SECOND TRIAL
Of Terrio for Pare's Murder
Begins at Skowhegan.
Only Case Of Kind on Record in Courts
Of the State.
New Evidence Which, It is Claimed,
VIII Clear Him.

on tne charge OF numbering Matthias
Pare in March. 1901. opened here, today,
Judge Frederick A. Powers presiding.
This is now the most famous trial in
the history of the State and the only
one where a man has been given Sec
ond chance to defend himself on the
charge Of murder. The State is repre-
scented by Attorney General Seiders of
Portland, and County Attorney George
w. Cover Of Skowhegan, who has been
connected with the case from the be-
ginning.
The respondent is represented by
MeGillicuddy & Morey of Lewiston,
who have also handled his case from
the beginning of the first trial.
There now seems to be Il good pros
rect of threshing out much Of the evil
dence developed in the first trial. This
Of Course can be curtailed a little at
places, but a wholesale cutting will
doubtless not be the program. Each
side will have a good amount of new
evidence that will have to be gone into
ccta:i. There is every indication that
the fight will be as vigorous as in the
that cen bear in any way on the guilt
or innocence of the accused.
Alexander Terrio, the respondent, was
present during the day, sitting very
quietly opposite his counsel and just
outside the raj, with the attending Off
Ger directly behind. He was naturally
very pale, but seemed to be in good
health. He watched all the proceedings
| intently, scarcely changing his position
from hour to hour Each talesman stood
directly in front of him when being cx-
aialfned and was closely scrutiniZed. His
attention was centercd on the question
ings and he paid little heed to the peo-
| ffe about him.
|. Both sides already have large num-
Der of witnesses on hand, many of
Whom testified at the first trial and
fsoyne appearing for the first time. The
development Of the new evidence will
l,be the principal interest at this time.
The defence has already shown sutfi-
Cient evidence for the granting of n
| new trial and those who are most ia
rliHar believe that this will be met as
| fully as may be By new evidence Sc
cured by the State. How these will bal
ance is the question and the one that
gives added interest to this trial.
| The opening day has been devoted TO
the securing of a jury. difficult fea-
ture of any murder trial and especially
SO in this one There are probably
| very few people in the State by this
time who are rot familiar, at least. with
the principal features of the case. SO
much space has been given in all the
newspapers that their readers can
hardly help having seen some of the
evidence while many have read enough
| to cause them to form some sort of an
| opinion and to become more or less pref
udiced one way or the other.
| Somerset county, from which the jury
must be drawn, has been especially in
terested 80 that the case has been dis
| cussed III nearly every store or other
meeting place from one end to the 9TH
or. 1t is now nearly three years since
the case opened and during all this
| time new features have followed rapid
| ~ enough to keep the subject in mind.
These conditions have been met by
drawing a large number of talesnen, IS
! IN ali. and from all parts of the county.
business men. farmers. clerks. and Ia
| EorerS are represented in the number
and their ages run from VINO are Just
eiiSible for Jury duty to those so we'll
along in years that the result OF the
long strain Of the trial would be doubt
full
When the list was read there We're
but few absentees, excused chiefly on
account of sickness. With the tales
men and the witnesses who were on
roo N, n
| floor of the court room for spectators.
| During the morning session 26 tales
men were examined and five selected
from among these for the jury.
The principal obstacle encountered
was a preconceived prejudice or opin-
| ion regarding the case. Some OF the
men were sure that their opinion was
so we'll grounded that ii would be diff
cult for the evidence and the law TO
change it, A prompt excuse usually
followed such n discovery and some OF
the comments of Judge Powers were
extremely clean cut and to the point
Some found it difficult to clearly ex-
press the real condition Oh their MIND.
They had an opinion, but just how
strong it was they were not certain.
IT might readily entertain the new
evidence and it might not. Some hau
discussed the case after being drawn
for the jury something that Judge
Powers clearly did not approve. Ihe
questioning was done by Judge Powers
and the counsel for both sides and each
man was subjected to pretty risid
examination. Mr.. McGiliicuddy exer-
cised his right of peremptory challenge
frequently but the larger number was
excused by Judge Powers.
Those selected were mostly young
men. a good proportion being farmers
they we're the ones who had evidently
taken no special interest in the ease
from the start. Some had read a niue
about it in the papers but withou.
forming any clear opinion ana wlthout
having much attention to II anyway:
Fo,,r we're secured in the flfst nour OF
the examinations, but then .here was
:, ,,,,, and but one more was iouho sat-
isfactory before nooh'