The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-02-09
Jury Finds Mary Zahon Met
Death From Exposure At
ter Wandering Away
THINK GIRL WAS 1EMENTED
Evidence of Her Father Showed that
She Had Been Ill for Many Months
and He Feared for Her Mental Con-
dition.

The coroner's jury called to investi-
gate the death of Mary Zahon, daugh-
ter Of Paul Zahon, cleared up the mys-
terry in regard to the disappearance and
death of the girl on Thursday afternoon
when verdict finding that the young
woman had come to her death from ex-
posture while partially demented was re-
turned by the jury. After the evidence
of four witnesses the District Attorney
and the Coroner were both satisfied
that there was no element of foul play
in the case and the jury declared that
it had evidence enough on which to
base verdict Of death from exhaus-
ton and exposure.
On account Of the suggestions of foul
play that had been made in the case
District Attorney Henry j. Hastings
was called in by the coroner to conduct
the inquest that the fullest possible
facts might be found in regard to the
life and death Of the girl. Attorney
Hastings made a careful examination
Of the body before the inquest began
and he declared that there were no
wounds on the body which in his opin-
ion would have caused death. No post
norton examination of the remains
was made as the father Of the girl was
not DESTROYS of such an examination he
being practically certain that the
daughter had died from exposure.
The most important witness at the
inquest was the father of the girl He
told of her disappearance from home
and her home life. He declared that
the girl had been suffering from a
chronic stomach trouble for six or sew
en- years and at times she suffered so
much that she became mentally ire
sponsible. He told Of how she had left
her home once before six years ago and
had been picked up by a police officer
while wandering about the streets of
Kenosha. At that time the girl lost
all memory Of her mother and father
and it was several weeks before she
recovered her health. The father be-
tween great sobs told the story of the
last night that the girl had been with
him at home "Mary was sick that
night" said the father "and for an
hour she sat and read to me and then
she said she did not feel like reading
any more. Before she went to her
bedroom she threw her arms about her
father s neck and declared to him that
she would not leave him. ~ don I want
to marry any man as [ know that /
would only be burden on him was
her final statement to her father. Ia
hon testified that he had fastened the
door leading to the dooryard of the
house with a rope and that he first
discovered that the daughter was gone
just after one o clock. He said that
he took a lantern and made search
about the farm for her and then re-
turned to his room believing that she
would return in the morning.
DIR. G. Windesheim who had been the
family physician of the Zahon family
for some time was another witness at
the inquest and he verified the evil
dence Of the father in regard to the
girl declaring that she had suffered
from mental trouble for long time.
DIR. Windesheim made close examina-
ton of the body and declared to the
jury that in his opinion the wounds on
the body were caused by falling on the
frozen ground.
The evidence at the inquest brought
out the fact that the girl after leay
ing her home must have gone through
the fields to the Jacobson farm where
the remains were found and most of
the fields between the two farms are
covered with a growth of hazel brush.
This fact accounts for the many bruis-
'es on her body. The jurors were con
WINGED by the evidence that the girl
mentally deranged had fed from her
home clad only in her underwear and
had run through the fields till she fell
from cold and exhaustion where the
body was found on Wednesday.
The evidence brought out at the in
quest seemed to be so clear that the
police are not taking any further steps