South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-30
AC0UITS ZETTE OF
MURDER IN 9 BALLOTS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.
in Michigan City he said that ii was
done IN self-defeEse He also main
tanned that PiersOn had been acting
improperly toward Mrs. Zctte. Be
cause Of alleged prejudice IN Michi-
gan City against the defendant,
change of venue was taken to the st.
Joseph circuit court.
Arguments were taken up at $3.50
Tuesday and were concluded at $50.
The jury went out TO supper ut
o'clock. The court room was filled
during the afternoon and many pee.
pie remained until the jury went o-:,.
The arguments were presented IN
mastery style by Messrs T.. j. Lewis
Meyer. w. 4. McInerny and Pros.
Worth w People of Michigan City.
During the arguments the defendant
and his older son Herbert sat to-
gether
Mr.. Meyer admonished the jury to
not permit sympathy 10 count against
their judgment and the law and the
evidence in the case. He argued that
Zette had premeditated the killing
and in preparation for the act had Sc
cured the % caliber rifle which his
boys had been using and had put II
behind his bedroom door where it.
would bC handy He said that Zette
had offered dimsy excuse when he
said Ec took tbs rifle from the boys
because he was afraid that they
would inlure someone with 1t. As
further proof of reconciliation he
pointed out that Zette had cartridges
in his pocket at the time he was
taken into custody
The speaker referred TO the fact
that. according 10 testimony, Zette
had denied his guilt when he was ar
rested This. he said. was proof Of
his guilt iuasmUch as he would have
admitted the shooting if he had shot
purposely and i'm solf-defense. He
pointed out further that the gun had
been reloaded Immediately following
the shooting.
Charge Not Proved.
In regard To the alleged Illicit rela-
tions between Pierson and Mrs Zette
Meyer declared that this relationship
had only been intimated by the de-
Tense and had not been proven. He
maintained that had PiersOn said the
things that Mrs. Zette testified that he
said ON the evening of the shooting
her husband, If he had been a man,
would not have sat without making
objections He referred TO testimony
which had been given 20 show that the
shooting occurred within few min
utes after the men began 10 quarrel
although Zette had said that the
quarrel had lasted for half an hour.
mony of AIRS Zette and confined him
self % arguments TO show that Zette
had shot only when ne saw that his
life was iu danger from drunken
bully" He took exception 10 what he
termed as iHtimations on the part
OF Meyer hat Mrs Zette had changed
her story TO suit the needs OF the de-
Tense HE declared that on the next
day after The shooting Zette had made
"a statement Co the coroner which was
Identical with the statement which
be made ON the witness stand. The
state ne maintained had based their
case on the most trivial of evidence.
Pros People referred 60 the fact
that tlC defendants wife had NOT
been BOD the court room during the
trial iie asked why Zette had con-
sidercd the relations between PieTson
and the woman before he had mar
rieG her rs he had testified that ne
knew that they had visited together
before his marriage. He called atten-
ticn Co the evidence that Zette had
once before been found guilty OF as
sault and battery and again for carry
ing concealed weapons He dwelt at
some length also on the evidence in
troduccd to show that Picrson was M
least four feet from Zette when he
was shot and that his body was found
in the corner OF the room farthest
from the bedroom door in which Zette
stood when he shot