Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-07-13

The ILLINOIS CHILD MURDERFR-A
FlENprsH FATHER-A HORRIBLE STORY
OF BRUTALITY.-The testimony taken be
fore the Coroner's jury on sunday last. a;
Onarga. H., in the case of the boy whip
ped and otherwise tortured TO death by
hi- father. Martin Mera. who was hung
by the populace. reveals the crime OF the
latter 10 have been one OF the most fiend-
ish and revolving in the history of the
State. Mary Mera the mother Of the
child. testified a. follows:
Ny husband. Martin Mera. whipped nv
son Martin. aged ten years. two weeks
ago tuesday night. NJ babe was born
on THAI day, aud did not zee the whip
ping. a ii was above III another room
heard The blows. and heard the child
be- Tor mercy The child then went 10
bed. About ten O'Clock the XXI morning
the child came 10 my bedroom. followed
by his father. who Was whipping hun.
He whipped him very hard with black
snake horsewhip. The child lodged
around the room TO avoid the blow. aud
begged for mercy. The child was com
pletely naked his father having compelled
him 10 strip himself. He WAS swollen
from the whipping he had received the
night before. His father whipped him
very hard for ten or fifteen minutes. At
last he stopped. and told the child TO put
on hi. shirt. He made an effort to do so
and failed. His father repeated the order
when the boy said. Il can't see il :; ! can't
see il. = GU can't see = said the faith
er; No. father. can't see you, father.
n S.FN a.
then rubbed the boy with spirits. and
forced some down his throat. The child
raised his hands, moved his lips aud ex-
pred. Mera then took the body aud put
II under the bed where the sick mother
was lying, aud il remained there until
evening, when he buried il As previously
reported.
Sarah Mera. daughter OF the murderer.
aged IA years. testified that her father Of
ten whipped her brother very severely
with horsewhip. On Tuesday he brought
my brother in, said that he had not work
ed. and whipped and knocked him down
! twice; father continued to whip him, and
said he would whip him until he could
not stand up: that he would whip the life
out Of him; two or three times he would
say this, and brother would plead with
| father:
amer uol "niP thc any more. On-
don't whip me any more" He wa. a
| good boy. and liked him. Brother went
to bed about ten o'clock. He said that he
did not know why father whipped him so
he never told stories only when father
made him; father would say that if he did
not own up that he had done so and so he
would whip him, and TO avoid il brother
would own to things he never did.
On Wednesday got up aud got break
fast ready. Father rose when breakfast
was ready. and brother got up. bit felt
SO badly that he went back TO bed. Father
made him get up and 20 out TO feed the
stock. and when he came back father whip
ped him aud seut him to the neld.
He went for him aud brought him in.
and made him take OF his clothes, and
then whipped him, and then picked him
up and land him on the stove. The stove
was hot enough to heat an iron. was
baking biscuit. Father put him on the
stove twice, brother pleading all the while,
Father don't burn me ]! don't burn re y
He screamed very loud, and the skin stuck
to the stove. tits skin came o6 from his
back and his feet and stuck to the stove.
1t smelled % opened the door, and father