Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1871-08-05
Murder Of a Child.

Murder of a Child.
CnGcAGo, ILL.,, July S.-The testimo-
ny taken before the coroners jury on
Sunday last. at Onargo. H., in the case
ofthc boy whipped and otherwise tor
turcd to death by his father. Martin
Mera. who was afterwards hanged by
the citizens, reveals the crime Of the lat
ter to have been one OF the most iicndlsh
and revolving in the history Of the
State. Mary Mcra, mother otthc child,
testified as follows:
Ny husband, Martin Ncra, whipped
my son Martin, aged ID years, TWO
weeks ago Tuesday night. My babe
was born on that day, and | did not see
the whipping. Itwas done in another
room. / heard the blows and heard
the child beg for mercy. The child
then went to bed. About - o'clock
next morning the child came to my
bedroom. followed 10y bis father, who
was whipping him. He whipped him
very hard with blacksnake horsewhip;
the child lodged around the room to
avoid the blows, and begged for mercy.
The child was completely naked, his IA
thcr having compelled him to strip him
self. His face was swollen from the
whipping he had received the night be
fore. Ills father had whipped him very
hard for ten or fifteen minutes. At last
he stopped and told the child to pat on
his shirt. He made an effort to do so
and failed. His father repeated the or
der. when the boy said, Il can't see It ;
can't see it, You cant see it Z! re-
spoudcd his father NO, father; |
cant see YOU, father can't see you,
andtell dying
The hcnd then rubbed the boy with
spirits. and forced some down his throat.
The child raised his hands, moved his
lips and expired
Mcra then took the body and put II
under the bed where the sick mother
was lying, and it remained there until
evening, when he buried ii, as prcyi-
ousIy reported.
Sarah lIera, the daughter Of the mur
dcrer, aged If years, testified that her
father often whipped her brother very
severely with the horscwhip. On Tues
day two weeks AGO he brought my bro
thcr in, said he bad not worked, and
whipped and knocked him down twice.
Father continued to whip him, and said
he would whip him until he could not
stand up-hc would whip the life out OF
him. Two or three times he would say
this, and brother would plead with "a
ther Father, don't whip me any more;
oh, don't whip me any more :. He was
good boy, and liked him; brother
went to bed about 10 o'clock; he said
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 it brother would own up to things
he never did on Wednesday got up
and got breakfast ready father rose
when breakfast was ready and brother
cot up, but felt so badly that he went
back to bed. Father made him get ul
and 90 out and feed the stock and when
he came back father whipped him and
sent him to the field. He went for him
and brought him in. and made him take
off his clothes and then whipped him.
and then picked him up and laid him Oh
the stove The stove was hot enough
to heat an iron; | was baking biscuits
father put him on the stove twice, bro
ther pleading all the while, Father
: don't burn me don't burn me IL
screamed very loud, and the skin stuck
to the stove, His skin came of from
his back and his feet, and it stuck to The
stove. 1t smcllcd 50 | opened the door
and father Immediately shut it. While
brother was pleading father said hC
would burn him until he worked. | have
seen father strike mother with his fist:
many times. He knocked brother down
several times with the butt end of the
whip. ! never saw my brother after he
went into my mothers room.
The prominent actor in this dreadful
tragedy was named Martin Mcra, ar
Irishman 10y birth. about II years Of age
five feet eight inches in height, thick set
and muscular. with forJiddidg counte.
nance. a restless. impatient eye, and q
deep. cultural voice. lie owned place
containing eighty acres, about two and
a half miles from Onarga. in Iroquois
county. His house shows q considera-
BILE degree Of refinement, and the Nun
Der of books and papers indicated that
it owner was a person Of considerablein-
telligence. He was known among his
agents as honest, a prompt paymsster,
aud a hard working man. Bat he had
dreadful temper, and when under its
influence would whip lis horses unmer-
cifully, cut out the eyes of his hogs, and
indulge in other acts Of brutal and icnd-
ish passion. His family consisted Of
bis wife, an intelligent lady, aged about
40, six children, the eldest IA years and
the Youngest about 20 days. The eldest
boy was named Martin, and he was II
years Of age.
On the 18th Of June, Mora came to
Gilman aud posted two written notices