Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-07-09
FIERDIsH AND REvOLHEG.
Particulars Of the Murder of the boy Hsra
by his Father
A story 10 CurdIs the BlOOd-"Is Clvlllza.
tiOH a Failure -sOulIess Cruelty

CHICAGO, July s.-Testimony gIver
before the COroner's jury, on Sunday
last, at Onarga, ILL.,, by Mrs. Mers
and her daughter Sarah, in the case ot
Martin Mera, under examination fol
whipping and otherwise torturing hi.
son 70 death, shows the crime perDe
trated by Mera TO be one OF the most
iiendish and revolving in the history
OF the State.
Mary MeTa, the wife of the man and
the mother Of the dead boy, testified
as follows; MY husband whipped
Martin two weeks ago Tuesday night;
my babe was born on that day, and
did not see. the whipping; it was done
in another room; heard blows, and
heard the child beg for mercy;
the child then went to bed about ten
O'Clock; next morning the child
cana into my bedroom followed by
his father, who was whipping him
he whipped him very hard with q
blacksnake hOTse-Whip; the child
avoid Z the blows, and begged for
naked, his father having compelled
him TO strip himself; his face was
swollen from the whipping he had
received the night before. His father
whipped him very hard for ten or fif-
teen minutes; at last he stopped and
told the child to put On his shirt; he
made an effort to DO so and failed; his
father repeated the order when the
boy said: 81 can't see it; 1 can't see
it.' 'YOu can't see it," responded
the father. ''NO, father, 1 can't see
YOU, father; ! can't see you, father, p
an5 fell dying.
This fend then rubbed the boy with
spirits, and forced some down his
throat. The child raised his hand,
moved his lip, and expired. Mera
then took the body, put il under the
bed where the sick mother was lying,
and il remained there until the even
ing, when he buried it as previously
stated.
Sarah Mera, daughter of the
murderer, aged fourteen years, testi-
fed that her father often whipped
him very severely with hOrse-Whip.
On Tuesday, two weeks ago, he
brought her brother in, and said he
had not worked, and whipped and
knocked him down twice. The father
continued TO whip him, and said he
would whip him until be could not
stand up, he would whip the life out
OF him. Two or three times, he said
tEis, and brother would plead with
latEer, father, don't whip me any
mOre--Oh, don't whip me any more"
He was a good boy; l 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 Il he didn't own that
ne did so and 50, he would whip him,
and to avoid it he would own to
things he never did; on Wednesday /
got up and got breakfast ready; father
rose when breakfast was ready; broth
er got up, but felt 50 badly that he
went back to bed; father made him
get up and 90 out 10 feed the stock,
and when he came back father
whipped him and sent him to the
field; he went for him, brought him
in, made him take of his CLOTHES, and
then whipped him; he then picked
him up and laid him on the stove;
stove was hot enough TO heat an iron;
I was baking biscuit; father put him
on the stove twice; brother plead
ing all the while, ''lather, please don't
burn me, don't burn me;" he escreamed
very loud, and the skin stuck to the
stove; his skin came OF from his
back and feet; itsmelled so l opened
the door, but father Immediately
closed it; while brother was plead
ing, father said he would burn
him until he worked; have seen
him strike mother with his fist many
times; he knocked brother down sew
eral times with the butt end of 8
horseWhip; l never saw my brother
after be went into mothers room.