The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1871-07-13
Poor Little Martin-The SaddCst Do
nestle Tragedy Ofthe Age-A Child
Tortured TO Death by an Inhuman
Father.

A Chicago dispatch says that the tes-
timony given before the Coroncr's Jury
on Sunday, the ID of July, at Onaga, IL
mos, by Mrs Meara and her daughter
Sarah, in the case Of Martin lfearn, mn
der examination for whipping and other
wise ~torturing his son to death, shows
the crime Of Mcara to be one of the most
fendish and revolving in the history of
the State. Mary Mcara, wife of the man
and mother of the dead boy, testified as
follows: "AIy husband whipped Martin
two weeks ago Tuesday night. My babe
was born on that day and l did not see
the whipping; it was done in another
room. l heard the blows and heard the
child beg for mercy. The child then
went to bed. About ten o'clock, next
morning, the child came into my bed
room, followed by his father, who was
then whipping him. He whipped him
very hard with q black snake horsewhip.
The child lodged around the room, so
rs to avoid the blows and begging for
mercy. The child was completely naked,
his father having compelled him to strip
himself. His face was swollen from the
whipping he had received the night be-
fore. His father whipped him very hard
for ten or fifteen minutes. AT last he
stopped and told the child to put on his
shirt. He made nj effort to do so and
failed. His father repeated the order,
when Martin said, 81 can't see it; l can't
see it; | can't see it!' "You can't see
it r. responded the father. "No, father
| can't, and fell dying to the floor. The
fend then rubbed the boy with spirits,
and forced some down his throat. The
child raised his little hands, moved his
lips and expired. Mearn then took the
body and put it under the bed where the
sick mother was lying, and it remained
there until evening, when he buried it.
1t is stated that Sarah Meara, daughter
Of the murderer, aged fourteen years,
testified that her father often whipped
him very severely with the horsewhip.
"On Tuesday, two weeks ago" said she,
abe brought brother in and said lie had
not worked, and whipped him and knock
ed him down twice. Father continued
to whip him, and said he would whip
him until he could not stand up. He
would whip the life ont of BIN. Two or
three times he would say this, and broth
er would plead with father, saying, Faith
er don't whip me any more-oh, don't
whip mo any morop He was u good
boy, and when brother went to bed
about ten o'clock, he said he did not
know why father whipped him 50. He
never told stories only when father made
him. Father would say that if he didn't
own that he did Sc, and SO he would whip
him, and to avoid it he would own TO
things that he never did. On Wednes-
day | got up and got breakfast ready.
Father rose when breakfast was ready.
Brother got up, but felt so badly that he
again went to bed. Father made him
get up and go out and feed the stock,
and when he came back father whipped
him and sent him to the field. He then
went for him and brought him in and
made him take off his clothes and then
whipped him. He then picked him up
and laid him on the stove. The stove
was hot enough to heat an iron. I was
baking biscuit; father put him OIL the
stove twice-brother pleading all the
while, "Father, don't burn me! father,
don't burn me n He screeched very
loud, and the skin stuck to the stove. 1t
smelled so / opened the door and father
Immediately slut it. Whilebrother was
pleading father said he would burn him
until he worked. / have seen father
strike mother with his fist many times.
He Knocked brother down several times
with the horse-whip. 1 never saw my
brother after he went into mothers
room" .'' "''.. '