The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-07-13
TILE ILLINOIS DEMON.
Examination Of Mera. Who Whip
ped His Son to Death Shocking
Revelations Of Brutality.

pa A@-a rtt+a+ ~ - 49, --~AN
Revelations Of Brutality.
The testimony given before Che |
jury on Sunday last at |
Onarga, H.. by BIrs Mera and
daughter Sarah in the case of Mar
tin Mera, under examination for
whipping and otherwise tor5aring
his son to death, shows the crime
of4Iera to be one of the most fend-
ish and revolving in the history Of
the Safe.
Mary aiera, wife Of the man, and
mother Of the boy, testified as fol-
lows:
BY husband whipped Martin
two weeks ago Tuesday night Ny
babe was born on that day and I
did not see the whipping. It was
done IN another room. 1 heard
blows and the child beg for mercy.
The child then went to bed. About
10 O'Clock next morning the child
came into my bedroom, followed
by his father, who was whipping
him very hard with 4 black snake
horse whip, the child lodging a.
round the room so as to avoid the
blows and begging for mercy. The
child was completely naked, his
father having compelled him to strir.
His face was swollen from the whip
ping be had received the night be-
fore. His father whipped him very
hard for fifteen minutes. At last
he stopped and told the child to
put on his shirt. he made an eff
fort and failed. His father repeated
the order. when the boy said: Il
can't see it. I can't see it" "You
can see it? responded the father.
mo, father. can't see you, father.
and fell dying. The fend then rub
bed the boy with spirits and forced
some down his throat. The child
raised his hands, moved his lips and
expired. DIera then took the body
and put it under the bed where the
sick mother was lying and it re-
manned there until evening, when
he buried it, as previously stated.
Sarah BIera, daughter of the mur-
derer, aged II years, testified 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 con
tinued to whip him, and said he
would whip the life out Of him two
or three times. He would say this,
and brother would plead with ia
Their, Father don't whip me any
more, oh, please don't whip me any
morer' He was a good boy and we
all liked him. He said he did not
know why father whipped him so.
He never told stories only when IA
ther made him. Father would say
that If he did not own that he did
so and so he would whip him, and
to avoid it he,would own to things
he never did. On Wednesday 1 got
up and got breakfast ready. Broth
err got up, but felt so badly that he
went to bed again. Father made
him get up and 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 off his cloths, and then
whipped him. He then picked him
up and laid him on the stoye-the
stove was hot enough to heat an
iron. I was baking bitcuit. Father
! put him on the stove twice Broth
er was pleading all the while, say
ing :''Father, don't burn me; dom
burn me; He screamed very loud,
and the skin stuck to the stove
His skin came off from his back
and feet. It smelled so that I open
ed the door and father Immediately
shut it. While brother was plead
ing, father said he would burn him
until he worked. I have seen hin
strike mother with his fist many
times. He knocked brother many
times with the butt end Of a hors,
whip Inever saw my brother after
be went into mothers room.