The Indiana State sentinel., 1874-11-10
THE HAMMIL MURDER.

MRS. aIERRIGAN's REMARKABLE sToRY-ALa
SEEMED LIKE A DREAM.
The New York Herald of the 3lst ult. con :
tains the testimony of Mrs. Merrigan her
self, concerning the Hammill tragedy, an
account of which remark able crime has al
ready appeared in the Sentinel. The re-
port says: Mrs. Sarah c. Merrigan's trial
for the murder of Miss Maggie Hammill
was continued yesterday in the Kings
county court of Oyer and Terminer before
Judge 1appeD. After several witnesses had
been examined to prove the good character
of the prisoner, the counsel for the defense
called her as witness TO testify in her own
behalf. She gave her evidence in a clear,
unassuming manner. She was "a years
of age, and first made Maggie's ac-
ouaintanse at school; their relations
were very friendly, az they were
in the same class together at the convent and
studied the-sa0e studies; they were conf
Dental friends and their friendship con-
tinued up tothe time of her death; Maggie
never made her any presents, but she made
the children presents of clothing; she be-
lieved in fCrtune-telling, and told Maggie
about the gypsy fortune teller, Bertha, when
they were on their way to fortune-teller in
West Forty-fourth street, New York; told
her OF heS performances about meas
uring the head, the temples the
feet, the toes, etc.; she measured wit
ness toes, she said, to see if she was parrot
toed; Maggie, when she came over. asked
her TO show her how the gypsy did il, and
they went through the same performance;
the best thing to use as measure, she said,
she thought was the clothes line so she
went to the clothes basket and got it.; it was
necessary for Maggie to get upon chair
and place the line about her neck; the two
ends then hung down; the measurement
about her neck was IA inches; marked it
with a pin, hut the pin would not hold well
so Maggie made
A MOOSE ABOUT HER NECK;
witness was measuring her feet and toes;
Maggie, to get the other end of the line out
of the way, and also to bring the rope tight
threw one end over the topof the door; they
heard some one coming up stairs, and Mag
gle said: Don't let them come in and see
how foolish we are acting;;" so she left Mag
| gle on the chair and ran out, meeting Mrs
| Knowles just as she was coming up stairs in
search of her daughter; Mrs. Knowles asked
for Mary Jane and Irene; just then the
girls called out from the foot O
the stairs, and also called witness to come
down and see what they were doing; she
went down, and they showed her some sen
sational papers and cards; she was absent
about seventeen min utes, and when she re
turned Maggie was strangled, hanging
| against the door; she hardly remembered
what she did after that; she remembered
taking her hand and asking her what sh,
could do for her, praying for her, anC
searching fo- the scissors to cut her down
all she remembered was that she saw Mag
gie's eyes and teeth staring at her
| Maggie had artificial teeth anC
they seemed to be looking at her; i
all seemed to her like dream, something
which occurred when she was a child, and o
which she only had a distinct remembrance
she did not know how Maggie was strangled
unless by falling from the chair against tn,
door and closing it tightly upon the rope
she felt of Maggie's heart, and and it haC
ceased beating; the child began to cry, ant
she took it up. but what occarred after tina
she was unable to say. District Attorne,
Winslow cross-eXamined the prisoner TO
some length, trying in every manner t,
shake her testimony, but she related tn
same story even more distinctly. Up to tn,
time OF the terrible affair her memory ap
peared to be very good.