The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-01
A CAUSE CELEBRE.
THE MISUNDERSTANDING MURDER

mO hDLh
RESULT OF MRS. MERRIGAN's SECOND TRIAL
AN INCREDIBLE CHARGE-AND STILL
MORE INCREDIBLE DRFENsE = STRANGE
CHAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCE.
Last Monday the second trial OF Mrs. Ss-
rah Merrigsn for the murder of her friend ,
Miss Maggie Hammill came to an END in the
Brooklyn City Court by second disagree
ment of the jury. The story Of the case has
been told before, but it is so remarkable
that it well deserves reproduction. 1t IL
thus told in the Brooklyn Eagle: The case,
it will be remembered, was tried last au-
tumn, but resulted in disagreement of the
jury. The story of Miss Hsmmill's death, =
as told by the prosecution, is very simple&
though not free from improbahilities, viii
that told by the defense is very complicatedy
though not devoid oftruthful appearance. III
Mrs. Merrigan murdered Miss Hammill
she committed a crime odious to an extraor-
binary degree, and if she did not murder her,
circumstances hardly ever conspired more
evilly against an innocent woman. Mrs
Merrlgan's home was on the second or third
floor of a North Ninth street tenement. On.
the "a of September, 1873, Margaret Ham
mill, an old schoolmate and warm personal
friend, came to the house on friendly visit.
Two days after Miss Hammill had been seen
TO enter Mrs. Merrigan's house, the neigh
bors were startled by an alarm OF fire, which
proceeded from the floor ia which Mrs. Mer-
rlgan lived The flames We're subdued, and
following their subjugation came the revela-
ton which gave rise to the Indictment for
murder. Margaret Hsmmill was found
dead in Mrs. Merrigan's bed room. There
was rope drawn into running moose
about her neck, and the appearance of
the throat and face showed she had been
stranged. Moreover, an examination of the
room showed that it had willfully been set
on fire. Materials for the rapid spread OF the
flames had been gathered together; the win
dow blinds had been carefully closed and
the door of the room locked, so that It had
to be broken open by the firemen. These state.
ments, we believe, are not contested by the
defense. On the contrary, they admit the
blinds were closed, the combustible material
gathered, the match applied and the door
locked by Mrs. Merrigan, who, they further
admit, did so with the intent of burning to.
ashes the body of Margaret Hsmmill. Upon
these facts the Indictment for murder is
based, and the theory OF the prosecution is
that Mrs: Merrigau, having murdered hers
old friend tor what little money she had on
her person, set fire to the house in the hope
that the flames would wipe ont all trace of
the deed.
THE DEFENSE,
as we observed, is somewhat complicated,
but it is not the less entitled to attention on
that account. Emerson has said that the
impossible Is always occurring; this may be
somewhat overstrain9d even for a paradox,
but the murder of one friend by another,
under circumstances such as we have de-
scribed. is so improbable that the defense
set up must not be secuted because it bears
about it something of the marvellous. First
of all, the defense affirm that Margaret
Hammill was accidentally hanged, and in
support of that affirmation they present US
~ eli Sc
or three suggestive accompanying civ
cumstances, and the word of Mrs. Merrigan.
Mrs. Merrigan and Miss Hammill
were, it appears weak enough to run after
fortune tellers. They had visited oracles OF
that kind together, singly, and at divers
times. A day or two before the coming of
Miss Hammill on her last visit, Mrs. Merri-
gan had been IN consultation with a gypsy
f0rtune-teller, who, in addition to revealing
some startling things about the future, in
formed Mrs. Merrigan, how, by series of
measurements upon her person, she mighs
herself find out not few OF the things TO
come. When Miss Haulmill arrived, Mrs
Merrigan told her of the gypsy secret,
and so taken was she with it, that she
determined to put the knowledge into
practice. The measurements were,
it seems, to be made with &
rope run round the neck, one end pass
ing through the loop and long enough to
reace the experimenter's feet. In order to
carry out the gypsy's instruction, Miss Ham
mill got upon a chair, produced close rose.
and proceeded according to directions.
While the measurements were in prog
ress Mrs. Merrigan was called down 4
stairs by one of the neighbors, and in
her absence the hanging took place. For
reasons which need hardly be explained, The
apartments being small and the weathe
warm, Miss Hammill had placed her chair
on which she stood behind a half open door.
After extending the rope from her neck to
her feet and making certain measurements
OF her arms and breast, she
il seems, according to the gypsy's
instructions, began to make separate
MEASUREMENTS OF HER TOES.
In STOPPING over to measure her toes she
found the long end of the rope dangling in
her way or rather before her eyes, and to
be relieved of that annoyance she roso and
cast it over her shoulder. But in casting the
end over her shoulder, she also cast it over
the door, which was not very high, and, by
fatal mischaUce, it encircled the handle of
the door, at the same moment the chair
upon which the unfortunate woman stood
must, by sudden motion have slipped
from under her, anG the rops tightening,
she was lett hanging by the neck, unable, of
course, TO call tor assistance. aud unable to
assist herself. Alter few InGuent's ab-
sence Mrs. Merrigan returned and
found Miss Hammili hanging as described.
Instead OF calling upon the neighb ors, szs
cut the rope with pair OF scissors, as soon as
she collected her senses, and proceeded in q
frantic way to do all that she could think of
for her friends restoration. It is needless to
say that she did not succeed, and that, not
succeeding, grief, fear, desperation, and a
thousand other conflicting emotions con-
spired to drive Mrs. Merrigan into an in
sanity which eliminated ia an attempt "a
burn the house and cremate the body of her
friend. These are the rival stories-the one
by the prosecution, and the other
by the defense. They are bota SUP
ported by evidence and neither in
wolves a belief in the impossible. Il
may doubtless be said, and said with some
truth, that the story about the fortune tell
ing, the measurements, the accidental going