The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-07-01
A Remarkable Trial.


New York, June 20. The trial of Mrs.
MerriSan for the murder of Miss Margaret
Hammill, now in progress in Brooklyn, Is
developing extraordinary interest, owing
to the strange circumstances attending
the tragedy and the ingenious defence set
up by defendants counsel. Mrs Merri-
gan and Miss Hammill had been lifelong
friends, and the latter was lady of wealth
and refinement. The story of Miss Ham
mills death, as told by the prosecution.
is very simple though not free from i'm
probabilities, while that told by the de-
fence is very complicated, though not de-
VOID OF truthful appearance. If Mrs. Mer-
rigan murdered Miss Hammill she COM
mltted crime OdouS to an extraordinary
degree, and if she did not murder her cir
cumstances hardly ever conspired more
against IN innocent woman. On the ID Of
September, 1873 Margaret llammill, an
old schoolmate and warm personal friend
oil Mrs. Merrigan, called at the residence
of the latter on Il friendly visit Two days
after Miss lIammill had been seen to enter
Mrs. Merrigan's house the neighbors We're
startled by an alarm of fire, which pro
ceeded from the floor in which Mrs. Mer-
rigan lived. The flames We're subdued,
and following their subjugation came the
revelation which gave rise to the indict-
ment for murder. Margaret lIammill was
found dead in Mrs. Merrigan's bedroom
There was rope drawn into a running
moose about her neck, and the appearance
of the throat and face showed she had been
stranglcd. Moreover, an examination OF
the room showed that it had been wiliully
cot t;ra Nata l. IL, "a
of the flames had been gathered together ;
the window blinds had been carefully
closed and the door of the room locked
so that it had to be broken open by the
flremen. These statements are not con-
tested by the defence. On the contrary,
they admit the blinds We're closed, the
combnstiblc material gathered the match
applied and the door locked by Mrs Mer-
rigan, who, they further admit. did so with
the intent OF burning to ashes the body of
Margaret Hammill. Upon these facts the
indictment for murder is based, and the
theory OF the prosecution is that Mrs Mer-
rigan, having murdered her old friend for
what money she had on her person, set
fire to the house in the hope that the flames
would wipe out all trace OF the deed. The
defence however, affirm that Margaret
Hammill was accidentally hanged, and in
support of that affirmation they present a
series of curious antecedents, two or three
suggestive accompanying circumstances
and the word of Mrs. Merligan. Mrs Mer-
rigan and Miss Uammill it appears. ran
after fortune-telers. They had visited ora
cles Of that kind together, singly. and at
divers times A day OF two before the
coming of Miss Hammll on her last visit,
Mrs Merrigan had been in consultation
with a gypsy fortune teller, who in add-
ton to revealing some startling things
about the future, informed Mrs Merri@an
how, by Il series of measurements upon
her person, she might herself find out
not Il few of the things to come. When
Miss Hammill arrived Mrs Merrigan told
her OF the gypsys secret, and 50 taken
was she with it that she determined to put
the knowledge into practice The meas
nrements We're, it seems, to be made with
"A rope run round the neck, one end pass
ing through the loop and long enough to
reach the eXperimenters feet In order
to carry out the gypsy's instruction, Miss
llammlll got upon Il chair, procured a
clothes rope, and proceeded according 10
directions While the measurements were
III ~ w iC9H, ANil9. J'iti Ils,tll WIS ttlltt
down stairs by one of the neighbors, and
in her absence the hanging took place
For reasons which need hardly be ex-
planned, the apartments being small and
the weather warm, Miss Iiammil had
placed the chair on which she stood be-
hind the half open door After extending
the rope from her neck to her feet and
making certain measurements on her arms
,In Il :,
ance with the gypsy's Instructions, to
make separate measurements OF her toes
In stopping over to measure her toes she
found the long end Of die rope dangling
in her way or rather before her eyes, and
to be relieved of that annoyance she rose
and cast it over her shoulder But in east
ing the end over her shoulder, she also
cast it over the door, which was not very
high, and, by fatal mischancc. it encircied
the handle Of the door, at the same mo-
ment the char upon which the untortu-
nate woman stood must, by sudden mo-
ton, have slipped irom under her, and
the rope tightening she was left hanging
by the neck, unable OF course, to call tor
assistance and unable to assist herself.
After Il few moments absence Mrs NIer-
rigan returned and found Miss IIammill
hanging as described. Instead of calling
upon the neighbors she cut the rope with
n pair of scissors and proceeded to do all
that she could think of for her friends res
toratlon 1t is needless to say that she
did not succeed, and that not succeeding,
grief, fear, desperation, and Il thousand
other conflicting emotions consprcd to
drive Mrs. Merrigan into an insanity
which eliminated in the attempt to burn
the house and incremate the body Of her
friend. These are the rival stories-the
one by the prosecution and the other by
the defence. They are both supported by
evidence, and at the former trial tie jury
disagreed. Substantially the same argu-
ments and evidence is now being repeated
and there is not Il little curiosity regard
ing the result.