The Portland daily press., 1875-10-25
BY TELEGRAPH.
MATTERS IN MAINE.
Especial to the Press.l
THE MERCER TRAGEDY.
Corener's Inquest - Particulars Of the
Crime-somethinS about Grecnleaf and
HE Victim.

SKowHEGAN, Oct. 23.-An inquest was held
to-day over the bodies of Greenleaf Tracy, the
murderer and suicide, and of Mary Walton,
his paramour and victim. James Tracy, the
father of the murderer, testified as follows: Ny
son, Greenleaf Tracy has appeared strange for
some time He borrowed a double-barrelled gun
Friday afternoon. 1 tried to persuade him to
give it up, but he would not He started across
the field toward Hiram Waltons. wanted to
follow, but my wife was afraid he might kill
me. About an hour afterward l heard the re-
port OF gun, went into the woods and found
him half lying, half sitting against tree dead.
The gun was beside him. The shot entered the
right side of his throat and came out under his
left ear.
Hiram Walton, at whose house the murder
was committed, testified: 1t was nearly one
o'clock when Tracy came to my house with the
gun. He looked wild and haggard, and spoke
to Mary Walton, who was at my house. l ask
ed him what he was going to do with the gun.
He said: 81 am here; if you want to shoot me
you can" Mary said, "He dou't want to shoot
you; he don't want any fuss, but wants you to
90 away" Tracy started backward out of the
door with the gun, Mary, my boy and my moth
er following him. He cooked the gun. Mary
said, 'sFor Gods sake, for the sake of my boy
that's dead and the one living, don't fire. He
fired and run away. The muzzle of the gun
was not more than six feet from her. She did
not breathe after he fred.
Greenleaf Tracy was about 40 years of age
at the time of his death. In his earlier years
he was rather reckless. Sometime during the
war he enlisted but ran away or deserted, and,
as be says, went to California where he remain
ed little over year and returned to Mer-
Ger, having more money than one could earn in
that period. He bought farm, paying nearly
all down for it. About that time he became
acquainted with the wife of Hiram Walton,
and she was SO much taken with Tracy that she
left her home to 60 with him. Mr.. Walton,
who is kind man, condoned her offence, and
several times took her back. Tracy neglected
his farm and family, drank to excess and in
the end lost his farm. His wife left her family
of four or five children and went to the facto-
ries to work, Once in a while. when he had
spent every cent he could get, wandering about
with this woman, he would 90 to his abandon
ed wife and take her hard earned money, which
she gave him, woman-like. During the past
few months he has been more dissolute than
ever and has had nothing to support his guilty
victim.
The woman Mr.. Walton married in Lowell,
Mass, some years since. She bore a good rep
utation until Tracy returned from California,
when she became SO fascinated with the man
that she frequently left her own family to stay
with him. About year ago MI. Walton found
he-could do nothing with her. and took steps
to get divorce, which was decreed at the term
of court just held in this county. Although
she was divorced, she had returned to the b ouse
of her late husband and had been staying there
several days, having no other place to which
she could 60. She was about 50 years of age.
Mr.. Walton is a man of excellent character
and harbored the disgraced woman out of re-
gard to his children.
1t is supposed that the fact of the woman be-
ing at Mr.. Walton's house aroused the jealousy
and vengeance of Tracy, and aggravated by
free use Of intoxicating liquors, led him to COM
NIT the crime.