The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-11
ECCENTRIC MRS. MERRILL.
UNRELENTfNG HfTRED FOR PERSONS
UHO DISpLE1SED HER.
Tier Violent Passion when she believed that
somebody Intended to Poison her-Mnny
wills nnd Many thnngrs-Fnther tbntnrd.

Tier Violent Passion when she Relieved that
somebody Intended to Poison hcr-Mnny
VIII. and Many Changes Father Chntnrd
Mrs. Catharinc Mcrrill's two funerals and
two wills. and the quarrel over her large estate
have revived many rccollcdons Of her singular
life. Robert l.. Taylor who wus Capt Mcrrilrs
partner in business for many ycnrs said:
have not seen anything OF Mrs Merrill since
her husbands death. but she wns always n
peculiar woman. Her maiden name was Catha-
riuo Tibbiits. She was "A native OF Portsmouth l.
n. H.. and belonged TO n scaaring family. Her
father wns u lieutenant in the American navy
when it was first organized. Her elder brother
was captain in the merchant marine. and
another brother was also commander OF sevc-
raj ships
Miss Tihhitts married Capt. Merrill when she
was only lG years Of age. and sailed with him
for many years when he was engaged In the
cotton trade between Charleston. Savannah.
and other southern ports and Liverpool When
took Merrill up | got him TO build n ship
called the John Taylor. Aftcrwnrd we built the
ship Victoria. After that he left the sea and be-
came my partner in the shipping commission
business. The Captain and his wife boarded
for many years in the Astor House. They had
no children. and the Captain taking n fancy to
George W Tibhitts n son of his wifc's brother.
adopted him. The boy took the name Of Mrr-
rill. lie studied law and settled in Paris.
Against the wishes Of Mrs. Merrill he married
n Miss Randolph. II good family. md sweet.
pretty thing she was too. and the old Indy would
never forgive him. She desired that hc should
marry somebody else. Ia her will She did not
even mention Georges name. she w9- very
arbitrary and very hard to get along with. st.t-
son OF the Astor House, could tell you many
queer stories Az out her.
At the A-ior. Sturtcyaut. .nossmorc. and, Now
H. remembered by the prnprictprS and CLERKS IA
q very strange-acting person. She took sudden
and Viol mt dislkcs without apparent reason,
thr servants were her especial dc'estation. and
she would not allow them t. enter her room.
Charles Leland was her iavoIite among land
lords and she spent many s"aron- in the lar
cndon in Saratoga. During her stay IN Sara
tp4,u Inst summer she summoned Mr.. Leland
To- her room one day. and told him that the ser
gave way 10 violent bursts Of passion toward
heraiirndamis. Onr OF The clerks at The Stnrte;;
vHn, House r'ys tlat she frequently POKE 9f
lii" Pope ui Rom" IN the highest terms ot ad-
mraton. and when she left. she said that she
Dr QaicNcnho,s 81 30 West Ei.:htccnth street.
who attended Mrs Merrill and knew Of her Pc
culiuriic~. said: " first knew her yenrs ago.
when she wa- living IN the New York Hotel. |
visited her in the Clar ndvn Hotel in Saratoga
last summer. She was then suffering from
" bid shhc evcrsay anything to you about be-
Catholicism in ltah that when the mnlarial
season set IN in Rome several years ago she WAS
-'ut by pr. rantcllioni 10 Pisa; She remained
under the advice 81 Il priest and q physician FIR
some time. nnd returned to Rome and thence 70
Nv York. la b last illne-. -lle was hone
va- in a comato-e state. W. kept cvcrybody
from IN" room. even her n'ihr ".
" Dii the prir lis call upon Mr. Merrill or en-
President Chatard Of the American College
n Rome ,q.inc To see br. Haddon and myself
81 81
tho pat. .ntS condition, TINT she had lost the
pmw"r"l speech. and thn, II would bc fatal To
allow her 10 -ro any boay"
" What repl, did President Chatard make 20
" II said that he had often known peupe az
efir','s 10 got well after seeing priest. Tn.
pr'"..noc of a priest. he a'crred. yer injured
- patient. and hc had known cases wli .h ply
stefan had lrgnoNnrr,l fatal whcr" i,c patient
had recovered nndcrihc iuilucnec and rre-rnr,'
'D 'n.;lse, He made no further cnor to
"Dil you rrIard Mrs. Merrill ms insane."
90 she was mouuuuulH eal. Sh" always thought
.omn body int nded 10 poison her for her money.
IhAt W9rl poison Was IN her mouth con-
Nr. William T. Sal'cr nephew Of Mr.. Nor
ri,l. VII" qiignd her N h,r last lin - say~
nm tniiariun. add have the most ihoFal
fe'hns toward the CNnolic Church. II may h'
all right enough. hui ia" way ih" prizes, an
whcrr Mr.. M.rrili was is singular I'll. Cur
dlnal'- lawyer happened 10 bc I'm furopo when
Mr.. M'.Iill added ta.t coiich to her Will.
summer on a later Steamship; H. was in New
'rk Wh'ln s1o was her; when she went to
SHrito "a. III ''idcut Chaiard felt that hc mu 4
go. and room. opiuslt. the Clnrrud.n: when
Mr.. Merrill raIn, bnek - New York President
Chaturd oamn h1'k also.
Did Mr-. Merrill ever n-k for the niinistra-
| tom II priest IA her last sickness =
N no time. She WIS paralyzoi hut she
could utter single words and make known her
wants. But sh" roVrr ASK ed for "A priest. and
never thougit - her bong q Catholic"
why worr ~" priests refused admission 10
her room
,l nder the physi'ians' orders. and for no
" Did dth., Catholics desire to hold the funeral
sorvi e u- soon a- thoy heard Of her denih -
W.. not nnti amer ne -ervicrs had been held
" M" pastor. pr Algrr IN tho Church of the
" -s!nh; At the r'nilng OF th" viii the Can
dnMs lawyer Mr. Gioyrr. was present. and
said that th" Catholics desired to celebrate n
mass for the dead. rhc executors were an
loal'd To. hut said they mad nothing 10 say IN
tAe mnticr had already hud ono funeral SER
vic. performed. but thought that ifthpy drs red
an Nor tlry could 20 nhoad A- the usual
rifr- iid b."n performed over the r'rains
didrol ihc. nrccss.ty II letting the Catholic,
= Is. ''sr pessons prcs,"nt at he reqiang Of
wa. .'.3nd cousin II llie Merrill; Ms. Dur.
I II Nhl1in, I. Sn' r Nnl wife, Mrs. q. IL. {.
Among Ia" documents which will como into
ih, liiGni iiDn = a new " III drawn up few days
before Nj. Mcrr,ir> doath from mcmorandn
furnished by her and l.it Unsigned. Ihe
Wall s'tot who drafted H. II io said thai
! lA. "ggry To- ih' tnrlunl hcin. cut down,
In drawing this viii Mrs. " ,rll sent for her
Old iiwyer, 4. Jamr- Glpy,r. BY mi.take Chus
na ",,r nD,cr "',''' a,%G "e3Ii. Gur Nr@. Scrrr
| lli -r;.r9l iui 'rNl ST. NliA hin before -hc dis
co,nred ino mi-tako. Sine then calied Nr Mcr-
| rihrv. Ih' +. ar. D. N lu Ni-t"n'e Will mni,
! j.. ,orc Mr. VI rrill b." nmc u Catholic; Tho an
/ m"d" in 1871 win i.4r cudi"il uddcd in 1915
Nhi'ii j. offered for ll'l ate; the unsigned wt
! nf few W * ul,o and a hali-inads vii urnWr