The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-10
MRS. MERRlLL'S RELATIVES.
1uI IORTfNE mar VAS BE0UEaTHED
rD fIiL .tMERICtN CARDINAL.

he Upds End beeu tutteu EforW the suufeu
a, IN. Messiah-lN Widows Eeccntrieitfes.
A story Of singular life and career Is to
,.t,lI in a few days with the beginning oi
contest over tho will Of Mrs. Cntharinc A. Mer-
,ul Fiity years ago she was an acknowledged
,.ile In thia city. She was married 10 Nathaniel
" Merrill. u rising ship captain Capt Merrill
,r,-pcrrd and in few years retired from the
a., and associated with himself in the shipping
b,.ine-. Mr. Robert l.. Taylor. and the nrm Of
T,ylor A Merrill in Durling slip became known
as A solid house. Both members Of the firm be-
came milliunaircs. Capt. Merrill died twenty
,,nrs age. leaving his wifo childless widow.
According to some Of the relatives, Mrs. Merrill
vas never her old self aftor her husbands
death She boarded for many years in tho
hotels aud is remembered 10y many Of the old
borders Of the Astor and other old-timc public
houses rs woman Of many o,ccntricities. For
,ventv -ca-ons she was regularly ut Saratoga
always occupying tht sans Apartments IN th"
Clarendon. In her later years she passed her
winters III France and Italy. returning every
spriur 600 New York Her health had been deli
cnto f0g many years before her death. and in
1871 tWa- thought that she could live only
short time. She had never been religious
woman although nn occasional attendant at the
Epi,'lrul Church. Her husband was buried
from Trinity Church
Thr rrlntiVts who urc contesting the will aver
that " lil, she was III in this country Mrs. Mcr-
r VS. visited 10y Catholic priest. through the
solicitation Of q nurse. and was first brought
under the influence of the Church Of Rome. and
that she was induced by the priest To make be-
quests iu the Church on the promise that shc
should lc restored Ia health. By tho will dated
in 1871. N" gave 100000 to- CardIa! then Arch
bishop VI, Closkey. t5ooD to tho New York
Hospital. and the residue Of her estate. about
f3DOUOu to Bishop Bacon Of Portland.
Mr.. Merrill partially recovered and went 10
Europe and while she was there Father Bacon.
the rc-iduaty legatrc died. Tho relatives Of
Mrs. Merrill say that Immediately after the
bishops death the Catholic Church sent mes
sengors To- Rome tO persuade her to change the
will and secure the money to the Church. II il
coutcud,d that Mrs. Merrill then unit 10 mako
a will. AMI diseased mentally and physically,
was subjected 10 such pressure from the Church
that ali" affixed "A codicil TO the will and made
Cardinal McCloskcy tho rcsiduary l'gatce, tho
prop, rty TO 20 TO Chancellor Preston in the
event ci the Cardinals death. The codicil WIS
Witnessed by Fathers Chatard and Smyth vi the
American College in Rome.
To establish Mrs. Merrills incapacitv nt the
tme of max ing the codicil the contestants etc
her reference in tie codicil to III" death Of
nephew. Dr. George Saltar. American Consul
In Chinkiang. China. although she WAS in ire-
quoni correspondence with him. aud his death
had not been reported to her. She cut of DR..
5ater. and lett a small legacy 20 his daughter.
Both Can't. Merrill and his wifc had many rel
ativc- Ia moderate circumstances. TO whom the
will gave nothing. Mrs. Merrill visited some OF
them. INT her .cccntrcities made her undesira-
BILE ronIuny. and she quarrclled with one after
another on frivolous prcteXts. She was often
I.kH lao .ls
poison her for her money AT one tim" she was
very much attached to her nephew. pr George
death. gave sgnOO0 Aiirr her husband died
Mira. VI rrill went to Dr. salter and demanded
Ain Nr-. Mcrrill's last trip 10 Europe her
health began to fan. and her decline was
mast mas, nri ny .h' use @, s,tonE, iiIu1rS, sh'
lated lilD. visited hy none ol her relatives. and
calling upon npnr ol thenl. In September she
grew r"Sile-s aud t"cgraphed Ia her courier IN
ROmr. whom she kept employed 10y the year. 10
meet hcr in iavre on the arrival OF the steam
ship LAmcrique. which sailed from New York
on DE- lnih OF October. Two weeks before the
staam,hip sailed Mrs Merrill was stricken with
paraly ISIS. MD waS unable either To- speak or t.
ahead with her preparations. and kept many
attendants busy with her commands, She
packed ten trunks ana had them ready for her
tim with nsnnt wardrobe slowed away IN a
mas rv Of her lndomtsble Will. however. and
Oh The istn II October she died, atten ted by a
snge -rryanI aud q nephew who had heard Of
per 'n SIS. she could not speak TO make known
..TE W. r. Algcr, of the Church Of the
Mess nh ON lat It at the funeral on lhe 2th
uli. a. tilr request ol her nephew, William
4; 3 Nirr Tw" days aftcrward. Mr. salter. one
bs IN a H & .'as L, sy1 s s, rssIgSSm s,ISn ln@sS ioT
10y Cardinal Mrlios.ey. the form of funeral
wa "a. ted. ana a box such as is used 10 On,
spru.k 4 iy III" pri,-t after the usual custom.
AlY nent WriSh"d 300 pounds nt the time Ql
her erhn, Mr. Salt'r continues and pnople
who know hrt wrre struck with IN" luiirrDus-
n%,s. % "l .l. -isIt?. those two slight boys bear-
Thtr arn seventeen ncphews and nioccs
scai'rt"l ni oyer tn' world wh" haN" Joined tp
con- 'r- N'lru.n " II. They profess 10 be-
ahie i' sob. 80 MIR Mcrrill's insanity by the
taIil. ol pl'-.riuu- who attended her ior
years anI -ul That they have evidence to show
that Don f,ulluu- i.jt- aud -uprr-tliiune were
uninn "1lk'd up3n by the priests IA the inter
Tho l., Ir Edward McGlynn Of 81. $,
rlrh N'f'tn tthnlir thur ia winch on.
4n'rtl ryle.s was perform. said >e--
y a--.it,au that Mrs. McrrIl...l, ioi.a
nu i- u'irn". Sh. wu- u o. .ini r Hi tas
"H nn f"m- .lu,lln-.
lNf-t lti i.l 'thn Cnur..ht'
p" i-''r r'nnn 'c nh"ut thnt. Many y"ar-
NY '.i- " .tr.li WIS M,INiu- o.e uf her
rf- through Eurol she mot
i.n' m"l Il -lYa'n English gentleman who
To7 'on llF lbr hrrsclt, apparently. for
hoH' ini Ilt .~utr. She formed "a traNrllnr's
%lnt im wt .nin and found him agrac.
,nso3 au- nl .. To. 'Hy ihr way -a.i
MMAH nul- your new EnH- -h Cardinal.
tmnNh inf lh' e'utloman n,ldie--"d hesi-
l't l HlIl, Will "a lfM ana "a 9uilr. said the ldly
Nuull huAr f'uids, lur herself Tho gentleman
WN runll Ndnuu-."
- o'" l.m- ward Mrs Merrill was in
W 'li unr' -ur met Cardinal Mnnning,
,nu 'n'f uWH tutunc' WAS renewed, and
ur''-" igr ud,"p for the Cardinal -he ii'-
xxx, "'" ih @ -iri in r'isiun. nni ilnniiy
apP'l. ~ iNr ,tllN ,iuu 20 The Catholic Church.