Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-19
A DOUBLE DEED OF BLOOD.
The NurderOns Work OF a Mnnfac, Urice,,
Insane By Losses--Kflli,aO First q Neigh
Dor, Then Himself.

The Warde3ONS WOyI; OF a M07lf0c, Urice1l
Insane by Losses--KtlliaO First a Neigh
Dor, Then Himself.
The New York World of the 18th inst.
says that Yonkers was thrown into state of
the widest excitement this evening, by the
news that double murder had been COM
mitted in one of the outlying sections of the
town. The news, when verified, proved to
be murder and suicide, both the freak of an
insane resident of the fourth ward of Yon-
kers.
The scene of the tragedy was the house of
the mailman and that of his next door neigh
Dor. The murderer and suicide was Theron
Merritt, a man about thirty-nine years of
age. and the victim q woman named Ann
Eliza Leggatt, widow of Mr.. Samuel Leg
gait.
Mr.. Merritt is the son of Jacob Merritt, an
old business man of this city. He had three
children. Mrs. Leggatt was about fifty
years of age, the mother of five children.
Four children live at the family homestead,
where they were at the time of the occur
renee.
About o'clock in the afternoon Merritt
came to the Leggatt residence, and seemed
about to enter it. Mrs. Leggatt and her
daughter Linda were Just about to leave the
house. Mrs. Leggatt endeavored to per-
suade him to return to his own residence.
He refused to go. They then left him, and
retiring into the house, closed the inner yes
thule doors, in which there are large glass
panels. Merritt passed into the vestibule,
and closing the outer doors, reiterated his
demand to be admitted. He was again adj
vised to go home, but answered "I'n get in if
I have to stay here twenty-four hours" and
almost Immediately drew small revolver
from his pocket and fired shot through the
glass panel. The ball struck Mrs. Leggatt,
who was standing beside her daughter in the
hall, at the inner angle of the left eye, pass
ing into the brain, and she was killed almost
Immediately.
Merit replaced the pistol in his pocket
and passed into the porch. He called to the
coachman and gave instructions that a
passed rapidly to his home. Here he met
her he said, in jubilant tone: $50 home
no use of your being here; I've shot your
mother, and she is dead.'' Upon hearing
this the girl flew homeward, while Merritt
passed into the kitchen of his house and
took drink of water. His mother,
woman over sixty years of age, was stand
ing in the hall way and asked him about his
action at Mrs. Leggatt's house. He made
no reply, but passed out of her sight into
the parlor. An instant later the report of
pistol was heard, and, going at once to the
spot, the mother found her son stretched
upon the parlor floor, dead. He had placed
the same pistal to his own breast and sent
bullet through his heart, producing instant
death.
The wife of the murderer was rendered al
most frantic at the sight of her dead hus-
band and the news of his act, and during
the night was in condition bordering on
insanity. Miss Linda Leggatt chung to her
dead mothers body until removed by friends,
who came in upon hearing of the affair.
The two families are spoken of in the high
est of term, and are connected by marriage.
Mrs. Leggatt was woman of wealth, her
father having died recently, leaving her over
half million. About eight years ago her
husband was found in an clubhouse on the
place with pistol ball in his left eye.
Whether his death was due to suicide or
murder has never yet been determined. The
mother and father of Theron Merritt speak
of him as an exemplary son. For some
time past his mind has been affected, owing
to business troubles in Chicago and else
where.
A later account has the usual rumors about
improper intimacy between the murdered
woman and the murderer.