Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-10
A TENNESSEE TRAGEDY.
An Old Lady Killed by Her So,,-t,, -La,c..
Nashville American a

Nashville, American.
A report reached the city shortly before 8
O'Clock yesterday afternoon to the effect that
an old lady named Mrs. Osborne had been
murdered on the Elliston place, three miles
from the city, between the Harding and Char.
lotte turnpike, only an hour or so previous,
by her son-in-law, Thomas Merriman.
A reporter of the american mounted a
horse, and in less than half an hour after he
started was at the scene of the tragedy. On
the side of long rocky hill, just above the
Northwestern railroad, he saw the house, q
small frame shanty of two rooms, surround
ed by few young fruit trees. The lifeless
body of the occupant of this
humble cabin lay on shuck mattress a
few feet from the house, and covered with
bed-spread. Some six or eight ladies of the
nelghborhood were near by, anxious for the
coroner's inquest to be over, that they might
cleanse and dress the body.
When the reporter arrived there were only
four men present, beside the coroner, and it
required seven to compose a,jury of inquest.
The reporter was summoned as q juryman; q
man walking along the railroad was also
called and required to serve, and messenger
was dispatched for the nearest neiphbor to
complete the jury.
After much delay the jury we're sworn at
O'Clock just as they were being sworn, the
daughter of the deceased and the wife of the
murderer, a middle-aged lady, arrived in
company with two of her children, boy and
girl. The scene that followed was q dis
tressing one. The mother threw herself upon
the body of her mother and cried at the top
of her voice, "Lord, help my poor mother"
"Let me die with her." "Lord, have mercy
upon her." Her face was greatly swollen.
and, when asked the cause of it, she said that
her husband had beaten her up in the fore
noon, and would have killed her had it not
been for her grown son, who came to her
relief, and by main force took his father
from the house. The father then ATTEMPTED
to kill the son, and about noon left the house.
The jury of inquest now surrounded the
mattress, the coverlid was removed, and the
dead body was exposed. The deceased was
60 years of age, with dark skin, black hair,
sprinkled with a few strands of white. There
was not tooth in her mouth. She was
quite feshy, and had been in unusually good
health of late years. She wore a brown
checked wrapper. A portion of her clothing
was removed, SO as to show the wound to the
jury. 1t was six inches long and half as
wide, in her left groin. The examination of
the witnesses was then begun.
The husband of the deceased, Morris o.
borne, stated that between and 2 o'clock he
was sitting by the side of the house, with his
chisel and Ratchet, myrticing hole in a
piece of scantling, when his son-in-law.
Thomas Merriman, made his appearance and
asked him what he was doing. He simply
looked up and made the reply that he was
doing what he was always doing-working.
"Where is Carrier" (his daug hter) asked
Merriman. He said he wanted her to come out
of the house and place herself before his
gun. She did not come, and Caroline-the
murdered woman-who was in the house
Smelling peas, came to the door and asked,
"What's the matter, Thomas?' when he de-
hberately placed his gun against her and
tired. She fell out the door and cried "mur-
DER twice. Merriman then cursed the
witness number of times, and when he
called for help, Merriman ran as fast as he
could in The direction of his own home. He
was not in the house more than two min
utes. Mrs. Osborne died in about half an
hour after being shot.
The gun was double barreled shotgun.
Osborne thought Merriman was intoxicated.
He made no excuse. He had threatened to
kill the old woman before, and had previous
~ said that he intended to kill Osborne if it
took him fifty years. The family, Osborne
said, had always been kind to Merriman,
who used to act badly, but had conducted
himself better of late years.
Miss Carrie Merriman, the murderer's
daughter, was the only witness to the killing
except Osborne. She said, when called upon
to testify, that her evidence would be the
40 t0oa o0 fhofN ha,s
The jury then retired and returned YER
dict "that she came to her death from gun
shot wound in the groin, the gun being in
the hands of Thomas Merriman. and that f.
was done without cause or provoeation.''
The body has been removed into the
house, and the jurors, or most of them, re-
turned to the city.
Deputy Sheriffs John L. Price, Jr., and w.
81. Blackman, learning that Merriman had
gone in the direction of his home, in the rear
of Hefernan's in the Thirteenth district, fol-
lowed up in that direction as early as posi-
bic, but could not overtake him. Sheriff Price
and Deputy Blackman kept on, however, to
Cockrill's Bend. They went to the house of J.
Cockrill, nine miles from the city, and were
informed where Dick Copeland, Merriman's
son-in-law, lived. In company with Mr..
Cockrill. they went there about Z o'clock
last night, and found Merriman seated be-
side the Fireplace. They arrested him with
out resistance, brought him to the city, and
placed him in JAIL. arriving at the latter
place at 10 o'clock. Copeland stated that
Merriman came there between and 5
o'clock, and his supper was being cooked
when the officers arrived. The prisoner
talked very little, saying nothing except
when asked questlons. He was as calm and
sober as any one could be-. He said he was
not intoxicated when he did the shooting;
but that he only shot Mrs. Osborne in the
leg, and that the gun went off accidentally
when she took hold of it after he had shot
her.
Merriman is about so years old, and a
farmer by occupation.