The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-01
THE MERRILL MATRICIDE.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE WEEKS
MILLS TRAGEDY.
Crime which it will be Hard to Match.

Further details of the tragedy at Weeks
Mills only serve to emphasize the diabolical ma
ture of the crime and stamp it as without par
allel in the criminal annals of Maine Charles
Merrill, the murderer, is % years of age and
lived with his mother, whose name was De-
borah Merrill, and whose age was 81, in low
story and half farm house about mile north
of the village of Weeks Mills. Mrs. Merrill
apd her son occupied one half of the house
and Mrs. Merrill's daughter, Mrs Lilly, the
other. Mrs. Merrll's husband has been away
all winter in the woods logging. The mother
and her children have not got along happily.
There was no intercourse between Mrs. Merrill
and her daughter, though they lived in the
same house, and the m Others relations with
her son were not pleasant. Previous to the
tragedy he bore a very bad reputation, and had
been arrested several times for stealing. Last
fall he voted the Greenback ticket, and, if he
is worthy of credence, for this act, which his
mother looked upon as heinous crime, he
was turned out of doors and told to get his own
living for the future. He went off in search
of employment, but found none. After his
father went to the woods his mother told him
he might stay with her during the winter. He
came back the first of February. Since then
he and his mother have frequently quarrelled
over the sale of farm produce, his mother ao-
cusing him of selling produce and putting the
proceeds in his own pocket. On the day of the
tragedy Charles drove his mother to the Mills
in pung. When they got back a quarrel over
the sale of some potatoes took place, and it
was while this was in progress that he seized
the hammer and struck his mother two blows,
the last of which proved fatal.
The day following the murder Mrs. Lilly,
having occasion to 60 to the kitchen in the
other part OF the house. noticed that the win
| dows and doors were open, and detected the
| stencil of burning flesh. One of the stove
doors was slightly broken and she saw through
the chinks something that looked like piece
| of meat sizzling on the ruddy Goals. Her
brother was down celler picking over potatoes.
II Mrs. Lilly called, "Charlie, what is that which
II smells SOP" He replied that he was cleaning
II out the stove She knew that he was accus-
toned, during his mothers absence, to throw
II all the cold meat into the fire, as he diSliked
warmed-over food, and she thought nothing
Il further of the occurrence. The next morning
|, she asked her brother what had become of her
mother and he replied that he guessed she
| had gone to visit several sick families who
| lived in remote parts of the town as she had
put on her best clothing and left home the day
| before. The sisters anxiety was thus dis
| PEELED and she supposed that everything was
all right. Monday the young man went to Au.
gusta with a load of potatoes. He returned
home at nightfall. 1t was storming outside
and the wind whirled the sleet against the
window panes and shook the house furiously.
That night Charles built a roaring fire in the
fireplace in the sitting room of his mothers
apartment. His sister heard the blaze crack
ling up chimney, and feared the house would
catch fire. She went into the room to remon.
strate with her brother. The kerosene car
stood on the floor. There was a tremendous
fire in the fireplace, and Mrs. Lilly saw some
thing resembling chunk of meat among the
wood. She asked her brother what it was and
lie said it was pitch pine knot No suspicion
had entered her mind up to this time that hel
brother was capable of committing such q
damnable crime as matricde. She feared thai
he had stolen some meat from a neighbor and
taken this method of disposing Of it. The
next morning he washed the andirons
Several days passed. A horrible forebodins
that everything was not all right seized upoI
Mrs. Lilly. She questioned her brother close
ly about her mothers whereabouts, but coult
elicit nothing satisfactory. A neighbor drop
ped in, and Mrs. Lilly communicated her sus
picons that foul play had been committed
This lady at once notified Deputy Sheriff
Frank Percival of China, who visited tn,
house and conversed with Mrs. Lilly. Thi
was Friday. By this time whisper and intima
tions began to float through the neighborhoot
that Mrs. Merrill had been foully murdered.