Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-02-28
loraI ann State Nfms.
Monday, February 20, 1881.
HORRIBLE!
One Of the Most Atrocious
Murders in the An
nails Of Crime
A Young Man in China Murders
His IlQQlgGnt Mother /!
CHOPS THE LIMBS INTO
PIECESl
Pours Kerosene on the
Mutilated Parts,
AND THROWS Them INTO The.
FIRE.
He Buries the BODY
in the Woods!
THE MURDERER C0NFESSES ALL.
AND THROWS THEM INTO The
FIRE.
He Buries the Body
in the Woods!
The MURDERER C0NFESSES ALL.

One of the most atrocious murders ever
recorded in the annals of crime has occurred
near Weeks Mills, China, beautiful little
village twelve miles from Augusta. For
codbooded wickedness and apathetic indif-
ference, the murderer will rank alongside
any criminal whose foul deeds have made
mankind shudder.
WHERE THE CRIME WAS COMMITTED.
mile north of the village of Weeks
Mills is story and half farmhouse, with a
long, low ell attached Around it stand
trees of evergreen. which were put there to
protect the cellar from the fierce frOsts of
winter. A little above the house are two
substantial looking barns, built at right
angles with each other. By one of these
barns is huge pile of manure. The farm
house was the residence of two families. In
one side lived Mrs. Deborah Merrill, wo-
man II years of age, and her son Charles, a
young man nearly % years old. The other
side of the house was occupied by Mrs. Mer-
rlll's daughter, Mrs. George Lilly. Mrs.
Merrill husband has been away all winter
at work in the woods around Moosehead
Lake. Mrs. Lilly's husband is employed at
the Insane Hospital in Augusta AS engineer.
Although mother and daughter lived under
the same roof, they had very little to do
with one another, and strong feeling of an
upathy existed between the two. So high ran
this feeling that last fall, when Mrs. Lilly
was confined to her bed by childbirth,
HER MOTHER DID NOT VISIT HER.
The son Charles, who has lived with his
mother this winter, doing the chores, etc,
lsa very bad boy, and is generally disliked
IN the community He is an incorrigible
thief, and has been arrested several times
Tor stealing. Last fall he voted the green
dent republican, turned him out of doors and
told him in the future he must earn his own
hNing. He left town in quest of employment
but did not succeed very well in finding work.
Finally, after his father went into the woods,
his mother told him that he might come home
and remain through the winter. The first OF
FEBRUARY he returned. The sting of being
turned out of doors in tbs fall still ranked in
his heart and he
NURsED HIS VENGEANCE.
Mrs. Lilly heard frequent alterations be-
tween the two, and they spent considerable
TINE in chickering's The mother would re-
monstrate with the boy for his misdeeds, and
ne would return sullen answer. On Satur-
DAY afternoon. February 10Th, the daughter
aw her mother and brother drive of IN the
direction of the mills" in a pung. They
returned about four o'clock. Charles drove
around to the barn, and left his mother stand
ing IN the yard. That was the last time Mrs
Lilly ever saw her mother alive.
The next morning, Sunday, she had oc
casion to go to the kitchen in the other part
OF the house. She noticed that the windows
and doors were open, and detected the stencil
Oh burning flesh. One of the stove doors. was
slightly broken, and she saw through the
chlnks something that looked like piece OF
meat sizzling on the ruddy Goals. Her
brother was down cellar picking over potatoes
Mrs. Lilly called out
CHARLIE, WHAT Is THAT Which SMELLS
So:"
lie replied that he was cleaning out the
stove. She knew that he was accustomed
uurlng his mothers absence, to throw all the
cold meat into the fire, as he disliked warmed
over food, and she thought nothing further OF
The occurrence. The next morning she
asked her brother what had become OF hef
mother, and he replied that he guessed sne
had gone to visit several sick families VINO
lived in remote parts of the town. as she mao
Pur ON HER BEST CLOTHES
and left home the day before. The sister
anxiety was thus dispell.d, and she supposed
that everything was all right. Monday the
young man came to Augusta with ioad o.
Potatoes. He returned home at nlgnuau