Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1895-12-14
AWFUL MURDER!
e. E. Merrill and Daughter of
Pima, Killed by Indians.
Found Dead in tho Road Six Mile
West of Ash Springs-Mocca-
sin Tracks Discovered.

| SIN Tracks uncovered.
Wednesday morning Frank Courtney
of Duncan, brought The news to Solo
knoxville that @ man and woman haC
| been murdered on the Solom nville anC
| Sheldon road six miles west OF Ash
Springs. 1t was at once eurmised thai
the murdered parties we're Mr.. HoratiC
d. Merrill aid lis daughter, who haC
camped near the residel ce Of John
Parks Monday night.
The dead bodies were discovered in
the road near their wagon by j. f.. Z.
Waters about o'clock Tuesday even
ing as he was going home from Solom IN
vile. When he rode up The wagon WAS
standing across the road and the kort G.:
had whIrled and looked the front wheels
md one of the horses had fallen under
the tongue where 1t yet lay. The bodies
OF the man and woman were yet wars
and the killing bad only been few
moments before. MIR. Waters hurried
on to Duncan and notified the ofii GERS
there and Justice H8ynie and Deputy
Sheriff Black gathered coroner's Jury
and came al once to the scene of t. e
murder.
An examination showed that the part
les who did the killing was composed Of
five or SIX persons, al wearing mecca
sins, from which the natural inference
is that Indians are responsible for the
bloody deed aid have added two more
as:rCcious murders t. the already long
list of human butcheries in Arizona.
The man was identified by papers found
on the body Gs Ii. Ii, Merrill and q
wagon was loaded with grain which he
was hauling to the Clifton market. He
was ehot twice, cnce through the heart
and once through the head. His con-
panion was Ills IT. year old daus liter.
She was shot twice through the body.
In the wagon Was provision box. 1t
was carried away some two hundred
yards and left empty. What provision
was not eaten was carried away. Fur
tier on the trail some distance pocket
Dock, belonging to Mr.. Merrill, was
picked up. Ii contained only some
papers and small lady's RIG.
CoRoNoR's INQUEST.
The following is the proceedings of
tie coronor's inquest, held by Justice
j. r. Haynie:
"Inqu=st held on the Solomonville
ard Clifton road six miles from Ash
Springs towards Solomonville. The fell
lowing jury was sworn to inquire iato
the cause OF death OF a man and woman
found in the road: Tom Window, w.
Holland, Joe Terrill, Lee Window, John
Clay, Chas. Holmes, Sam Mcmillan,
John Woods, j. j. Putnam. After
iewing the ground around the dead
todles and wagon, and discovering moe
casin tracks OF SIX persons, j. l.. T.
Waters, of Duncan, Graham county.
Arizona was sworn and testified:
Last evening as | was riding home
from Solomonville, | came to this wagon
about o'clock and discovered the TWO
bodies lying N the road. After trying
10 arouse first the man and then the
woman, L discovered OloCd issuing from
the mans mouth and was satisfied he
was dead. l wGs not certain whether
the woman was or not. placed quilt
under the head Of each and covered the
bodies aid then released the of horse
from the wagon, it having fallen under
the tongue. l then Embarrassed the
near horse ard transferred my saddle
from my horse to it aud rode to Duncan
aud informed j. ". Black, the deputy
sheriff. [ recognized the man as ono
who told Mr.. O'Briep AID myself on
Monday, at the Waste ditch of the Mon
tezuma canal, on the Saff rd road, that
his name was Merrill and that be lived
in Pima. This same woman was with
him but | don't know who she was.
j. L. T. WATERS.
j. L. Black, of Duncan, was sworn
and testified: | passed these two per
scps on this wagon on the mesa below
here about Or 4:30 o'clock. and ex
changed a few remarks with then. !
Was en- my way to Duncan from Solom-
oDville. j. Il. BLACK.
The verdio; OF the coroner's jury WIGS
as follows:
eve, the jury, find that this man and
woman came to their death from the
effects of gunshot wounds fred by per
sons to rs unknown, supposed to be To-
diane.
Sheriff Wight organized posse i'm.
mediatrly alter receiving the news and
started early Wednesday morning to
take the trail. The posse consisted OF
James V. Parks, w. III. Parks, John H..
Parks, Joe Terrell and Johnny Woods.
Horatio ii. Merrill, the murdered man
has been resident Of his valley for the
past five years, living in the vicinity OF
Pima He Was probably GO years old, a
lard worker and tender father TO b 8
family. He came here from Utah and
settled on piece of land in the vicinity
| of Cottonwood Wash where he spent bis
last dollar trying 10 make home. he
made failure and moved into Pima
where he has since lived. His daughter
who was murdered with him, was only
fifteen years old, and was going TO Cliff
ton to work for w. III. Whipple and
family. Father and daughter left Pima
Monday morning IN a wagon loaded with
grain, and camped at the residence OF
John Parks above SolomOnville the
same night.
Mr.. Merrill leaves wife and FIVE child
rem in destitute circumstances. The
Oldest child is boy, II or Is years oil
! ACE -Rullafin