New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-10
KILLED HIS WIFES LOVER.
A STARTLING TRAGEDY IN GRATz PARK.
LEXINGTON. KY.
THOMAS H. MERRITT, THE DEAD MAN. WAS
PENSION AGENT. AND JACOB 8. HARRIS
WHO SHOT HIM WAS THE Hus-
BAND OF HIS TYPEWRITER.


BAND OF HIS TfPEWhlIEit.
my TELEGRAPH TO THE rnIBuSE.]
Lexington, Ky. July 9.--Six men were khied
by violence in Lexington to-day. and another
was added to the list at o'clock tonight wneh
Jacob s. Harris a young commercial tra'eher'
shot and instantly killed in Gratz Park his wire
lover. Thomas II. Merritt, a pension agent
Merritt was forty years old and Whoever ne
formerly lived in Louisville
Merritt employed Mrs. Harris as copyist IN
his office about three months ago, and she had
been working for him ever since Her husoanu
had bee, Jealous Of her, and told her, when he
heard that she had gone buggy riding with Mer-
rift that she must not do so again or there
would he trouble. For several days he had peeh
calling at Merritt's office every afternoon ABOUT
the time his wife quit work and walking nome
with her.
Whom sbe left their boarding house for the
oe,co a. noon to-day he told her he would call
nc rsrol He called but she was not In. He
saw Merritt walking down the street, ana ne
suspected that Merritt would go to his wife. He
saw Merritt and Mrs. Harris meet In Gratz
Park and waited near by for nearly an hour.
When it began to grow dark he crept into the
rark and went I'D to within a few feet OF the
seat on which Merritt and his wife were sitting
He saw them kissing each other. ana theh DC
saw his wife sitting on Merrtfs lap.
Rushing upon them he fired pointbianK al
MerrItt's face The bullet missed, but the pow
der burned the skin. Merritt jumped up and ran.
Harris continued to fire and pursued Merritt
for nearly a hundred yards. He snot MIN
through the back and once in left side OF the
neck. cutting the jugular ven This shot soon
proved fatal Before he could get out OF the
park Merritt fell on his face dead.
At first there was no cew to the slayer OF
Merritt, but the police soon found that Harris
had suspected him, and they went to Harriss
boarding house. where they found him greatly
agtated They placed him under arrest. and he
told the story substantially as related above.
Mrs Harris is about twenty -four years old
prepossessng in appearance and highly ac-
complished. She was Miss Effie Thompson.
daughter Of the Rev F. S. Thompson promi-
nent Baptist minister Of Missouri. She has two
children a boy Of seven and a girl of six Mer-
ritt was the son Of Frank Merritt Of Louisville.
He had been In this city about seven years and
did a thriving business The tragedy occurred
IN the site Of the old Pennsylvania University,
whore Jefferson Davis James Beck, Thomas F.
Marshall and many other distinguished men
Mrs Harris was arrested and taken to the sta
ton house about 10 o'clock. She was gr. atly eA-
cited and the officers told her that her lover was
only slightly wounded Half an hour later, wnen
her two sisters called to see her tney toiu ne nei
that her husband had killed Merritt. she rant
ed. and 1t was some time before sne couio oe re-
vived. r "A 49,.
Mrs Harris corroborated the details OF the
shooting as given, and said her husband nad
been Jealous OF her for several years. Iney nau
,ived apart during much Of their married lie
and he had threaten ed other men besides Msr-
rift.