El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-04-22
SUFFERED
HIS FATE.
Christopher NJ rry Hung in the Anar-
chists COraer of the Cook County
Just For the Murder of lis Wife

Christopher NJ rry Hung in the Anar-
chists COraer of the Cook County
Just For the Murder of His Wife.
Merry was hung in the Cook county
Jail a IL OF p. m for the murder of his
wife on NOvem Der 10 last. Tie execu-
ton took place in the same corner of
the old Jail in which the anarchists
forfeited their livee, and the ropes, the
handouts, the straps we're the same as
used on one of tie victims of the gal
lows on that occasion. The scaffold
was erected last night, the mechanism
being so complete that less than two
hours were required to put it together
and test it
The crime for which Merry died to-
day WAS one of the most brutal in local
police annals. Merry and a number
of his associates had terrorized the cit
y. ars. He was p dler by trade and
ard p litician by occupation and his
ability to carry his own preo net and q
good many of the surrounding ones had
secured him immunity from police in
reference for many years.
| The night of Tuesday. November %
Captain Wheeler of the Maxwell street
STATION was notified that murder had
been committed in q cottage at so
Hope street a dark and narrow alley
running east and west between MORGAN
street and Blue Island avenue, just
north Of West Polk street. The first
tiD given the police was in the shape
of an anony nous letter in which it was
stated that Mrs. Merry had not been
seen since the previous Thursday,
when she had had quarrel with the
despe ~sdo. The cap aiu, accom- panied
by two detectives, went to the cottse e
and Investigated, finding evidence of a
struggle. The only clew to murder,
however, was q clot of hood on the
mattress. The child of Chris Merry
was gue-tio. ed and the little fellow
unwittingly told enough to explain the
blood clot Papa bit mamma with a
poker and then took her away in q
wagon" was the little fellows concise
statement. Inquiry was made in the
neighborhood and then the police be-
gan to try to trace the boy, satisfied
that the woman bad been killed.
James Hickey, alias Ryan, one of Mer-
rvs ass cia,es. was arrested two days
later on suspicion that he knew some
thing of the murder. he was found
hiding in the hay in stable. he
police took Clotwor,hy Cough, an IN.
Gle of Merry. into custody. Cough
knew much of the domestic life OF
M. rry and told all be knew. Hickey
was made to believe that Cough had
told all he knew ard the police had
little t-ouhle in ind 'cing him to
do Hxew Sc. He told how he ! went
nigh. of the murder and found Smith
pal of Merry in the kitchen. M, rry
and bis wife were in the front room
gu srreliog. He saw Merry strike his
wife over the head with a poker and
when she fell, pick her up and carry
her tn the sofa. The ARIEL was
lover a triv al matter ind Chris beat bis
half. fsmished wife, Pauline before the
eyes of their three ear old baby uutil
nearly every bone in her body was
broken and then he calmly watched
her dying struggle from o'clock ill
midnight. The next night re
and Smith INSISTED M .rry to take the
remains. which mad remained hidden
under the kict en- floor during,tb the day,
to Eighty-seveuth street, where they
we're buried in ditch. Here the
and his detectives Sunday, November
%. In thu meantime Merry and
Smi h had disappeared A hue and
cry was sent tn rOugho the country by
the po'ics department.. Energetic
sheritfs in twenty counties of as
many states arrested tramps on sus-
picion, and about all the available force
| Vi tne local oeGecIiVe uepdrtIuehG "as
kept on the jump for weeks only to
fipd that in every case the captors OF
| the supposed murderers had been mis-.
| taken. Finally Merry ard Smith were
corralled near Princeton, KY The
one admitted his guilt and the other his
completely Merry was tried and con-
victed, and the date of exc cutiou set
for 'he 18th of February. A stay of
execution was granted to give the cou-
demned mans attorneys time to ex-
haust every possible legal means that
could be brought to bear in the
prisoners .behalf, All we're unavai'-
ing, however. and further clemen
| was denied.