Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-08
'DASTARDLY MURDER
Fred. L. Merrill Found at His Home
With His Skull CRUSHED In,
WALTER E. LOCKE ARRESTED
The Murder Was Committed with An Axe
Jealousy Is Said to Be at the
Bottom Of the Bloody Deed.

This morning the coroner's jury rem
dered a verdict that Fred l.. Merrill
had been found dead from a wound in
ficted by an unknown person or per-
sons, the character of the wound indi-
eating ma it was caused by a heavy,
sharp cutting instrument
This afternoon w. E. Locke, brother
in-laW of Merrill, was arrested by Dep
uty Sheriff Richard Huber, charged
with numbering Merrill. Considerable
circumstantial evidence has been gath
cred already tending to implicate Locke,
and an alleged last statement of Merrill
is said to be in Locke's handwriting.
Merrill was seen on the streets as late
as 5 O'Clock yesterday afternoon. 1t was
noticed that he vas somewhat intoxi-
Gated. AT s o'clock in the evening DR..
]. A. Massie was summoned by Locke,
with the tidings that Merrill had COM
mitted suicide in his room in the Gale
COS block. Locke said that he had found
Merrill lying on his back on the bed, and
a 45-caliber revolver, with one chamber
empty, by the bedside.
A statement signed Merrill was
found on the table in which Merrill bade
good-by to his friends.
A coroner's jury was summoned last
evening, consisting of Justice ]. M. Gar
cha, Matthew S.. Groves, ]. E. Lacome,
Gus Gusdorf, T. J. Helm. G. r. Collins
and d. Pacheco, which this morning
gave the above verdict.
Locke insists upon it that Merrill
committed suicide by shooting. He says
that Merrill has Deer melancholy ever
since Mrs. Locke, his sister, died, and
had threatened several times to kill
himself.
THE MURDERER'S METHOD.
The murder was a most cold-blooded
and atrocious one. The victim had taken
a walk to the reservoir with several
returned home he took a pint bottle of
whiskey with him, and after drinking it
apparently threw himself upon the bed
without taking off his clothes. He al
in such a drunken stupor, it is believed,
that he did not hear the murderer enter
the room. The officers believe that the
crime was the result of jealousy over a
woman designated as Dolly in letters
found in Merrill's room.
The murderer evidently struck Mer-
rill with an ak four times across the
head with the sharp edge. One cash 8
inches long cut open the forehead and
gouged out an eye. Two gashes equally
as long cross each other back of the left
temple, While a fourth long cash opened
the skull in back of the right temple.
There are also bruises and cuts on the
body. The blood spattered over the
headboard of the bed and over the wall.
1t soaked the bed clothing and formed
a big pool in the bed and trickled on the
floor. where it clotted in a large dark
red spot.
The murderer her set to work to OBJ
literate the traces of his deed and to
make it appear as if Merrill had COM
mitted suicide. He took a 45-caliber re-
volver, which Walter e. Locke ac-
knowledges is his, and shot at the dead
man. The bullet merely struck the pill
and passed through it, tore a ragged
hole through the headboard of the bed
and knocked a piece of lime out of the
wall. A microscopical examination of
the bullet, which was found by Deputy
Sheriff Huber, shows that it is covered
with down from feathers of the pillow,
but never went through Merrill's head.
The murderer then laid the revolver in
his victims hand. He look some SCOT
from a stove in another room and
smeared it on Merrilrs right hand, so
as to make it appear as if it was pow
Ter burned when discharging the weap-
On. He then sat down at the table and
wrote the following statement:
Dear INTELLECTUALLY. I am going
Anna; she is with me almost every
light. / am tired of this world. God
bless you for what you have done for
Ter and me, and forgive me for going
his way. I just can not live any longer.
You will find in my pocket 1. o. 0. #.
ard; notify them. They will bury me, |
out my God, Walter, I would like to be
buried by her side.
Bury me just as I am. Take every
hing from my pocket but your and
Iosie's picture and put my picture of
in my coffin.
Notify my father and Tom Philips,
also Florence of my death.
"Good-by. More than father, brother
GU We're my best friend I ever had,
nd may God take you to that e%verlast-
ng home. Walter, I am very near
eady to go. Good-by, ever more, and
the last time on earth, may God
rant that you, 0 dear people, Anna
I, may meet in heaven. Poor Fred,
ISIS dear Flossie, good-by, for uncle,
FRED"
"P. S.-When we were out to her
rave I wanted so much to dig down to-.
err coffin and lay down just to be near
err once more. Walter, please, If in
our power, and if it does not cost too
luch. bury me with her and you"
On this note We're the names of sew
raj parties who it was claimed owed