Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-07-15
THE MYSTERY OF
THOMAS MERITHEW.
[Orisinal.l

hlm 10 earn money. Tor he nau inner
| tied a fortune, which grew steadily
while in his possession. Since he left
no children, his wife inherited all his
property. A few years after his death
the wife died, and the estate passed
, into the possession of Merithew lnger-
soil. his nephew.
During Thomas Merithew's life there
were whisperings concerning him, 1t
was said that he did not live happily
with his wife and that he would fire.
quently go away from her; that when
he did so no one knew where he went
that at such times instead of being a
model of probity he led wild life
But there was a discrepancy in these
reports, for if no one knew where he
went how could it be known that he
lived wild life?
Ten Years after his death his former
friends and acquaintance were aston
iShed to read in a newspaper that
young man living in New York city
had put in a claim for the Merithew
fortune. This person had been brought
up under the name of Edward Coyle,
but claimed the name of Edward Meri-
thew, asserting that he was legiti-
mate son of Thomas Merithew, that
his mother had been married to Meri-
thew prior to the latter's marriage to
his acknowledged wife and that as the
sole surviving heir he was entitled to
all of his fathers property.
The case proved intensely interesting
to both those who knew the Merithews
and to the public generally. AS soon
as it was begun the rumors that had
been circulated during Thomas Meri-
thew's life took shape. Leonard Grit
fin, Buffalonian, testified that he had
had a speaking acquaintance with Meri-
thew; that on one occasion while visit
ing New York he had met Merithew Oh
Wall street, had bowed to him, and
Merithew passed on without noticin
him. Wondering if he could be mis-
taken in his man, he followed him and
saw him go into an Office. Merithew
soon came out, and Griffin, going in,
asked who the man was. He was told
that he was William Coyle, Ostensibly
bond broker, but really a speculative
investor
Another witness, Putnam Palmer.
testified that in restaurant in New
York he had seen man he supposed
to be Merithew. Merithew was with Il
woman and boy Palmer looked AT
Merithew, who returned his gaze with
out recognition. Upon inquiry at the
desk he was Informed that the man
often dined there with the woman and
the boy, who were understood to be his
wife and son.
Leonard Anderson testified that Meri-
thew had told him that there was Il
man in New York who so closely re-
sembled him that the two men were
often mistaken for each other. Counsel
for defendant before the trial came on
traced him up to date not far from
that of Merithew's death; then the dou-
BILE suddenly disappeared. He also
searched for the wife and son. but
could find no trace Of them. The at
torney made strong point of the fact
that they had made no claim to Meri-
thew's fortune at the time of his de-
cease.
Witnesses were produced who knew
Thomas Coyle of New York, and they
one and all testified that he was not
man of good character by any means.
He was known to have been interested
In the organization of spurious corpo-
10 WI Inv nj IL,
tired with the money Of the credulous
investors.
There would have been no case at all
for the claimant had it not been for
Thomas Merithew's frequent disap-
| pearances. Counsel for the defense
made every effort to fix the place or
places to which he went during one or
more of his absences from home, but
! failed. The moment he left Buffalo he
seemed to have passed out of exist.
ence. Ingersoll. the defendant. ran
sacked his aunt's letters, hunting for
one from her husband written during
| one of these periods, but found none
| to prove that he was not in New York.
When the trial was concluded and
| the jury returned to the room to an
| nounce a verdict IL was found that
| there was no agreement. Six jurors
| were for the plaintiff and six for the
| defendant. OF course there was new
| trial. New evidence adduced at this
| trial was mention by Mrs. Thomas
| Merithew in letter to her husband of
| former marriage of her husband, but
when Merithew had come to Buffalo
many years before he gave out that he
had married at nineteen and his wife
had died. An acquaintance of Mrs.
Coyle testified that she was not an
| educated woman and must have been
a few years older than her husband.
| The claimant stated that she had died
very soon after the death of Thomas
Merlthew.
The second trial resulted, like the
| first, without verdict though ten of
| the twelve jurymen were in favor of
the plaintiff After this second trial
the plaintiff withdrew his claim. He
afterward lived in comfort under the
name of Coyle. 1t was supposed that
the case had been settled out of court.
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