The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-11-21

Court this morning continued I'M
ill Friday morning.
Detectives John Il. Wiley and
Louis r. KcIIam, who took AIer-
riman into custody following the
finding of the body of the young
infant of the Mcrrimans. of whose
murder the father is suspected.
asked for n continuance, on the
ground that they were not ready
to go into the case.
NIerriman was remandcd TO
Jail. He was not represented by
counsel.
Coroner William III. Taylor this
morning held an autopsy over the
body of the infant. With the cN-
CeptiOn of failure to establish the
corpus deficit. or cause of death,
DIR. Taylor pronounced the ou-
tOpsy n successful one.
lie declared 90 The journal to-
day that he discovered n number
of valuable points that would aid
him materially when the cOronlAl
inquest is held tomorrow.
IL Is DIR. TaylOr's belief that
the child would have lived had it
not met foul play.
1T was perfectly normal, and
found no reason why IL should
not have survived" the coroner
said. The infant appeared To be
about day Old.
That the child died from gas
poisoning is COnjeCtural, rather
than conclusive, DIR. Taylor de-
Clarcd. The body was horribly
dcCOmposcd, acc OrdinS TO the doc
tor.
WOman's rawlings Gave CIeW.
Captain of Detectives Mcmahon was,
notified by the hospital authorities
late Monday evening that the wild hos
pital talk of Mrs. Merriman was so
sinister in suggestion that il might
be wise to conduct a quiet investiga-
ton. The woman is in Virginia Hos
pital.
Detective Sergeants Wiley and KEEL
lam were assigned to the case, and
yesterday afternoon found the little
body and arrested Merriman. The
arrest was made after o'clock.
When the detectives went TO the
Norman home on West Main Street
they found Merriman's sister. Mrs.
Virginia Brock, in the house. They
asked TO be allowed TO go over the
premises. giving the impression that
they were health inspectors.
Some difficulty was experienced in
gaining entrance to the work house
but the lock was finally broken. The
detectives found that a quantity OF
wood had been piled in one corner
of the shed. This they moved, and i'm
mediately found fresh earth.
Digging through this with a piece OF
shingle they suddenly uncovered a
baby's foot and leg. Disintegratior
had set in.
DR.. Taylor. the City Coroner, was
summoned by the detectives and the
body placed in his custody.
Merriman and his wife, who hav,
been married only four months, have
been in Richmond only a few weeks
having come here from Brunswick
county, Va.
Merriman's Confession.
Merriman was arrested almos
Immediately after the discovery o
the Saby's body. He denied that hi
wife had given birth 10 any child, blu
later gave Captain Mcmahon a signeC
| confession, saying that a child haC
been born and that it had died. TIL,
confession was as follows:
L, Charles G. Merriman. hereby
state that between IL and =. M. OF
october 20, 1912, my wife. Hattie T
lDrummond Merriman, gave birth Il
a fully-developed baby boy before
could secure the services of a doctor
But 1 finally got DR.. Nuckols, whC
arrived after the child was born anC
| gave the necessary attention to tn,
| child and also to my wife. He lef
the house after giving instructions [,
Iget some one to dress the baby. which
agreed to do, but was unable [,
| get any one, 50 my wife and mYsel
made out the best we could for tn,
time being with the baby. The mex
time DR.. Nuckols visited my wife wa
| about noon the next day, when L tol,
him that j had sent the baby 4
brunswick county to my Wife's moth
er, when, in reality, the child ha,
been killed the night before in be-
with myself and wife in some wa
that 1 am unable to explain
l About A. NJ. October %. 191;
ii, Charles G. Merriman, carried IN
corpse of the child to the woodhous
in the rear of 1915 West Main Stree
and dug a grave and buried the corps
in the woodhouse. After this wa
accomplished 1 continued to admin
ister to my wife under instruction
from DIR. Nuckols until October 3Otl
when DR.. Nuckols and DR.. w. J. Yves
had my wife removed to the Virgini
Hospital, where she now is under tn
care of DR.. Nuckols.
| (Signed)
| CHARLES G. MERRIMAN.
Witnesses: Captain II. j. Mcmahon
Sergeant John 4. Wiley, Sergear
Louis r. Kellam."
A birth certificate in the City Healt
Department headquarters verifies Mel
riman's statement, II notification I
necessary, the names and dates agree
ing in every way with the mans cor
fession.