Year: 1873

the second floor, opposite the Merrigans; another
,am'y aas ALSO hyed on the first noor who moved IN
sasI Monaay; ! don't knew the name; the man ID
here; here; there, the rest OF the first floor was empty;
Mrs. Merriam asked me Wednesday morning
she paid me a dollar and took the kew:
she said 10 the morning she would see If her hus
land liked the lower rooms; II so, she would take
them; did not see him go there 70 see the rooms:
l was not in Mrs: Merrigan's rooms during the
quarter alter nine; had been out am, as came
home my husband came out and told me smoke
into tie YARD MRS MerrsSn cams shutters u,a
yard at the same time from the house OF er SISTER
in-law across the street; asked her IL she had the
take In light, think there is Kerosene there -
told her thought her husband was there. Tor I
heard n usic there had often heard him playing
the nute, but not Tuesday Wednesday night; I;
had heard the music about quarter of an hour
before; she answered there was nobody up stars
her husband was ut a meeting; she went away,
and some time after she and her husband came
back; think 1t was quarter OF an hour alter; by
her for the key OF the first noor room,
and She SAID she hadn't it; her husband
also said he did not have the key; she
disappeared when her husband looked for her to
get the keys he came back soon and said he could
not ind his vile, she might be at her mothers Mr.
Merrigan stayed In the yard Till the fireman found
the body of the lady up stairs and took him up to
the room; went up also; TIE fireman asked him
how the dead lady came there; ne answered that
he did not know; did not see Mrs. Merrgan after
that she IL now here In court: had been out for
pint of lager beer aud had been away about five


Question by prisoners counsel-Hsd you been in
Mrs. Merrigan's house that week


Witness-N0, saw no STRANGERS going into Mrs.
Merrigan's that week; several people were going
and coming, but did not notice who.


James Il. Hamill sworn-I reside at Riverside,
Conn; ! had u sister named Margaret Ann
Hamlll; saw q body at the undertakerS ONCE
last Friday and recognized it as Margaret, my
sister, am positive as to the identity; last saw
her alone at go West Fortyeighth street, where
she boarded, about two weeks before; did not
know Mr.. or Mrs. Merrigan, and had never
neard my sister speak OF them; my sister
carried small leather satchel like that
now shown; l cannot identify this; this
key now shown resembles one she had, which
fitted box IN the Stuyvesant safe Deposit Com
pany's vaults az Third avenue ana seventh street.
about her; money, jewelry, gold watch ana chain,
rings earrings brooch, .SCo 3c sometimes had as
more about the first OF the month than at other
times; from my knowledge OF her affairs she would
$66 60 on the 1st or I'd OF the month; she kept no
bank account; received the last sum from William
GaaTan one OF her tenants wno @ Keeps at No ss5
any other sums that know Of she had consider
able property OF her own; have no doubt OF the
identity OF the dead body as that OF my sister.


BY prisoners counsel-I believe from the shape
and size of the key shown that 1t is the
no stock or bonds of hers recently nor
do know that either OF her brothers did;
did not know Of her being lately cheated out
OF large share OF her prOperty my sister
was not eccentric In her habits; she was steady,
about thirty-two years old; she had no business





pontment; she transacted her own business; was
not her agent; | do not know that she ever at
tempted to commit suicide or threatened to do so
never knew any one to take arsenic from her;
did not collect her rents; saw her some times once
or twice month; visited her at her boarding
house; her other brother did not visit her; she
visited at my house.


David G. Coe sworn-I boarded at 199 Ninth
street till Friday last, with Mrs. Kip, the first
noor; last Thursday night came to the house and
sat down TO write about ten minutes past nine;
the landlady rushed in shouting that there was





from the windows OF the second floor; ran in and
got pail as got to the hydrant saw Mrs. Merr-
gan in the yard following and screaming; | asked
her. "Where Is your baby ?" she held Ii up In her
arms IS started tsd, up with water says she Don't
II win 60 i" went in with the
lapdlady, who opened the door with
the k no name m ge to % the the mdae OF
threw water on It and put 1t out; the blaze was
on the bed near the head about foot from the
when recovered got more water ana went up
again; found blaze again and put 1t out; asked
tied with rope about inch thick; cut the rope
and got IN; got water .s ,,,,g again and went 10
tue corpse in the bedroom the two headboards
were standing ana the sides; most OF the sneets
were down at one side; the head Of the body was
at the loot OF the bed towards the door; started
to go down and discovered light In closet out or
the large room, towards the ront It was all ablaze
met Mr.: Merrigan on the stairs, asking whether
his tool cnest was burned and his





was dead person there; he said there was no
person in his rooms; that was mistaken; asked
FEW @ minutes by @ lime the e@en
noticed a strong smell OF Kerosene as soon as l
went in the door; next day saw Merrgan's fur
niture in the rooms down stairs; the two fires
looked to be DISTINCT there was straw in the bed
room; pulled on the bed ana threw it out OF the
window before discovered the body; the body
was slanting, the head down and the feet up on
tue Stats.


Question by prisoners Counsel-I was not cx-
n
can OF kerosene there; there was broken lamp
on the table in the large room; the closet door
was closed when found the second flre.


BY juror don't know that Merrigan went up
to see the body; icould not say whether lie seemed
was the first person in the room.


John Egan sworn-I live at No. 232 First street;
last week, Thursday evening, helped the prisoner,
Mrs. Merrigau, to move some furniture rom the
second to the first floor Ia the rear house No. 1919
Ninth street; l. with two other boys, was at Nos.
and Z, the blacksmith shop; she came up to us,
asking IL we wanted job; we said yes she said
she would give us seventy.hve cents In advance;
rear house then she talked with some % one ne up up
stairs and after told us to come after in a
half an nour; ! could not say what she was saying
hour after and she was not in; one OF the boys
came with me, Charles smith; as we came down
we went up stairs with her and carried down two
tool chests, two sewing machines and two
trunks from from the sitting room to the lower
and took six chairs; think we went in
before her; the chairs were all in line near tue
door; she sent the other boy out for lager, ana
asked me to carry down the clock from the mante
piece In the sitting room; she said her husband
was at meeting at the Hall; we went up stairs
and drank the beer in the sitting room; when we
were taking the chairs out of the bedroom she was
closing the shutters and as We went to go out she
asked us not to be In hurry, for she
was very cowardly about staying alone; the
priest at the mission told her not 10 be so cow
ardly when went in the bedroom the other boy
brought in the lamp from the other room saw q
bedstead with White sheet covered all over 1t
when we went away alter we got through it was
nine O'CLOCK; we made the clock strike: We took
down from the bedroom a roll Of carpet ali rolled
up in the corner; the light was candle stuck IN
lamp; noticed q strong smell in the bedroom;
Mrs. Morgan said IL was piece OF meat the cat
had fetched in two weeks before, and she had
smeed it ever since; did not notice the smell In
the large room.
Charles Blake sworn-f was with John Egan last
Thursday evening; live in North Second street,
near seventh street; this lady came To us and
asked If we wanted a job she said her husband
was away AID had told her to get somebody TO help
her carry two tool chests and two machines down