Year: 1871

THE TESTIMONY IN THE CASE OF MEARD,


THE MURDERER--THE MOST FIENDIsH


CRIME EVER COMMITTED IN THE STATE.


CHICAGO, July s.-Thc testimony given
before the coroner's jury on Tuesday last
at Onarga, H., by Mrs. Meard and her
daughter in the case Of Martin Meard
under examination for whipping his son
TO death, shows the crime Of Mearl TO be
one Of tho


MOST FIEsDIsH AND REvoLTING


in the history Of the state. Mary Meard,
wife of the man and mother of the dead
boy, testified: "My husband whipped
Martin two weeks ago Monday night, and
my babe was born on Monday did not
sec the whipping; it was done in another
room heard the blows and the child beg
for mercy the child then went to bed
and about 10 o'clock the next morning the
child came into my bedroom followed by
his father who was whipping him; ho
whipped him very hard with black snake
horse whip the child lodged around the
room SO as to avoid the blows, and begged
for mercy; the child was completely
naked, his father having compelled him
to strip himself; his face was swollen from
the whipping he received the night before;
his father whipped him very hard for ten
or fifteen minutes at least; he stopped
whipping the child and told him to put on
his shirt. The pour boy made and effort
TO do 80 and failed his father repeated
the order when the boy said, IL cant see
it." "You cant see it." responded the
father. "No father, ! can't see you, faith
er cant see you, and feel that am dy-
ing" The fend then rubbed the boy with
spirits and forced some down his throat
The child raised his head, moved his lips
and expired. Meard then took the body
and put it under the bed where the sick
mother was lying, and it remained there
till evening, when he buried it as previous
ly. stated.


TESTIMONY or SARAH MEARD.


Sarah, daughter Of the murderer, aged
IA years, testified that her father had often
whipped him severely with a horse-whip
on Tuesday, two weeks ago, he beat her
brother and said that he had not worked
and whipped and knocked him down twice
her father continued whipping and said no
would whip him till he could not stapd up
would whip the life out of hUd, and
when he would say this her brother would
plead: Father father please don't
whip me any more! OH don't whip me
any moreH Martin was good boy and
liked his brother. Abou: ten o'clock the
boy said he did not know why his father
whipped him so, and asserted that if he
did not own that he did so and so he would
whip him, and to avoid it he
would own to many things he never
did. On Wednesday Il got breakfast
father rose when breakfast was ready;
her brother got up but felt so badly that he
went back to bed; father made him get
up and 60 TO feed the stock when he came
back father whipped him and sent him to
the field to work. Shortly aftcrwads fa-
ther brought him in and made him take
off his clothes, then whipped him; he then
picked him up and laid him on the stove ;
the stove was hot enough TO heat an iron !;
I was baking at the time; father put him
on the stove twice; brother was pleading
all the while, father don't burn me, don't
burn me- he screamed very loud the
skin stuck to the stove; his skin came of
from his back and feet; his feet smelled so
badly from the burning that opened the
door and father shut it. While brother
was pleading father said he would burn
him till he would work" have seen father
strike Martin with his fst many times !;
he knocked brother down several times
with the butt end of horse whip; never
saw my brother after went into mothers
room.