Dr. Merriman Cole was a retired physician with an office in
the heart of Baltimore. In 1872, he was 73 years old and living off the income
from his rental properties. Cole’s daughter went to his office on the evening
of January 6 and found him dead on the floor. He had thirteen wounds about the
head and face and his skull was crushed in three places, apparently with a
hammer.
One of his pants pockets was torn out but the motive was not
robbery. About nine dollars were scattered over the floor and twenty-four
dollars were found in his wallet. It was a Saturday, the day he collected rents
on his properties. On his desk was an unfinished receipt. The police suspected
one of his tenants as his killer. By Monday they had several suspects in custody,
but their names were not made public.
The early suspects were released, and no further arrests were
made until the following September. On September 21, the police arrested
Charles R. Henderson in Baltimore. Henderson was a printer who was one of Cole’s
tenants. He changed his residence shortly after the murder, and the Baltimore Police
had been following him night and day since. The prosecuting attorney waited
until he was sure of conviction before arresting Henderson, and the police
believed they had a strong case of circumstantial evidence against him. On
October 8, the grand jury indicted Charles R. Henderson for the murder of Dr. Merriman
Cole.
Henderson’s trial did not begin until the following June.
Apparently, the evidence against him was not as strong as it first appeared.
The brief newspaper report on the trial said only, “The case was submitted to
the jury without argument and in five minutes they brought in a verdict of not
guilty.”
No one was ever convicted of Dr. Merriman Cole's murder.
Sources:
“Another Horrible Tragedy,” Chicago Tribune, January 8, 1872.
“Dr. Merriman Cole found Murdered in his Office.,” Illustrated Police News, January 18, 1872.
“Merriman Cole Murder,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 6, 1873.
“A Murderer Traced Out,” Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, September 24, 1872.
“Murderers in Maryland,” Herald, June 3, 1873.
“Mysterious Murder in Baltimore,” New York Tribune, January 8, 1872.
“News and Gossip,” Paterson Daily Press, September 23, 1872.
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