Charles B. Merrihew became violently ill in May 1879 at his home in Lowville, New York, and was being nursed by his wife, Harriet. They sent for his physician, Dr. Turner, and while waiting for his arrival, Harriet confessed to Charles that she had been poisoning him. Though she refused to repeat her confession to Dr. Thomas, he quickly confirmed that Charles had taken poison. He was able to induce vomiting and save Charles's life.
The marriage was not a happy one. It was alleged that Charles was having an adulterous relationship with Maria Sheldon. Harriet also had a lover outside of her marriage.
The poisoning incident raised questions about the death of Charles’s brother David two months earlier. David, who was living with Charles and Harriet, suddenly became violently ill and died in their house. At the time, congestion of the lungs was given as the cause of death. After the attempted poisoning of Charles, the authorities exhumed David’s body and performed a thorough post-mortem examination. Doctors determined that David had died of arsenic poisoning. After a coroner’s inquest, Harriet Merrihew was charged with the murder of David Merrihew. She was arrested and taken to jail in Lowville.
While in custody, Harriet broke down and confessed to the murder. She moaned over the crime and said that she richly deserved punishment. She implicated another person, believed to be her paramour, who purchased the poison and gave it to her.
The police initially withheld the name of Harriet’s paramour from the press, but he was soon revealed to be her husband’s 18-year-old cousin, Charles A. Merrihew, known as “Little Charley.” Harriet, in her mid-twenties, loved Little Charley because he was younger and better looking than her husband. She said she was engaged to marry Little Charley if her husband should die but that he had nothing to do with her husband’s poisoning or the poisoning of David Merrihew.
She said Winthrop Merrihew, another of her husband’s cousins, who had recently been released from prison for burglary, put her up to the poisoning and provided her with the poison. Winthrop also wanted to marry her and wanted to kill her husband and his brother so they would not stand in his way. Harriet feared and hated Winthrop and was afraid to disobey him.
The sheriff of Lewis County arrested both Charles A. Merrihew and Winthrop Merrihew for David’s murder. He found strychnine in Winthrop’s trunk.
Harriet Merrihew’s trial for the murder of David Merrihew began on August 25, 1880. The testimony focused on the circumstances of David’s death and Harriet’s actions at the time, as well as her more recent confessions. The post-mortem physician testified that he believed David was poisoned, though no poison was found in his stomach. Harriet was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in Sing Sing prison. Winthrop Merrihew, who had been indicted as an accessory, was discharged.
Lewis County Sheriff House took Harriet to Sing Sing prison, 270 miles away. When they arrived, prison authorities told the Sheriff that the women’s prison had closed three years earlier and they were not taking any new female inmates. He brought her back to Lowville for resentencing.
Harriet’s lawyer asserted that since she had been sentenced to Sing Sing prison, and they had essentially ended her term, the court had no further jurisdiction in the case. The judge disagreed, saying the former sentence was void and Harriet was in the same position as before the sentence was pronounced. He resentenced her to life in the Onondaga Penitentiary in Syracuse.
Separately, a group of prominent Syracuse women, including the wife of a former superintendent of the penitentiary, petitioned New York Governor Flower to pardon Harriet. The governor refused.
In 1891, a new women’s prison was established in Auburn, New York, in the building formerly occupied by the State Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The new prison was unique in that it was entirely administered by women. Sometime after 1893, Harriet was transferred to Auburn.
Meanwhile, in Lowville, it was reported that Charles B. Merrihew was now living with his alleged mistress, Maria Sheldon. She had been present at David’s death and testified for the prosecution against Harriet.
Though Governor Flower failed to pardon Harriet, the campaign for her freedom continued. In 1899, after serving 18 years of her life sentence, Harriet was pardoned by the new governor, Theodore Roosevelt.
Sources:
“Lowville,” WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES., March 10, 1880.
“The Merrihew Murder,” Evening Post, October 5, 1880.
“The Merrihew Murderers Merry,” WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES., June 7, 1879.
“The Merrihews,” WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES., May 23, 1879.
“Mrs. Merrihew in Prions for Life,” READING DAILY EAGLE., August 31, 1880.
“Mrs. Merrihew in Prison,” Watertown Times., January 7, 1893.
“Murder in the Second Degree,” New Haven Evening Register, August 30, 1880.
“Murder Trial,” New York Herald, August 25, 1880.
“News Article,” WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES., May 13, 1879.
“Pardon Expected for Mrs. Merrihew,” Watertown Times., January 5, 1893.
“A Poisoner's Confession,” New York Herald, May 13, 1879.
“A Prison Run by Women,” sun., August 11, 1895.
“A Private Poisoner's Terrible Confession,” Illustrated Police News, June 7, 1879.
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