H.H. MERRILL and daughter
December 5, 1895
Arizona Republican Newspaper

Solomonville--H.H. Merrill and his 16 year old daughter were 
murdered six miles west of Ash Springs yesterday evening and 
moccasin tracks, which were thick around the dead bodies, 
indicate it is the work of Indians.

Sheriff Wight and a posse took up the trail of the murders 
this morning, which leads north.

Merrill, who was a farmer, came from Utah several years ago.

The Merrill Butchery
December 8, 1895

By the Solomonville Bulletin of last Friday additional details 
come  regarding the killing of Merrill and his daughter in 
Graham County.

The wagon was loaded with grain which he was hauling to the 
Cotton market. In the wagon was a provision box. It was 
carried away some two hundred yards and left empty. What 
provision was not eaten was carried away.  Further on the 
trail some distance a pocket book, belonging to Mr. Merrill 
was picked up.  It contained only some papers.

J.L.T. Walters was a witness before the coroner's jury. His 
testimony was substantially as follows: "Last evening I was 
riding home from Solomonville, I cane to a wagon about 7 
o'clock and discovered two bodies lying in the road.  After 
trying to arouse the man and then the woman, I discovered 
blood issuing from the man's mouth and was satisfied that 
he was dead.  I was not certain whether the woman was or 
not.  I placed a quilt under the head of each and covered 
the bodies.  I then rode to Duncan and informed J.W. Black, 
the deputy sheriff.  I recognize the man as one who told Mr. 
O'Brien and myself on Monday at the waste ditch of the 
Montezuma Canal on the Safford Road that his name was 
Merrill and that he lived in Pima."

The verdict of the coroner's jury was that the man and woman 
came to their death from the effects of gunshot wounds fired 
by persons unknown.

sheriff Wight organized a posse immediately after receiving 
the news and started early Wednesday morning to take the 
trail.  The posse consisted of James V. Parks, W.H. Parks, 
John H. Parks, Joe Ferrell and Johnny Woods.

Horatio H. Merrill, the murdered man has been a resident of 
this valley for the past five years, living in the vicinity 
of Pima.  He was probably 60 years old, a hard worker and a 
tender father to his family. He came here from Utah and 
settled on a piece of land in the vicinity of Cottonwood 
Wash where he spend his last dollar trying to make a home. 
He made a failure and moved into Pima where he has since 
lived.  His daughter, who was murdered with him, was only 
fifteen years old and was going to Clifton to work for W.M. 
Whipple and family.  Father and daughter left Pima Monday 
morning in a wagon loaded with grain, and camped at the 
residence of John Parks, above Solomonville the same night.

Mr. Merrill leaves a wife and five children in destitute 
circumstances.  The oldest child is a boy 17 or 18 years 
of age.

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