Drink and Drown
Fatal Intoxication
Two local St. Francisville residents were informed early on the morning of April 3, 1908, that a man’s body had been found lying on the ground 75-80 yards north of the Big Four Depot.
Harve Pierson was notified about 5:30 a.m. Alan Potts was notified about 6:00 a.m. Alan left his job as a night operator to go assist with the body. Another man, Frank Sheridan, testified at the coroner’s inquest that he saw a number of people walking towards the depot and followed.
The three men testified at Inquest that they found a man identified as Henry Merkel, face down on the ground in about 2 inches of mud and water. They believed he had been deceased a while as the body was stiff and rigid. When the body was rolled over, Frank Sheridan noticed a small bottle near him with a small amount of brown liquid in it. He believed it was whiskey. Frank stayed with the body until the coroner was informed, and a carriage was brought around to pick the body up and take it to the coroner’s office.
Coroner A T Abell’s inquest jury met the same day in St. Francisville and ruled that death was due to “strangulation by falling in a mud hole face downward and while in a state of Intoxication, and disease of head and threaten pneumonia.” Jurors serving included WR Brubeck, SL Prout, George H Clark, George W Clark, WD Nappier, JH Ramsey.
Research by J Randall, Coroner's Log p 209