THE LYTTELTON MURDER.

Evening Star, Issue 3788, 15 April 1875, Page 3

THE LYTTELTON MURDER.

The Supreme Court-house at Christchurch was crowded to excess on April 10—the last day of the trial of John Mercer for murder and at its conclusion, to avoid any expression of popular opinion, the police were obliged to resort to a ruse to get the condemned away They were not, however, so succcssfu’ .1 U railway station, where a crowd of 200 persons pc-i sistontly hooted him In the train he talked and smoked with a degree of nonchalance that was perfectly inconsistent with his terrible position. He frequently looked out of the carriage windows as the train proceeded, now and then beat time with his feet, as to a tune, on the floor, and addressing himself at one period to Constable Wallace, said I suppose I*ll not see you after to night in this world, but I hope I’ll see you in the next.” Another remark which Mercer made was, that they (meaning, it is presumed, those engaged on the trial) had made it warm for him ; and it is related that he rx > s e\ disappointment at the Judge cut* in, bn\ so short. “Tfl I: .! ot been taken o short,” said he, “I V.d have said more than I did ; L woulu h_ve said that I forgave all my enemies.”

At Lyttelton, hundreds of persons waited about the station to see him, and on the arrival of the tiain, those so inspired had their wish gratified, the prisoner being escorted up to the gaol in the midst of a body of constables, and it is to be regretted that this was done amidst the groans of the populace. Before the new post-office was reached, a gentleman, prominent in commercial circles, was seen to go quite close to Mercer, and hoot him. Mercer, turning round, uttered the words—“Oh, you hound I” with great bitterness. There is every reason for believing the story about the occurrence at the Buller, which was mentioned so unexpectedly at the trial. This was in the evidence of one Russell, Mercer’s mate, in the schooner Canterbury, who said:—“ The reason why I asked my mate if he knew who the girl—the deceased, whom Mercer met in Lyttelton just before committing the murder—was, was because the prisoner had attempted the very same thing upon a girl at Westport, a little girl about nine years of age.” Certain it is that for ill-treating a little girl ten years old, at Dunedin, leu idtrw ut imprison ment in Dunedin Gaol for a term of twelve months ; and it is also stated that while incarcerated there he remarked, in the presence of one of the warders, “I’ll take care the next woman doesn’t tell against me.” John Robinson Mercer (for such is his full name) is a married man, and his wife undone child are at present living at Emerald Hill, M elbourne. Some time after the occurrence of the murder she was made aware of his arrest on the charge of Lav'.ng perpetrated it, and only a few days ago he received a letter from her asking him to make over to his child a cottage and section ‘which he owned at Emerald Hill, This request he complied with before t: u I rial, it is not certain what countryman M crcer is. One of his seafaring discharges wo ,Id make it appear that he was a native of Edinburgh, but the majority of these docum< nts deaote Liverpool as his place of birth. From the contents of the pocketbook whioh was f.mnd in his possession, it would seem ‘hat he kept a careful diary of all matters c_>a ected with the vessel on which he was employed from time to time. The interval that occurred from the time of his arrest to the date of his discharge from Dunedin Gao', is however, studiously omitted.