The Goat Castle Murder

Older cases are always a little more difficult to research based on little or wrong information that gets passed down. It often becomes difficult to to sift through what is fact and what is legend. This case, while not as old as some that I have done, not only proved difficult due to the age of the case but also because of the area in which it took place and the fact that there was an apparent cover-up. To add to this, there are few sources to work with. There have been a few books published on this and a few more articles but it appears that the accuracy of the information is based on the time in which it was written and what may or may not have been discovered.

On the night of August 4, 1932 a man named Duncan Minor went to the home of his (2^nd) cousin, Jennie Merrill in Natchez Mississippi. It was said that Duncan made this trip to the home, named Glenburnie, every evening and would return to his own home before dawn. It seems apparent that the two were having a love affair, there were some who claimed the two secretly married at some point but that Duncan's mother was so against the relationship they never told. At any rate on this evening he went into the home and did not find Jennie but did find blood and what looked to investigators as evidence that a struggle had taken place in the home. A search party, that included the use of bloodhounds, was formed and several hours later Jennie's body was found about 100 yards from her home. She had been shot twice. It appears that Duncan was never considered to be a suspect but almost immediately Jennie's neighbors, Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery, who lived next door (this is questionable as to how close), in a home named Glenwood, were considered to be suspects based on the fact that the neighbors had not gotten along.

Jennie's family, the Merrill's had been from Natchez and initially were pretty prominent in the area it seems but with the Civil War it seems that Jennie's father was not as popular as the family were thought to be Northern sympathizers. In fact, her father became close to General Grant and when he became President her father became an ambassador so they had moved away from Mississippi when she was a young girl. Jennie had moved back when in 1904 when she was in her thirties and had purchased Glenburnie. Just how Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery would become her neighbors is a little less clear and under some dispute.

Like the Merrill's, the Dana's were rather prominent and well known in the Natchez area. Richard Dana's father, Charles had purchased Glenwood in the 1800's although the year seems to be in dispute. Some reports say that Richard inherited Glenwood through his family and hence he was a resident. However, other reports stated that Charles Dana, or his family, sold the estate to a man named Stephen Forman at some point. Upon Stephen's death his brother, Richard Forman would inherit the property. Richard Forman's second wife's name was Nydia Dockery, Octavia's sister. At some point Octavia moved in with her sister and later it was said that Richard Dana, who had returned to the area became a border in the home. Upon the death of the Forman's it was said that Octavia was given the home and she continued to care for Richard Dana, who had apparently suffered with some mental health issues. So, officially they became the only residents at Glenwood in 1912 but it is unclear when they each began living there before the Forman's died. While it seems odd in how it all came about and would in reality make more sense that the home remained in the Dana family based on other things I tend to believe the story of the Forman's living there and maybe by coincidence Richard Dana returned. I say this because there is apparently land records showing that Stephen Forman owned the home at some point after Charles Dana and in addition to that it was reported that after Octavia died in 1949 items were found in the home that had belonged to Mrs. Jefferson Davis, who was related to the Forman family. It was also said that items that had once belonged to Robert E. Lee were also found as the Dockery's were friends with him. Sadly, it appears that few, if any of these items could be preserved and salvaged, but we will get into the reasons why in a bit. A picture of Nydia Dockery Forman's tombstone states “Lady of Glenwood” which also adds credence to this version of events.

I found one report that stated that at some point Dana and Dockery had been friendly with Jennie Merrill and Duncan Milner in the early days and that they had socialized but I am unsure how likely this was. Not a lot was ever really said about Milner but as far as the other three they were often described as “eccentric” and Jennie in particular was described as a recluse. Now, I have increasingly found that these two words to describe people in those days really quite often meant that they were what we know today as hoarders. Which, if you look deeply those who hoard you will find that hoarding in itself is considered to be a mental illness and comes with a whole host of odd behaviors. Many do become recluses for a few reasons. One is that their need and desire to be surrounded by their items is great and they feel most comfortable surrounded by their possessions. In many cases most of them realize that their behavior is not considered “normal” and hence they pull away from others. Also, many hoarders have poor personal hygiene, and while they often do not have the mental ability or desire to change that, they also do not want attention brought to themselves and going in public would do that. In more modern times we have seen instances where family members have attempted to get mental help to the hoarder and find that it is not that easy to do. But, back during this time it would have been much easier to have someone committed, especially a woman so it is reasonable to believe that they were even more cautious that their odd behaviors were hidden as much as possible. It was said that Jennie did not have electricity in her home and both home were deteriorating severely from lack of upkeep and maintenance, especially Glenwood.

It is reasonable to believe that while Richard Dana's mental health was apparently documented and Octavia was considered his caregiver, that her mental health was not what it should have been. It was said that neither Richard or Octavia had any sort of income coming in and over the years had brought livestock such as goats and chickens onto their land. Not only though did the animals roam their land, and the land of their neighbors, they also roamed the home. Over the years Richard and Octavia had several arguments with Jennie over the animals going onto her land and more than a few of those ended up in court. And, it went both ways. Apparently there were times that Jennie would shoot and kill animals that came onto her land. It was said that things had gotten so bad at one point that Duncan Milner was looking into purchasing Glenwood by paying the back taxes that were owned on the home that neither Richard or Octavia were paying in any way. Apparently it seems that he may have been successful but it was said that Octavia had Richard declared “insane” and he could not be forced to leave the home. To be fair I cannot say for certain all of this was completely true, aside from the fact that there were apparently the court issues between the two households.

So, of course Richard and Octavia were high on the radar when Jennie was found dead. And, in fact most reports state that the two were arrested and possibly charged with Jennie's murder. It was also said that aside from knowing their issues with Jennie that both Richard and Octavia's fingerprints had been found in her home in blood. But, seeing as this was “Jim Crow's South” the fingerprint expert could not be found when it was time to really dig in and it was said that the town could not find twelve people willing to be a juror. In the end neither Richard or Octavia would face a court in regards to Jennie's murder but they would profit from it, something I will get into in a bit.

Four days after Jennie's murder a black man named George Pearls was shot and killed by a police officer in Pine Bluff Arkansas, some 240 miles from Natchez. He was brandishing a .32 gun at the time, the same caliber allegedly used in the murder of Jennie Merrill. Authorities learned that Pearls had been living in Natchez at a boarding house ran by a widowed black woman named Emily Burns and her mother. Some say that Pearls and Emily Burns were also lovers, but that is apparently not confirmed, but when authorities went to the boarding house and talked to Emily, the decided to arrest her.There was also several references to the fact that Emily's mother, Nellie Black was arrested along with Emily. It was also said that the two women were held for at least three months without formal charges but awaiting trial. I was never able to determine whatever happened to Nellie but it does not seem that she was ever convicted of anything as legend says that Emily was the only person ever to serve time for the incident. Emily would be held for eleven days and reportedly threatened before she gave a confession.

This is where things get a little “hairy.” It appears that during the time it was said that in her confession Emily had stated that she had gone to Jennie Merrill's home with George Pearls on the day of the murder because he was going to ask Jennie for a loan but that an argument had ensued and Jennie had been shot by Pearls.

Now, it was very well known that Jennie was known, or suspected to have money hidden all over her home. This is also a trait of a hoarder, especially during this time period as many did not trust banks due to the Depression Era. And, while the Merrill's had been known to be sympathizers during the Civil War one would think that if there was anyone in the area willing to loan a black man money, it may have been her. And, while I take issue with this theory, it may not have been so hard to sell to the citizens of the area. This theory just does not sit well with me. If the story told to the citizens was that Pearls had gone there to rob Jennie Merrill and Emily Burns was a lookout, without knowing the parties, I may have bought it more. But, I have a theory as to why the story was told this way to the media and citizens instead of a) the story that Emily actually told or b) a story that made her look more guilty.

Emily had been the child of a former slave and while black people at that time were citizens of course, they were still considered second class citizens, which obviously was a huge step up from being considered “property” before the Civil War but most were still not respected in any way. This was the deep south full of people still angry about losing the war. The fact that Emily ran a boarding house indicates that she may have been one of the more respected black citizens which would mean that she would have had a little more standing than say Pearls, who had already died by the time dots were being connected. Just because the Merrill family had been considered to be “Northern Sympathizers” during the Civil War did not mean that they considered black people to be their equals in any way, shape or form. To be an indentured servitude was just a rung above slavery really and that was often still a well practiced belief, especially in the north so to be a northern sympathizer really did not have to mean a whole lot in my opinion. Secondly, with everything we know about Jennie Merrill it just does not seem reasonable that Jennie Merrill would have loaned anyone money, let alone a black man who at MOST she may have possibly met at some point but did not have a close relationship with. It was pointed out several times that the ONLY person she allowed at her home was her cousin, Duncan Milner.

Many years, or decades later, it was revealed what Emily Burns' confession had actually been. She had told authorities that while yes, as she had stated before, she had gone to Glenburnie with George Pearls, she had actually been a look out. She told them that not only was George Pearls present but so was Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery. She stated that Richard and Octavia had actually hired George Pearls to allegedly rob Jennie Merrill and that in the process there had been a struggle and Pearls had shot Jennie Merrill. I heard nothing about if her confession stated how Jennie Merrill's body ended up in the thickets some 100 yards from her home. But, of course it appears that by the time Emily made this confession it had already been decided that Richard and Octavia would not face charges. Most believe that Emily became the scapegoat in this case. She would be taken to trial and it would end on November 26, 1932. After deliberating for less than thirty minutes she was found guilty as accessory to murder. There was a theory that while the jury did find her guilty that even they did not fully believe she was guilty or that the right people were being punished. It is unclear what sentence she was given but in December of 1940 she was pardoned by then Governor, Paul B. Johnson. It was said that after prison she remarried and was a very respected member of her church. She died in 1969, with little fan fare.

So, you may have gotten this far and wondered why this case is titled “The Goat Castle Murder.” I mentioned earlier how Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery lived with their livestock roaming all over the place, both in and out of their home. The media became enthralled with this! They nicknamed Richard “Wild Man” and Octavia “Goat Woman” and neither Richard nor Octavia were about to pass up this opportunity to make a profit. It is unclear whether they had been assured by authorities they would never face charges in Jennie Merrill's murder or they were just simply confident enough that they had gotten away with their crime that they purposely kept themselves in the limelight. Another trait that hoarders tend to have is the inability or refusal to take personal responsibility for their actions.

Prior to returning to Glenwood and later suffering from mental issues Richard Dana had apparently been a pianist that was quite good. An injury to his hand had put an end to that career and may have contributed to his issues later, but it had sent him back to Natchez. However, just because he could no longer play professionally it did not mean he could not still play. In addition to this Octavia had seen herself as somewhat of a poet. It was said in some of my research that due to their newfound popularity the two traveled the region as an “act” in the fall of 1932 where they showed exhibits of Octavia's writing and Richard would perform the piano while they told “life stories.” It is unclear if Jennie Merrill was mentioned. Then they apparently went home and opened their home and grounds to tourists. They would charge a quarter to tour the grounds that were still apparently in disarray and had all the livestock. It was said they would charge an addition quarter to have a tour of the home. Now, people were not going inside that home to see the things that once belonged to Mrs. Jefferson Davis or Robert E. Lee I am sure. Even if they were, they were likely disappointed. No, they were going to see the home that should have likely been declared condemned and yet the residents still lived there. They were there to see the livestock roam throughout the home, chewing on whatever they pleased, which included furniture and yes, those possessions of those from long ago. It was said that none of the money that was made was ever used to pay the long due back taxes on the property nor to do repairs that they had allegedly promised although I am unsure who these alleged promises were made to.

When Jennie Merrill had been murdered it was said that she had a will that had give her entire estate that had included $250,000 in cash, Glenburnie and two large plantations she owned in Louisianna to her cousin/lover/husband, Duncan Milner. It is unclear exactly when but at some point Glenburnie was sold, restored and updated.

As far as Richard and Octavia were considered they remained living in Glenwood, as it fell apart around them until their deaths. I did not find a death date for Richard but it appears that he died sometime around October of 1948 as it was said that Octavia died around six months after him on April 22, 1949. Her tombstone is etched with “Mistress of Goat Castle.”

Apparently over the years Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery had “skirted” more than one eviction notices and some have considered them to be squatters. Upon Octavia's death it was said that Glenwood was “left to out of town cousins” who auctioned off most of the furnishing. They may have profited a bit more than the average family would have when getting rid of possessions in a hoard considering the notoriety of the home. Surely there were people somewhere who thought it would be interesting to have furniture half eaten by goats to say they had something from the home. Glenwood ended up being abandoned and in 1955 was torn down.

It is said that there are tours of old homes in Natchez and while it is clear that Glenwood is no longer available to see it does appear that Glenburnie is a tourist house with tourists in full costume of the mid to 1800's. Whether the murder is discussed is not clear as it appears that most of Natchez immediately wanted to forget this murder happened and they they did not want to be known for it. The fact that a few books have been published in the last decade may have changed their minds but no matter how you look at it, it leaves a bad mark on Natchez. At best a murder was committed in their town. At worse politics came into play and two old, eccentric people with prominent ties to history got away with murder why it appears law enforcement and other authorities conspired to put all the blame on a black woman to settle the case.