How 19th Century Murderer Singleton Mercer Beat The Rap Because Of Constipation
A violent confrontation on a New Jersey ferry over an alleged sexual assault led to a notorious crime and subsequent defense
When someone goes on trial for murder, any number of strategies have been utilized in the courtroom to try and show why the accused is either innocent or at least not culpable for the heinous crimes. However, it’s still surprising to see some of the very far out reasons given to excuse such violent behavior. In the mid-19th century, a very public murder shocked the country but the man who most certainly did the killing ended up being acquitted in part because of severe constipation.
On February 10, 1843, the ferry boat John Finch arrived at Camden, New Jersey. It was there that an act of shocking violence took place, as Singleton Mercer, a young man from a very respectable family, shot and killed Mahlon Hutchinson Heberton, a notorious and self-described “ladies’ man” from Philadelphia. The murder was so sensational in its brazen nature that it quickly grabbed the attention of the public and led to one of the most sensational trials of the time.
The motive of the murder was due to Heberton allegedly seducing and raping Mercer’s 16-year-old sister, Sarah…
