Mrs. Merrit

Silent before the jury,
Returning no word when the judge asked me
If I had aught to say against the sentence,
Only shaking my head.
What could I say to people who thought
That a woman of thirty-five was at fault
When her lover of nineteen killed her husband?
Even though she had said to him over and over,
"Go away, Elmer, go far away,
I have maddened your brain with the gift of my
body:
You will do some terrible thing."
And just as I feared, he killed my husband;
With which I had nothing to do, before God!
Silent for thirty years in prison!
And the iron gates of Joliet
Swung as the gray and silent trusties
Carried me out in a coffin.

Questions for Mrs. Merrit

1.Why did Tom Merrit suspect something of Mrs. Merrit?
2.What did Tom find out that Mrs. Merrit was up to?
3.Why didn't Mrs. Merrit speak out in front of the jury?
4.How old was Mrs. Merrit's lover? What was his name?
5.Did Elmer have any reason to fear Tom Merrit?
6.Do you think that Mrs. Merrit should have defended herself?
7.Do you think that Elmer killed Tom in self defense?