The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-02-16
THE LAST OF McCOMb.
ABrief History the Murder
H and Execution. Il

wagon, with an extra horse ii ed to the back
toiit--fhe team was put up ut Mr. Bloody:
etts livery stable While they renaineaf here
While at the Jefferson House, they
attracted the attention Of Potter's family,
as the conversation between the ,arty was
any thing but friendly towards the Young
girl. While here the men did not express
themselves very freely in regard to their
destination or designs-but did on several
occasions say that they thought they would
locate somewhere near here as farmers, with,
ont, however, coming to any definite con
c'nsion. They remained here tin Wednes
day about two O'clock. when the party left
for Eddyville, where they arrived the same
evening. Here, a'so,, tho Suspicious Of the
landlord was aroused nv the conversation
heard IN their room ? The girl was heard to
say that she wished to return to her mother
from whom she had been stolen. We might
mere say, however, that before they LEFT this
city the men called at Dr.. Tayior's Drug
Stores and requested him ito send for the
Rock ford, I'll. Daily iNsns from March l 9th,
for two weeks, and copies Of the Rockford
Register, tos5e forwarded to Edivviile..--
They hesitatei to g'vetheir names, but Anal.
ly gave the name Of William Moore" They.
left EddyviIle on Thursday morning cross
Ing the bridge southwark. Before leav ING
they said they were going few miles ii the
country to look at farm About IT o'clock
that'morning they were sseesn on Tie chill.
cotheiroad, heading towards this city. a3". e
Nothing more was seen or heard Of them
until about II o'cr,ck the same night, when
Mr. John Prossor, the proprietor of the fer.
nv, Mr. Barnes and two others were going
home from town; they had crossed the riv.
Grand had gone some twenty rods-or about
half wav to Mr. Prossor's house. when a
wagon drawn by two horses; and one horse
following, and two men aboard, passed rap
idly q',ite near the party, driving1towards
the ferry p Prossor sent his son to. the boat
to cross them over if thew desired. The boy
went, but they had already driven into the
river, and saw the two men stopping over
the side of the wagon and looking into the
water, as if they were throwing something
into the stream. 1t being quite dark he
could not see distinctly what the men were
doing. The team drove on in few min.
utes, and the boy went home About an
hour afterwards wagon was heard passing
Prossor's house, and as they could not be
found next morning, it was supposed they
had re. crossed. see5f ~" .sra7adH To-
THE MURDERED GIRL FOUND.
On Friday morning, March goth, the body
of the woman was found few feet below
the lower ford When found it was nearly
covered with water, and to some extent by'
sand. Tt was thrown in the channel OF the,
river, but coming in contact with root It
lodged there. Mr.. Aumack, the. milk man,
first discovered the body. He, with Mr..
Prossor and others placed it IN a skia,
and brought it to this side of the
river, where IT remained until the ar.
rival of the Coroner. It was conveyed
to building in town, when jury
was inpannelled, and an inquest held. A
large number of witnesses were subpoened
and testified. The body was subjected to a
post norton examination. which proved that
she had not committed suicide. There were
wounds or the head which were both severe
and fatal; one eye was black and blue and
much swollen, and on the throat were marks 1
offingers deeply indented, enough to choke
person to death. The jury after hearing
all the testimony &C., returned verdict
that the deceased came to her death by
blows inflicted upon the head, by person
or persons tothein unknown. As soon soon as L;
possible officers and men were sent out in
every direction to secure the Perpetrators Of
this brutal murder Up to this time, we be-
lieve, no names could be found Of the girl
or the murderer, although she was identified
as the same person who had been at the
Jefferson Housea few days before. '-'.
Aweek passed BY, and large rewards were
offered fol. their arrest, AMI ye: no tidihgs of
Of the murderers, only that they had been
traced to Iowa City, where man had sold
the horses and harness, which were, identi.
fed as the same the party Of three brought
to this city. After that ali efforts were in
vain, Meanwhile letters were written to
80
Rockford, ILL.,, and in answer the whole mat.
ter Of the names and character Of the men
were given. j appeared that all were from
Rockford, and their, names were George
Lawrence, Benjamin A. MeComb and Laura
J. Harvey. Miss Harvey had been, receiy- |
ing the attentions of Lawrence for some time,
against the wishes of her parents, and it
seems that some ten days before they left
for Iowa, they had gone to Baloit, wis and
there c!andcstinelyi married, as she showed
her mother the marriage certificate after
wards. Ina lew days after she and Law
renee started off in the cars for the Missis-
sippi river. Tt appears that McComb, with |
two CT Lawrence'shorse .and one Of his own
started after them Mt seems to have been
a concerted movement between lawrence
and McComb Lawrence had some seven
hundred dollars, which, it is said he stole
before he left. Nothing more was heard
from them until the body of the girl was
found DEAD. fas ;s.Hdj 80 Hlei7y al
The general impression was. at thu, time |