Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-04
CITY NEWS.
A STARTLING RUMOR.
Report that fhe Body of Mcconnell
Was Found Monday.

A gentleman of this city named Wright,
informed sheriff Nicola yesterday morning
hat he had learned from an Ohm
sted man, that the body of Alexander Nc
| Connell, the missing man who has
been suspected as the probable muir
derer of Mrs. Rosa Colvin on the Path ult,
was discovered Monday, under a pile Of
brush near the spot where the murdered
woman had been laid. The sheriff imme-
diately sought out Conductor Parker, of the
morning Sandusky train, to gain confrma-
tion of the rumor. But that gentleman
heard nothing of the discovery at Olmsted
Falls station, that morning, as he would
in all human probability have done, had
the alleged discovery been made. Had the
body been found, it would lave been next
to impossible that the intelligence should
not nave come into the city on that train.
We learn that an olmsted man, whose
name we forget, came to the city yesterday
morning and told the same story to the
Prosecuting Attorney, NJ. S. Castle.
For one, we do not believe the report. The
neighbors give Colvin the credit of a vast
deal of cunning, and it not to be supposed
that he would nave left the mangled body
of Mcconnell il any place at all easily ac-
eessible. If he is the murderer, and had
shrewdness enough to destroy the clothing
which he alleges Mcconnell stole from him,
his wits would not have refused TO serve
him before he had committed his dread Sc
cret, in the form of Mes body, to some safe
natural or hastily constructed vault in that
wilderness or swamp. He would have been
an infinite fool to leave it in the immediate
neighborhood of the cabin.
Furthermore, there was no brush heap
anywhere near the place where the body of
the woman was found. The ground had
been gone over by many parties, in every
direction from the cabin, and the area de-
by radius a hundred rods in length
thoroughly searched.
The only satisfactory theory we can form
of the affair is this, which, while it does,not
cover all the facts, explains the greatest
number: Mcconnell, when he had reached
the railroad track, that Saturday morning,
with COlvin, complained of rheumatic pains
in his knee, and went back. Meantime
Mrs. Colvin had set out through the woods
for the Falls. The idea occurred to him,
now is a good opportunity of clearing out
whatever plumber 1 can get. He ac-
sordingly fills his satchel and ties up a lot
IF clothes in a bundle, and goes forth. Just
outside the clearing he meets Mrs. C. on her
,eturn. She sees hat he has what does not
belong to him, and after quite a long parley
as appeared in the evidence Of one w~itness)
she induces him to return with her TO the
cabin about eleven o'clock in the forenoon,
the last time either is seen alive. She dis
that the trunks had been burst open,
md threatening to expose him in his crime,
ne turned upon her and committed the fatal
Iced.
If the body of Mcconnell is ever found,
We own, we shall be greatly surprised. But
1t the same time we think it the duty of the
county Commissioners to offer a reward for
he discovery of the same, sufficiently large
o stimulate the community near the scene
If the murder, to make the most careful
search of that wilderness. Now is
he most favorable time to organize q body
If men for such a V 1t will soon be
lime for countrymen to go into the fields to
work, when it will be next to impossible to
'orm a hunting party.