The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-08-18


match the others. She also described
one stocking that had been darned with
yarn OF different color. In a word, her
description of the clothing was SO accu-
rate in every particular as to leave no
doubt that each article had been under
her special care. But, wonderfully accu-
rate as she had been on this point, she
was most strangely wrong in her dcscrip.
ton of the body, Monroe being at least
three inches taller than the corpse. She
described her husbands hair and whis-
kers as coarse and black, adding that his
hair had been cut quite short few days
before he was drowned, while that upon
the head Of the deceased was long, silky,
and of chestnut color. Monroe's son
confirmed his mothers testimony relating
both to the clothes and the body. No
attempt was made to impeach either, nor
was there any doubt that Monroe had
been drowned, as alleged. TWAS difficult
to reconcile these conflicting statements.
Mrs. Monroe was as clearly right about
the clothes as she was wrong about the
body found in them.
THE THIRD INQUEST
resulted in finding that the body previ.
ously a'judged to be Morgan's was that
OF Timothy Monroe. There were other
circumstances connected with the disap-
pearance OF both Morgan and Menroe, as.
Stunning that both had been drowned in
Lake Ontario, calculated to complca,e
the questions of identity. The body was
found at Oak Orchard Creek full year
after Morgan's disappearance; of course it
could not have been drifting about that
length of time. 1t was known, however,
that Morgan was weighted heavily when
thrown into the lake; and, two months
before that body was found, the mouth
of the river and that part of the lake
where Morgan was supposed to have been
thrown overheard had been thoroughly
raked. In this way it was supposed that
the body had been released from it's
weight, risen to the surface and driftcd TO
Oak Orchard Greek. Monroe was drown.
cd on the 9th Of September.
The body at Oak Orchard
Creek was found on the Sth day of Octo-
Der, leaving but eleven or twelve days to
drift distance of forty miles, where it
was found. 1t is understood that drown.
ed persons remain several days under
water. 1t was ascertained by met eorologi-
cal records that during the interval be-
tween Monroe's death and the finding Of
the body at Oak Orchard Creek, the
wind blew most of the time up the lake.
Now, as there is no current in Lake On
tario, and as objects float with rather
than against the wind, it seemed improb-
able that the body found should be that
OF Monroe; while on the other hand it
seemed equally improbable that a man
drowned in the latter part of September,
1875, could have been found in tolerable
state Of preservation in October, 1872. So
that there were irreconcilable facts and
circumstances connected with this strange
history.
Mrs. Morgan and the intimate
friends Of Morgan described marks
upon his person before seeing that body,
which left no doubt in the minds of all
present that it was the remains of her
husband. Strangely enough, however,
she repudiated every article of clothing
found upon the body. And yet Mrs,
Monroe, who came from Canada, readily
described every article, garment by gar
ment, with minute and startling accu-
racy. While, therefore. up to the time
that Mrs. Monroe appeared, there were no
just grounds for discrediting the correct
ness of the second inquest, yet after the
third inquest h ID been held at Batavia,
there was a strong reaction in public
opinion. Although the gentlemen asso-
ciated with me in the investigation were
still strongly of the opinion that the body
was that of William Morgan, my own
previously clear and strong convictions
were good deal disturbed. Nor can T
now, after nearly fifty years. anxious in
curry and reflection, say that: am salts
fled that it was or was not the BODY of
William Morgan