The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-08-26

yarn OF different color. In wore
her description of the clothing was SC
accurate in every particular as I.
leave no doubt that each article
had been under her special care. But
wonderfully accurate as she had beer
on this point, she was most strangely
wrong in her description Of the body
Monroe being at least three inches
taller than the corpse. She described
her husbands hair and whiskers 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 col
or. Nonroe's son confirmed his moth
er's testimony relating both to the
clothes and body. No attempt was
made to impeach either, nor was
there any doubt that Monroe had
been drowned, as alleged. 1t was
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 find
ing that The body previously adjudg-
ed to be Morgan's was that of Tim.
o,hy Monroe. There were other cir
cumstances connected with the dis
appearing Of Morgan and Monroe, as
suming that both had been drowned
in Lake Ontario, calculated to COM
plicate the question ofidentity. The
body was found at Oak Orchard
creek a full year after Morgan's dis
appearance: 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 tha, body was found,
the mouth of the river and that part
Of the lake where Morgan was sup
posed to have been thrown overheard
had been thoroughly raked. In this
way it was supposed that the body
had been released from its weight.
risen TO the surface, and drifted to
Oak Orchard creek. Monroe was
drowned on the 25th or 9th Of Sep.
tember. The body at Oak Orchard
creek was found on the Sth day Of
October, leaving but eleven or twelve
days to diff distance of over forty
miles, where he was found. 1t is un
derstood that drowned persons re-
main several days under water. It
was ascertaned by meteorological
records that, during the interval be-
tween Monroe's death and the find
ing of The body at Oak Orchard creek,
the wind blew most OF the time up
the lake. Now, as there is no cur
rent in Lake Ontario, and AS OBJ
iects floats with rather than against
the wind, it seemed improbable that
the body found should be that of
Monroe; while on the other hand it
seemed equally improbable that
man drowned in the latter part of
September, 1896, could have been
r~...-a :. 4s.,lanai,l4- e...a &c r~ae~-
walton in October, 1927. 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 lett no doubt in the
minds Of all present that it was the
remains of her husband. Strangely
enough she repuaiated every article
of clo,hing found upon the body.
And vet Mrs. Monroe, who came
from Canada. readily described every
article, garment by garment with mi.
mute and startling accuracy. While,
therefore. up to the time that Mrs.
Monroe appeared there were no ust
grounds for discrediting the correct
ness Of the second inquest, yet afser
the third inquest had been held at
Batavia there was a strong reaction
in public opinion. Although the
gentlemen associated with me in the
investigation were still strongly of
the opinion that The body was thar
OF William Morgan, my own pre-
viously clear and strong convictions
were good deal disturbed. Nor
can now, after nearly fifty years
anxious inquiry and reflection, say
that am satisfied that ltAwas or was
not the body Of W,llianlMorgan.
The discrepancies about hair and
beard between Mrs. Morgan and Mrs.
Monroe, after the conclusion of the
third or Batavia inquest, induced
those who claimed The body to be that
of Timothy Monroe to say that the
hair was pulled out and the whiskers
shaven off to make il resemble Nor
gan. That could only have been
done in the presence of seventy per
sons, some 0; whom were Democrats
and others Free -masons, and vet all
must have seen and consented TO the
fraud The last inquest was held on
lv few days before the election.
No other question entered the can
vass. The excitement was grea er
than had previously or have since
witnessed.
A few evenings before the election
went into a billiard saloon to see my
friend Gusravus Clark. A number
of gentlemen were present, and
among them Ebenezer Griffin, who,
as counsel for several persons indict-
ed for the abduction of Morgan, had
conducted the inquest at Batavia.
As / was leaving the room Mr.. Grlf-
fin said: well, Weed, what are
YOU going to do with Morgan now:'
! replied, as was closing the door,
"That is good enough Morgan un-
til YOU bring back the one you car
red away This remark was repro
duced in the Rochester Daily 1drer-
tiser, with an apparently slight but
most important variation, instead of
what ! did in fact say. | was repre-
sented as saying "That is good
enough Morgan until after the cleo
ton" What | did say in reply to
Mr.. Grflin's question was a proper
and harmless response, while tha, |
was eironeously accused of saying
was highly discreditable, and has
subjected me, at home and abroad,
for nearly fifty years, to reproach and
obloquy. Mr. Dawson, senior editor
of the Albany Evening Journal, who
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