River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-08-20

and of a chestnut color. Monroe's son
confirmed his mothers testimony relating
both to the clothes End the body. No
attempt was made to impeach either. nor
was there any doubt that Monroe had
been drowned, as alleged. Itwas 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 chat both had been drowned in
Lake Ontario. calculated to complicate
the questions Of identity. The boty 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 its
weight, risen to the surface and drifted TO
Oak Orchard Creek. Monroe was drown
cd on the 9th of September.
The body at Oak Orchard
Creek was found on the Sth day of Octo-
her, leaving but eleven or twelve days to
.lrif 4 ,at .c "a
was found. 1t is understood that drown.
ed persons remain several days under
water. 1t was aScertained by meteorologi-
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 III 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 man
drowned in the latter part of September,
1926, could have been found in a 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 discredting the correct
ness of the second inquest, vet after the
third inquest ID been held at Batavia,
there was a strong reaction in public
opinion. Although the gentlemen assoc
clated with me in the investigation were
still strongly or the opinion that the body
was that Of William Morgan, my own
previously clear ana strong convictions
were a good deal disturbed. Nor can
now, after nearly fifty years anxious in.
quiry and reflection, say that | am salts
fled that it was or was not the body of
William Morgan