The Republican journal., 1876-01-13
Death in a Corn Cob.

For the past three or four years
strange disease seems to have taken held
of the horses, hogs, and cattle in the neigh
borhood of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and
stock owners sought the cause in vain.
Two wears ago the fatality became alarm
ing. Death invaded the Lawrenceburg
distllery pens, and nearly $1,000 worth
Of stock was destroyed. At length a sa-
loon 1eeker in Newton, by the name OF
Koch er, announced that he had clue.
An inquisitive employee had been nosing
around a patrons wagon as it stood in the
street, and had discovered some corn. a
half bushel or So Enthusiastically done up.
each ear in aroll of paper, He examined
one of these ears carefully, but saw no
reason why they had been SO tenderly pre-
served. He was on the point of abandon
ing the examination, when he accidental
lv broke one OF the ears The cob was
hollow, and in the end was a neatly-ftting
plug AS the ear or cob had broken, fine,
suspicious-looking powder fell to the
ground. Mr.. koehler, on learning these
facts, straightway invited a chemist to
pronounce on that strange powder, and
the chemist said it was corrosive subli-
mate
One clue led to another until William
Ehlermann, a German tormeily a Cincin-
natl gas-titter, but then the proprietor of
fertilizing establishment lust out of the
| corporate limits of Lawrenceburg. was AZ
| rested on suspicion He was taken before
the Circuit Court, but the most satsfacto-
| ~ evidence could not be obtained, and
Judge Roberts, using all the power pos
sible, sentenced the culprit to three months
in the county Jail Meantime stock be
came healthy again, and the terrible ia
tality for awhile ceased.
At the trial Mr. Frank Griffith of Law
renceburg had offended Ehlermann by APP
| pearing against him, and bitter revenge
was breathed out by the culprit. Very
| soon after Ehlermann's time had expired
Mr.. Grillith's valuable horse was taken
suddenly sick, and in terrible commissions
died. An examination OF the manger at
terward developed enough poison to Kill
q hundred horses Not long atterward
some cattle IN the neighborhood went the
| way Of all earth, and Their carcasses found
q ready market in Ehlermann's factory
One day Ehlermann was known to 90
hunting across the river in Kentucky and
to pass the hog pen of weli-known farm
er. The next day ten fat porkers lay dead
in those pens, and Ehlcrmann that same
day CHANGED to be again over there and
offered to buy the carcasses at Il dollar Il
head All around Lawrenceburg the hogs
and cattle were again dying in large mum
| bers 1t was as if Il simeon was daily
sweeping across the Miami Bottoms. The
| dead bodies came in to Ehlermann in sat
| istactory abundance. 1t is said that Eher-
| mann turned the fatteSt Of the hogs thus
received into lard, and introduced the
poisonous stuff into the Cincinnati market
OF late Mr.. George Hays, living near
| Lawrenceburg, has been missing hogs.
and strong suspicion has been forcing it.
self upon him that perhaps Ehlermann
knew more Of the disappearance than he
| would tell. On Monday last he heard the
| report OF Il gun near his house. and On a
prompt examination he found Fhlermann
! rapidly making off in a wagon loaded
with the yet warm and bleeding carcass
| of 4 hog. which he identified as his own
| He stralghtWay had Ehermann arrested,
and after preliminary examination he
was bound over to the Circuit Court in
! the sum of $500, in default of which he
was heavily ironed and confined IN the
| Lawrenceburg Court House q case of
small pox in the jail preventing his con-
| finement there.
The feeling against him runs high. and
if speedily brought to trial there is no tell
ing what jury, mostly made up of stock
owners, will dowith him. In appearance
he is ug ly, having coarse sandy whiskers
| and moustache, a narrow, ore-story fore
head, and a wandering eye that bctrays
the low cunning of q coward.