The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-06-06
THE FATE OF MISS LIE BLANC.
Six Years After Her Murder Her Skeleton Dis.
cOVered-AbduCted and Killed by Rejected
SuitOr.

covered d-AbduCtod and Killed by Rejected
Suitor.
In July 1872 Julie lie Blanc, then IS years Of
age, daughter Of Francois lie Blanc, farmer Of
Jefferson county Mo-, mysterlously disappeared
from home. She had dressed with the intention
of attending party to be given In neighbcrs
house, and was last seen by her mother and faith
er in their garden plucking flowers for boquet.
The family supposed that Mr., James Leonard, the
most favored OF her many admirers, who was her
intended escort'to the party had called and that
she had gone with him. Her parents were not
alarmed that night, but as she was still absent
the next morning they became anxious. The
persons who gave the party said that they had not
been at their house, although Leonard was there
the entire evening, having escorted his sister Of
Miss lie Blanc Other neighbors had neither
seen nor heard Of Julie. Companies Of men
searched the woods, and there they found traces
of the footsteps Of aman and a woman, The lat
ter were the imprnts made by shoes Of the same
size as those worn by the missing girl. These led
to creek where boat, the property of Mr. lie
Blanc, had been moored The boat was missing,
The fathers suspicious rested on Philip Kenealy,
who had been an ardent admiTer Of jules from
her childhood, and who had been dismissed for
the favor of Leonard But his wife refused to let
him have Kenealy arrested. The suspected man
went to lie Blanc few days after jules dsap.
pearance and telling him Of his love for her, and
how little he cared to remain In the neighbOr.
hood now that she was missing, and that he was
going to New Orleans where he had been offered
permanent situation at good compensation in
a large wholesale store. That same evening he
L eli, hnnV,
Now, after all these intervening years. the mys.
terry has been cleared up. Benjamin f. Aiken, Q
cOlOred hand, who is in the employ Of Ferdinand
Maher farmer of New Madrid county, Mo-, near
Point Pleasant, while shooting snipe along the
river bank on Monday morning last, saw an OBJ
lect having the appearance Of skill floating with
the current down the river toward him. ProCur.
ing long pole he awaited the objects approach.
He caught II and drew 1t to shore. Lying In the
bottom of the boat was skeleton. The bones had
been bleached by the sun and rain until they
were of q pure snowy whiteness.
The skeleton was that of woman. Not parti'
Gle Of flesh was on the bones but on the right side
of the skull was piece OF skim dried and shliv-
elled by the heat of the sun. Three teeth IN the
upper part OF the mouth were filled with gold,
and two OF the lower teeth were missing. By her
side in the bottom OF the boat lay piece Of jew
elry having some resemblance to breast pin,
| but 1t was worn by the action OF water. On the
wrists of the skeleton were gold bracelets OF very
| fine quality and having some peculiar marks
In the skif were parts Of tarpaulin that had de-
cayed before the ravages of rain and heat during
| the lapse OF many years. The boat was OF the
class known as life boats. 1t contained water to
| the depth of ten inches, which had accumulated
| from many rains,
Aiken moored the boat and took the jewelry
| to Mr.. Maher, and that gentleman summoned a
| coroner; but that official deemed 1t unnecessary
to hold an inquest over the bones Of person who
had been dead for number OF years. The brace
lets and breastpin were given to the Corener by
| Aiken. The bones were buried on the river
bank.
Mr.. LIE Blanc having heard Of the discovery,
visited New Madrid county, on last Thursday. -
| Mr.. Maher conducted him to the coroner. The
bracelets we're shown him, and he identified
| them. The skff was also identified as the one
which had been his property. He made prepara-
| tions for removing the bones of his daughter to
| his home, A coffin was brought, and men were
hired to dig them up. The river bank was
searched in vain for the place Of burial; 1t could
moi be found. The bank had either caved in OF
| the river had washed them away,
Mr.. lie Blanc has no doubt that his daughter
| was abducted from the garden by Kenealy, and
that her murderer strangled her to death, and put
her body into the boat, covering 1t with tarpau
| lin, intending to make way with 1t at more ia
vOrable time The boat was securely fasteaed to
the creek bank at place where the underground .h
was so thick 1t could not be detected without ex
ceedingly close inspection, and as KeDealy could
not visit the place alone without exciting suspi
cion, the boat lay there until the ropes decayed
| and thus loosened the boat, which hOsted down
thence to the Mississippi,-S Louis Post.