The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-11-06
A STRANGE MYSTERY.


EAau.
lsan Antonio (Texas) Express.l
While wandering along the west bank
of the Alamo ditch yesterday morning,
little girl observed something which
she took to be dog on top of the water,
and lodged against growth of vines that
dipped the current The child impaired
the information of her discovery to her
mother, who soon appeared on the scene
and discovered that the object was the
body of child. Without disturbing it,
the woman at once took steps to inform
the authorities, and Justice Shields, ac-
companied by Constable Baker and An
kerson, and the Express reporter, repaired
at once to the locality. DIR. Chew, act
ing County Physician, was found await
ing the arrival of the officers when the
place where the body was found was
reached. The body lay, as stated,
drifted against a growth of vines, the
face downward, the back exposed and
baked to a dark color by the sun, while
the sides were covered with worms
After the jury, consisting of J. ]. Dyer,
Peter Anderson, Peter Jonas, II. J. Hup-
pertz, d. M. Alexander, and j. I. Reed,
had been sworn, the body was carefully
taken from the water and laid upon the
bank of the ditch and examined The
body was about eighteen inches in
length and was that of a perfectly
formed female child 1t had evidently
been destroyed Immediately after its
birth, the proof of this being unmistak-
able. 1t was observed as the body was
taken from the water, that the face,
breast and legs were covered with some
thing which was thought to be mud, and
bucket was sent for to obtain water to
wash the bo2y with. As soon as water
was poured upon it, however, it was dis
covered that the supposed mud or filth
was coating of hair or fur, which, after
being cleansed of the discoloring matter
which it had gathered in the ditch, was
found to be of light gray or cream
color. The furry excrescence in the
cheeks and about the shoulders was fully
half inch in length, and resembled
much the fur or hair of young woolfy
dog. DIR. Chew stated that it was not
uncommon for children at their birth to
be spotted with hair, but he had never
seen any instance similar to this. The
hair, thedoctor remarked, shed soon after
birth. The body was SO decomposed that
it was impossible to tell positively what
| nationality or race the child belonged to,
though it was thought to be the of
spring of white parents. Evidently the
child was thrown into the ditch by its
| father, or some one other than its mother.
1t was probably regarded by its parents
as a. monstrosity- =" strange freak of
nature" because of its being covered
with a coat of fur like Esau of old. No
post morfena examination was had, as was
necessary to prove from the state of the
child's lungs whether it had been born
still or alive. ~. .--
The following verdict was rendered by
the jury of inquest after hearing
all the evidence it was possible to
obtain. -z4.H b. ols 60 - .ss-s. =. =.
"We, the jury, say that the said un-
known child came to its death by drown
ing, at the hands of unknown parties, in
the Alamo ditch, in the City of San An.
tonic, near the railroad depot, on OF
about the 18th day of September, 1872