Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-12-01
HORRIBLE INFANTICIDEl
Babe Thrown into a Well!

1 just before going TO press, We learn o
a most atrociOns infanticide, which wa
! perpetrated in Kirkwood township. OF
Monday. sometime during the day.
| TO arrive at "a proper understanding
of the matter, the following statement
is made:
A number of years ago, two parties
both living in KirkwOod township
| Townsend Henry, and Miss Waddell, d
daughter of Clarkson Waddel cast theiI
lots together as man and wife, and lived
in wedlock until FIVE children-three
boys and two girls-were born to them.
They dwelt about three miles north of
Hendrysburgh, on the Moorfeld road.
the husband following the business of
farming, and the wife attending to
household duties. At length, for some
reason, discord sprang up between man
and wife-jealouSfeS arase, and their
chickering's finally resulted about
five years ago in the husband. Townsend
Henry, leaving his family. since which
time they have been separated. The
husband secured employment out of the
neighborhood. at different places, for
about two years having been in this
place, part of the time in the employ of
Jos. Butler, and now in the employ of
James White, teamster, conducting
himself as FAR as we can learn,as peace
able and orderly citizen.
The wife with her little family after
the lapse OF about a year went to live
with maid, aunt named Margare
Rankin, a short distance from her for
mer home. During portion, at least of
these recent years, some scandal has
been connected with her name in the
neighborhOcd, and the names of more
than one of the opposite sex-some of
them having wives of their own-have
been coupled with hers in no iattering
terms. About the latter part of May
child was born to her-a bright and in
teresting boy. 1t was cared for, to all
appearances, as other children, until last
Monday, when sometime during the day
with the child in her arms she started
off under the pretense that she was go
ing possibly to some of the neighbors,
and after an absence of an hour or more
returned and informed her aunt that she
had given the child to its father. As
there had been considerable talk in the
neighborhood concerning the paternity
of the child. as soon as the fact became
known public curiosity was aroused, and
people were on the qui viye TO find out
where it went.
Not being ascertained by Tuesday
what became of the child, suspicion be-
gan to be entertained that all was not
right,aRd at a gathering at a Literary So
ciety, at Lick Run school house, in the
neighborhood. on Tuesday night, a par
ty consisting of Samuel Perkins, Nicho-
las Majors and Samuel Starkey, deter
mined to make search, upon the suppo-
sition that there had been foul play.
They first went to an old untenanted
house. on the farm of Jas. Shepherd,
about 400 yards from the spot where
Eliza Fox had her throat cut by Carr,
and about a mile from where Mis-. Hen
ry lived, and examined about, but find
ing no trace of the lost child, attention
was turned to an old well, 25 feet deep,
and with the light from their lanterns,
there could be discovered an object
floating on the water, which upon; closer
scrutiny, proved to be the innocent babe
which had been "taken to its father" on
Monday. A ladder was secured, as
quickly as possible, and one of the par
ties descended into the well, and bore
the little body out, when Esquire .Jona-I
than Perkins was notified of the:affair.
and arrived at the scene about 10 O'clock
and Immediately held an inquest and or
dered that Mrs. Henry be taken into
custody. Owing to the fact that while a
guard was watching the well during the
absence of the men procuring laddersia a
man was seen lurking around the elplace,
it is thought that another besides the
mother is probably implicated in the
commission of this most horrible and
unnatural crime.