Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-15
A Horrible Affair.

a Horrible Affair.
5. Mary Miller is the name of q comelyzgir
of seventeen who, in common with thou.
sands OF her sex, has wrecked her youna
life in yielding sc temptation xnd grssify.
ing guilty passion; but, ealike the expe-
| rieuce OF most Of her erring sisters, II the
| story told be true, her tefnpter and do
stroyer was not an ardent lover whose pas
| sions gained the mastery over discretion,
| but, shocking to relate, was her own
uncle. To start at the beginning:
This uncle is said to be young man of per-
haps % years of age, who lived near
lance from the Iron county line, where
Mary, his neice, also resided with her
mother and step-father, Marion Cory.
According to our informant, gentleman
we'll acquainted with the parties and cogni-
zant OF. the circumstances, the uncle, after
preparing Mary's mind and heart by the
usual arts of the libertine, induced her to
elope with him., about ten months ago.
He took her to Gad's Hill, Wayne county,
and there they lived some time together;
from thence they went to Pilot Knob, where,
in short while, having tired of the In
cestuous relation, and being made aware
of the fact that she would erelong become
a mother, he basely deserted his neice ahd
paramour, leaving her in a penniless condi-
ton among strangers.
Miss Miller finally made her way back to
Reynolds county, in the neighborhood Of
her former home-hers now no longer
where she appears to have remained until
last Friday, when she came to Pilot Knob
with female acquaintance and stopped at
one of the s.brown houses" that night. Be-
ing seized with premonitory labor pains, she
determined to return to Lesterville and throw
herself upon the mercy Of her mother.
Acting upon this resolution, she arose early on
Saturday morning, and, taking her meager
carpetsack in hand, she made her way with
difficulty to the vicinity of the Ironton depot.
There tho pains grew more violent, and, con-
scious that parturition was soon to occur, she
applied for shelter to the occupants of several
houses near by, but, to their shame be it said,
they refused her admittance.
What, then, was the poor, forsaken, suffer-
ing girl to do? What could she do but what
she did do? Distracted by pain and her
forlorn condition, she sank down upon some
ties south of the depot, where she happened
to be, and there, in this Christian community
and in broad daylight, with no one by tol
lend her assistance, she delivered herself OF .
male child. Undoubtedly Mary was out OF
her mind, as many women are under SUCH cir
cumstances, and she probably imagined the
infant was dead; for she made sort OF pen
of ties, presumably to keep the hogs away.
and placed the child therein, first stuffinS its
little mouth with grass. She then walked To
the residence Of Mrs. Rapp, and, stating that
she was sick, Mrs. Rapp admitted her and
administered to her wants with the humanity
of the Good Samaritan.
1t seems that Mrs. Henry Orrick, who came
not long ago from the neighborhood where
Miss Miller formerly resided, but who now
lives at Pilot Knob, was a witness to the put
ting away of the babe, and she informed her
husband of the fact. He Immediately came
to 1ronton and notified Coroner Grand
homme. The girl was arrested and lodged
in Jail, and . poss-mertena examination
or the BODY OF the infant made by DR.. w.
C. Patton, who found that one lung had never
and that the other was filled with
extravasated blood; that is, as we understand
it, the child weuld not have lived, even with
the best of care.
Ajury of inquest was impaneled on Mon
rendered the extraordinary verdict that
the child "came to its death through the
willful neglect of the mother" Miss Miller
will be examined on the charge Of "willful
neglect" 81 just as soon as her condition
will admit of her being brought into court.
At present she is confined to her bed in the
Jail, and is under the medical care of DR..
Goulding.
The whole affair is certainly a shocking
one to the moral sense; and yet we cam
not help feeling compassion for the young
woman, who is doomed to misery for the
remainder of her life. But, taking the in
formation to be true that we have received,
we would show no mercy to the villainous
uncle VIII !, in gratifying his lust, deliber-
ately committed the two worst crimes in
the calendar. A warrant has been issued
for the villain, and it is probable that in
the-next REGISTER we will be able to
chronicle his arrest. The girl, however,
has persistently refused to name the father
of the child or to make any accusation.
Last Thursday, according to the Roman
Catholic calendar, was the feast of Corpus
Christi, and is especially dedicated to the
worship of the blessed sacrament. In view
of the many revelations on the subject of the
sacrament said to have been made to Juliana
Of Mount Cornillon, nun of Liege, in the
thirteenth century, synod at Lege estab-
lished the feast, and in 1916 Pope Urban ".
fixed it for the Thursday after the octave OF
Whit-Sunday for the whole church. In
Catholic countries, and among the Francis
can Fathers everywhere, it is customary to
have professions to the sacrament on this
day. As in all other Catholic churches, spe-
cial mass was celebrated at Arcadia College
Chapel, which was attended by numbers
from neighboring towns.
The condition of Benedetto Calcaterra, the
Italian miner, who was so brutally beaten
by hoodlums at Pilot Knob last Sunday
week, is somewhat improved, but he is not
yet out Of danger. The examination of Joe