The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-12-14

| puOtlSHC0 Wy IuO 'So1oASA WIZ
Eheld an inquest over it, induced a
belief that it was the body Of Wm.
Morgan. Our com mittee decided
to hold another inquest. Impress.
ed with the Importance and re-
sponsibility Of the question. 1
gave public notice of our inten-
ton, and personally invited several
citizens VINO had known Morgan
TO be present. One Of, oar com
nitlee went TO BaeaVia to secure
the satlendance Of Mrs. Morgan,
and as many Others who knew
him as would attend. The body
bad been Inferred where it was
! found. The rude coffin was open
ed in. the presence of between
forty and ffty persons. When it
was reached, and before removing
the lid, received from Mrs. Nor
gun, and. Others who knew him
well, descriptions of ,h.s person.
Mrs. Morgan described the color
of his hair, q scar upon his foot,
and that his teeth were double all
round. Dr.. Strong confirmed Mrs.
Morgan's statement about double
teeth, one of which he had ex-
tracted, while another was broken,
indicating the position of the ex-
atracted and broken teeth. Whea
the coffin was opened the body
disclosed the peculiarities de-
scribed by Mrs; Morgan and DR..
Strong. H. '
This seeondinquest and the ex
aniaationsr of the body proceeded
in open day, and in the presence
Of Masons and Anti-Mascus, not
oGe of,rwhom dissented from the
lCoroner's jury, by which the. body
was unanimously declared TO- be
that of William Morgan. Mrs.
Morgan, in her testimony, failed
to recognize the clothes. The
body was taken to Batavia, where
it was reinterred, no one as
yet9expressing any doubt of it's
identity. .-...s .
Subsequently, however, We were
surprised. by statement that the
body. supposed to be that of Nor
gan was alleged to be the body of
Timothy Monroe, who had been
drowned in the Niagara River
several weeks before holding the
first inquest. This awakened gen.
eral and intense feeling. Notice
was given that a third inquest
would be held at Batavia, where
the widow. aud a sou Of Timothy
Monroe appeared as witnesses.
Mrs. Monroe swore to a body es.
..sentially different from that found
Oak Orchard Greek. Her bus.
band, she safd,e had black hair
that bad been recently cut and
stood erect Her testimony made
her husband from three to four
inches taller than that OF the. body
in question She testified that
that her husband bad double
teeth, ailgouud. and described an
extracted tooth, from the wrong
jaw and knew nothing of the
broken tooth. The hair upon the
head Of the drowned man was
long, silky: aud of & chestnut color,
while that If Monroe, according to
ths testimony OF Mrs. Monroe ..pd
i'cr son, was short, black, and
close cut. While Mrs. Morroo
failed in describing the body, ber
description of the clothing was
minutely accurate. The heel Of
his stocking was described as
having been darned with yarn
different, in color. Her cross-ex-
animation WAS very rigid, and her
answers throughout were found
to be correct. The clothing thus
described had been in possession
Of the Coroner, who testifed that
it had not been seen either by
Mrs. Monroe or any stranger
from whom she could have OBJ
tanned information. On the other
hand, Mrs. Morgan's description
Of the body, before she had seen IL,
was quite as satisfactory as Mrs.
Monroe's description of the clo' hes.
Our committee took no p art in
the third inquest, and the body,
as is known, was decIar I'd to be
that Of Timothy Monroe .
Our Investigations were embar.
rassed sud protracte d by the. ab,
sence and.concealment of import,
ant witnesses. One Of these wit.
nesses was an invalid soldier who
had had the care of Morgan while