Milford chronicle., 1891-07-24
49, ElopEn. az pEAp.
Tho body 81 a Young Woman Found tofss
Years After Her Disappearance.

Years After Her DiAappe@fAhl1'
Mary Ann Grier disappeared from her
fathers home, two miles south OF Michigan
city. nearly forty years ago A lew Gays
ago her body was recovered IN an an.sn-
doned bog iron ore pit, without one Vesslge
III change from the appearance It nao
known in life. The last shred Of clothing
was long ago destroyed BY the action OF
The water in which she had met her death,
hut the same chemicals which removed the
garments preserved the flesh.
Not only is the contour Of the form per
feet as in life. but the color has remained
unchanged. The arms and shoulders are
AZ white as marble, the hands are brown,
but suffused with a ruddy flush, which ola
+ settlers here will remember as one Of the
+ s,irlis chief charms, and, were it not for the
unsightly cavities that once contained the
ewes that petrifed frame which has lain
I almost half e century in the soil would ap-
near the peacefully sleeping figure OF q
healthy. handsome young woman.
The story Of Mary Ann 6rier is easily
told. In the first place, it should be known
thatthis country is full Of q kind OF IRON
called bog ore. In an early day it was eX-
tensively mined by the farmers and hauled
nv them TO Michigan City and south
Repd. where it commanded a ready sale.
In many instances it was the one product
Of the soil which brought in money.
THE iron is in small particles, much like
fine ore from larger mines, and is excellent
in quality, though not rich enough IN
quantity to repay the trouble Of mining 1t
since the day of railroads and the develop
ment Of Pennsylvania mines. None Of the
ore has been taken from these swamps
since 1850. although the swamp lands all
over northern Indiana are full Of 1t.
Mary Grier was the eldest daughter OF
Nicholas Grier, and was belle in those
old davs of 1875 to 1880. She was famous
an over the country, which WAS then new
and sparsely settled, and was sought II
marriage by many an excellent young
man. She was known as worker, as Q
GOOD cook and as a famous housekeeper
and besides had had the unusual advan
taze Of far English education
With the perversity Of her sex she mac
chosen harebrained fellow named Whit
sci. and had told her parents she meant q
marry him Whitsel owned an OK team
and made a living hauling ore from tn
shallow mines TO the forge at Michlgai
City He was warned away from the farm
by Grier and his boys, but persisted IN al
attentions, and finally received soun'
drubbing from the old man.
The following day he started north Will
Z load of ore, and early in the evening
Mary left the house, saying that she wa
1 going to a neighbor to return some Uri1
A She had borrowed the day before. She wa
Z never again seen in life.
Her parents and the neighbors believes
q that Whitsel had decoyed her away, an
. tbev followed him clear to Michigan City
r but they could find 10 trace Of the CIR
p Fearing to return to the neighborhoo
e Whitsel sold his oxen and left the country
4 He has never since been heard from. !
, was known at the time that Mary Ann ha
never reached the home Of the neighbo
= for which she had started.
u In the light of events now known II
+ probable she meant to meet her lover, an
D started across the lower prairie land t
/ meet him near the creek road. She mus
d have fallen into one of the pits from whlc
5 the ore had been taken, drawing dow
It upon her as she fell an avalanche OF I'll
a loose but terribly heavy soil. There mus
It have been water in this pit, as was almo
g invariably the case, and this, with the irol
must have produced a solution that tende
3 to preserve the body. - Cor. ST. Lou
IS Globe Democrat.