Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-03
Workmen Near Belle Plaine
Unearth What Is Thought
to Have Been Crime
MAKE CHASTITY DISCOVERY.
Babe Packed in a Box With ouiolsIime
and Weighted Down With Iron
Weights Found in Bed Of Stream
coroner's Jury Renders Verdict of
Murder.
Special to T1mes-Republican.

Belle Plaine Aug. 3--Abolt o'clock
Wednesday the body of an infant was
found in box in the river near the
south bridge across the main channel
of the Iowa river in Iowa county,
about two miles south of Belle PLANE
on the river road.
The ghastly discovery was made by
Sam Harris, John Burrows, OF Belle
Plaine, and c. f. Green, Of Chicago.
They are putting up a wind mill on the
Winslow farm and were or their way
there when the box was found. The
evening previous when coming home
they noticed that box or what look
ed like small trunk, had been left
stranded on the sand bar, about two
rods from the east side of the bridge,
having been left there by the receding
of the high water. Mr.. Burrows sug-
gested that they go down and see what
was in the box, but they were hungry
and drove on home without stopping.
But Wednesday their curiosity got the
better Of them, and they stopped and
went down and pulled the box out on
the sand bar and opened it.. Mr.. Har-
ris opened the box and Mr.. Burrows
Immediately remarked, THAT box has
a corpse in it," And so it proved to
be.
Mayor Milner was notified by tele-
phone as soon as possible, and as the
body was found in Iowa county. he had
the coroner, DR. Dodd, of Kosta, noti-
fled by telephone.
and Immediately proceeded to make
those who made the discovery of vile
crime, and an attempt to conceal it.
The body was in such decomoposed
condition that only few bones We're
still to be distinguished, such as the
skull, jaw, ribs and leg bones. DR..
Dodd stated that in his opinion the
bones indicate that the child was fully
matured. In this case it Is impossible
to tell whether the child was born
alive or not. There is nothing to pre-
vent the theory that the child was
born alive and foully murdered, or the
guilty parties would not have gone to
the trouble they did to conceal the
crime. Evidently it is the crime of an
unmarried woman, who has thus
sought to hide her guilt, but murder
will out.
The box Is wooden Lewis I've case,
about IS by Is by 10 inches, and was
in gunny sack with a short piece Of
small rope about the size of clothes
line tied about it, The body lay upon
a small cushion or pillow stuffed with
feathers. A quantity of lime or caus-
tic soda was in the box and had al
most consumed all of the flesh. The
tender body of young infant would
probably be consumed in II week or ten
days, 80 that the crime has been COM
mitted within short time.
The box was heavily weighted with
two axes. one a double bit and the
other single bit ak, also two old style
fiat irons. one with the iron handle, and
the other with the handle broken Oft
close to the body of the fat iron, also
a large new horseshoe of peculiar de-
sign, the calking extending entirely
around the shoe, and a peculiar flat
weight about by s by ] inch with
hole in the middle, and the corners
nicked, which apparently was part
of an anchor of brick wall 1t Jock
ed as if it had passed thru fire, pos
sibly the big fire in Belle Plaine eleven
years ago. 1t together with the pecu-
liar horseshoe were probably used as
rests for hot flat irons.
Thus heavily weighted it is evident
that the box never driftee more than
few feet down stream. lit is probable
that the box was thrown from the
bridge just below where 1T as found
The coroner's jury was Wright Eli
iiott, 7. Clark Greenlee and Taylor
Dodd. Evidence Of the witnesses as
given above was taken.
The verdict was that a crime had
been committed by parties unknown.