Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1909-06-04
MAN WAS MADE TO HUSTLE.
AN AWFUL CRIME
A Newly Born B a b Q
Thrown into a Pond on
Joel Farthing's Farm.

Joel Farthlng's Farm.
NO TANGIBLE CLEW OBTAINED
About rundown last Sunday,
May 80, 1909, Mrs. Joel Farthina,
who lives on farm just over the
liLe in Wayland township, about
five miles north of Salisbury,
went to q pond, no where more
than knee deep, to drive her
goslings to the house. and diseov.
cred. what she took to be an
infant child floating on the water.
She called to her husband, who
was some 30 Or 10 yards distant,
! driving up the COWS from the pas.
ture, and when he got near her
she told him che believed there
was baby in the pond.
When .Mr. Fsrthing first saw
the object his wife took to
be the dead body of q tiny hu
man being he would not at first
believe that such could be the
case, but after procuring q board
of sufficient length to reach to the
object in the water he turned it
partially over and saw it was q
baby. Mr.. Fsrthing had his wife
to go at once and telephone to
Louis Glsssen, ,one of their neigh
bors, who came and assisted Mr..
Farthing to remove the body of
the little one from the pond.
Other neighbors were also tele.
phoned for and after they came
the corpse was dressed, placed in
q box and taken to the barn.
A telephone message was sent
to Keytesville to DR.. Isaiah Knott,
coroner, but he was in st. Louis.
Next, Sheriff A. N. Harding
was notified by phone. but hs
said he could not act and advised
Mr.. Farthing to take the matter
up with Judge Taylor, presiding
judge of the county court. This
was done and Judge Taylor sug.
gested that justice of the peace
and the constable of Wayland
township proceed to hold an in.
quest. Justice VIM. H. Conrad
and Constable VIM. Carlstead of
that township were next com
municated with; but they refused
to come that night, and the mat j.
ter was then taken up with Jus.
tioe j. r. Mason of Salisbury
township who, acting as coroner,
assisted by Sheriff A. N. Har-
ding, held an inquest Monday at
which Joel Fsrthing and wife, DR..
j. D. Brummall and Louis Glas.
sen and daughter, Miss Flora,
were examined as witnesses.
/ In addition to the testimony of.
fered concerning the finding of
the baby and the removal of the
body from the pond, the coroner's
jury composed of Fred Glassen.
q. w. Walker, M. G. Smith, jeff
Foderee, E. D. McCollum and
John McAvan, the jury were told
that the child was q male with the
umbilical cord wrapped around
its neck and that the body seemed
fast ned to something when Mr..
Farthing first pushed q board
against it. Testimony was also
offered that two blows had been
dealt on the head above the left
eye, but Dr.. BRummsll gave it as
his opinion that neither of these
blows was sufficient te produce
death. The doctor also expressed
the belief that the body had been
in the pond from two to six weeks.
u It was face downward in the
water anu the front was white
while the back was quite dark,
due to sunburn and partial de-
composition.
The coroner's jury returned a
verdict to the effect that death
was caused by violence. either
from bruises on head, drowning
! Tor stranguiation at the hands oi
some party or parties unknown
! to the jury.
No clue has been obtained &C
far as we have heard, but it is tc
be hoped that the fiends incornate
who perpetrated this high. handed
, crime will be run down and made
to pay the full penalty for such 6
cold. blooded outrage against 90.
ciety in taking the life of q help
less infant.