Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1899 — Excitement at Monticello. [ARTICLE]

Excitement at Monticello.

Monticello has been having her share of sensation the past few days. Last Saturday Rev. Steward, a colored preacher residing at that place, was removing a pile of manure at the back end of his lot when he came upon the remains of an infant which had apparently been buried in manure. The remains were in a bad state of decomposition and soon crumbled on exposure to air. The find created intense excitement and the coroner put in several days investigating and returned a verdict that “the infant was placed in the manure pile soon after birth by parties unknown to him, and placed there some time after December, 1898. The age and sex of the infant unknown.” Sunday evening the denizens of the picturesque city on the banks of the Tippecanoe were again plunged into a fever of excitement. Mrs. Monroe Watkins, wife of a cigar dealer, attempted to shuffle off this mortal coil via the strychnine route, and was only saved by the heroic efforts of physicians.