Introduction | Location & Condition of the Body

Strouse May, Grand-father of the little girl, being sworn, testified as follows: I knew the little girl well, she was my grand-daughter. I saw her alive the last time on Sunday, June 23d, 1872, on the road three-fourths of a mile west of my house, in Liberty township, this county. I next saw her dead body, on Monday, June 24th; it was lying in a thicket on the north side of the road, within fifty or seventy-five yards from where I saw her alive on Sunday, the day before. She was horribly mangled, and the hogs were eating her. The head was entirely separated from the body; the skull was crushed in and part of it gone. Her clothing was all torn off, and was lying near and partly under her. I was a hundreds yards off when the body was found. Joseph Steen and others were along. We were in a little open space within two feet of thicket and behind it near south east corner of a wheat field, not far from John Citterly's house.

Joseph Steen testified that he was acquainted with the deceased--last saw her alive about three weeks before her death. I saw her dead in the thicket, on the road between Strouse May's and John Citterly's on the north side of the road at the south east corner of a wheat field. I knew her body. It was torn and eaten by hogs, the head was off and all in pieces. I found the under jaw and back part of skull. There was no flesh on either of them. The skull looked like it had been broken by heavy club. We left the body lay until a jury of six men were summoned to hold an inquest. Was at inquest, and never saw the body afterwards. Her clothing was torn off, and most of it laid at her side, partly under her. A pink dress was fast to the body around the waist.

Dr. S.R. Wilson said he saw body on the ground where it was said to have been first discovered, and made a partial examination; I found it badly mangled and torn by hogs. The head was entirely off the body. I examined the neck carefully, and came to the conclusion that it had been cut by some sharp instrument. The hands were mutilated, and the fingers had been chewed or bitten I think, with human teeth and while she was alive. I discovered marks of finger nails on her neck and breast. I think the finger nail marks had been made before death. The skull had been broken in several pieces; I think it had been done by a stroke of a heavy club. I was not acquainted with deceased. I was present and made what examination I did make a short time after the inquest had been held. The body was lying north of the road in the north part of Liberty Township, Mercer county, Ohio.

Copyright 2000. David Kimmel. Heidelberg College. Tiffin, Ohio. All rights reserved.