Unknown Baby 1919

DESERTED BABY FOUND
DEAD IN DITCH
The body of a four weeks old baby boy was found dead in a drainage ditch near Shenandoah. The discovery was made by Ted Meyers, the fourteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Meyers. The boy was on his way to work early Monday morning, and stopped at the ditch, south of the Economy Hog Powder plant, to examine some traps which he had set there. Approaching the place, he noticed a little white bundle, and saw the little hands extended into the water. Making sure that it was really a baby, he ran back home and called his father, who notified the authorities.
The little innocent had been dressed in ordinary baby clothes, not extra fine, yet not the poorest. A little white cotton flannel blanket was around the body. Coroner Harmon, and County Attorney Homer Stephens were called, and were accompanied to Shenandoah by Clerk George A. Anderson and Treasurer D. D. Stitt.
After an examination, they could not determine whether the baby had been smothered, or the life had left its body after it had been thrown in the ditch. From the position of the body, they thought it had been thrown from a passing automobile, and it was impossible to tell whether the infant was abandoned alive, or whether it had been murdered and then heartlessly thrown away. There was no clew to its identity, and as yet nothing has been discovered in the case. The authorities are about certain that the infant is not the offspring of Page county people, for if so, they could not keep its dissappearance secret very long. There has been no inquest as yet, as they are awaiting evidence. PAGE COUNTY DEMOCRAT, Clarinda, Iowa, Nov 27, 1919

BABE BURIED IN ROSE HILL

No Clues    as to Identity    of Child Found Dead in a Ditch a Week Ago
The body of the unknown babe that has lain in the Clovis & Gage undertaking parlors for a week is to be buried at Rose Hill this afternoon. The coroner gave directions to undertaker Robert Fairburn to that effect this morning.
Clovis & Gage have provided a very pretty white casket, costing them three times as much as the county allows for such cases and many flowers surround it. Mrs. C. S. Hanley and the members of the Comfort club will conduct a burial service there this afternoon and the little form will be laid away with as much tenderness as if its natural parents were present to perform that sacred duty, and with even more sympathy for the case has touched all hearts.
No clues have been found as to the persons who threw the babe into the ditch and it will probably ever remain a mystery unless some guilty conscience may force confession.-Sentinel-Post. PAGE COUNTY DEMOCRAT, Clarinda, Iowa, Dec 4, 1919

FIND MURDERED BABY
IN DITCH NEAR SHEN
Six Weeks Old Girl Thrown Evidently from Auto.   Death Possibly Due to Suffocation. No Clues

Mystery shrouds the death of a six weeks old baby girl, found dead Monday morning, with its face imbedded in soft mud in a ditch just southwest of Shenandoah. The infant was apparently in good health and showed no marks of violence. It was well clothed and had a shawl wrapped about its body and head Coroner R. E. Harmon was called but no inquest was held, it being thot best to await any possible developments. It is said that the child may have been thrown from a passing auto. Who did the dastardly deed, no one has the slightest idea. It is probable that it may have been some one from a distance. Such a local deed could be easily traced down.
Teddy Myers found the baby's body Monday morning at about 6:30 o'clock, when he went to the creek to examine a trap which he had set there. The child had possibly been dead for 48 hours before it was found. CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Nov 27, 1919

The dead body of a boy baby was found early Monday morning in a ditch by the road about a quarter of
a mile southwest of the Economy Stock Powder company plant in Shenandoah.
It was discovered by Teddy Myers, a young boy on his way to work. Teddy immediately reported his discovery to his parents, and the matter was at once looked into. Coroner Roy B. Harmon and County Attorney H. S. Stephens went over from Clarinda. As near as can be determine the baby was between four and five weeks old and had been dead about forty-eight hours when his body was found. It is supposed to have been a case of murder.
No evidence later than the finding of the body is reported, so no inquest has as yet been held. CLARINDA JOURNAL, Clarinda, Iowa, Nov 27, 1919

Unknown Man 1905

CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Jul 11, 1905 -

MYSTERY AT THE JUNCTION
Unknown Man Killed at Burlington Junction Saturday Morning

Last Saturday morning, about one mile west of Burlington Junction, on the Wabash, between the river bridge and trestle, an unknown man was literally ground to pieces by the night freight. The body was dragged for some ways and the pieces of his body were scattered promiscuously around, the biggest piece that was found would not weigh five pounds, and there was nothing left that would in any way help to identify him. There seems to be a mystery surrounding his death, as to whether he was accidentally killed or was murdered and thrown on the track. It seems that on Friday evening there was a party of men and women camped near the place where he was killed, for the purpose of fishing, and that on Saturday morning they had disappeared, .leaving no trace behind them and there is a suspicion that the dead man may have been of the party and was made away with and his body thrown onto the track.
A. W. Carmichael, of this city, from whom we gleaned the above facts, was in Burlington Junction, and brought to this office small pieces of the shirt, coat and pants, hair and skull of the victim. He was apparently a young man with brown hair and mustache, dressed in black coat, gray pants, and striped shirt with a black hat.

Unknown Man 1914

SUICIDE STILL MYSTERY
Body is laid to Rest in Clarinda Cemetery.   Was a Caller at Dr. Sellard's Office the First of Last Week

The body of the man who committed suicide in the Kyle school by hanging himself with school flag was buried last Friday afternoon. There was no coroner's inquest held, as it was a plain case of suicide and the coroner did not think it necessary to incur the additional expense to the county. The burial was in Clarinda cemetery at the expense of the county. The man called at the office of Dr. Sellards on Tuesday, Dec, 30, and the doctor gave him some medicine in a bottle. This bottle was afterwards found in the school house near the body. At the time that he was in the office he complained of being sick and without friends or a home. The doctor asked him his name but he evaded an answer by saying, "Well. I haven't any money but I'll make it right with you some day."
Last Sunday afternoon be was in the McCunn school house three miles west of town. He had gone in and built a fire and when Mr. McCunn went to the school house to see who was there, he was warming his feet. He stayed in the school all night and was at Frank McCunn's for breakfast Monday morning. He seemed quite preoccupied that morning as though he had something on his mind, but he talked of coming from Hamburg and of going to Carroll. He said that he had done some tiling at Carroll for the county and was returning there. He left after breakfast, coming on towards Clarinda.
Lon Greene walked with the man from his home on West State street to the square on Tuesday morning, Dec. 30th. The man was seemingly in the best of spirits then, as Mr. Green says he talked and laughed about a number of things, and told Mr. Green that he came from Sidney, and that he had walked from Shenandoah on the Waubonsie trial. He also spoke of living in southern California. On getting near the square he asked if Mr Green knew of any work, Mr Green replying that he thought he should have no trouble in getting work in Clarinda. He went with Mr. Green to the Smoke House, and was in and out of there two or three times that morning. But this seems to be the last time that anyone talked to him.
A picture was taken of the man, and the description filed at the county clerk's office reads: About five feet six inches tall: weight about 150 to 160 pounds; dark hair and eyebrows; slight deformity of right ear; age about 36 or 40 years; dress, dark overcoat, dark blue cap, light weight drab color coat, gray overalls, blue wool shirt, tan shoes.
There have already been several inquiries from outside parties, who have lost friends. The chief of police of Davenport, la., and Quincy. Ill., having asked for descriptions, and a lady from St. Joe, Mo., wrote a description of her missing husband, which tallied in every respect to the dead man except to a scar and a mole that she stated were on her husbands's face. Descriptions and photographs were sent an answer to these inquiries.
The man was evidently a tramp who just happened to reach this part of the country when he decided that life was too much of a struggle to be worth while. It might be inferred that he was in the habit of using school houses for shelter though, and the taking of the flag for the act was likely that because it was handy. CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Jan 8, 1914

PAGE COUNTY DEMOCRAT, Clarinda, Iowa, Jan 1, 1914 - A case of suicide marks the transition of the old year to the new. This morning an unknown man about forty years old was found hanging in the Kile school house west of this city when parties went to build the fire. He had used the school flag by attaching it to a brace in the room. No one knows him and as Coroner Clark is in Blanchard to day no search has been made of his clothing at the time of going to press.

SUICIDE IN KYLE
SCHOOL HOUSE
UNKNOWN MAN ENTERS SCHOOL HOUSE DURING CHRISTMAS VACATION
HANGS HIMSELF WITH A FLAG
Little  Boy  Who Builds  the Fire Finds Body on Opening the School House Door
Thursday morning little Uril Good, son of Lee Good, found the body of an unknown man hanging in the cloakroom of the Kyle school house. The boy had gone there about eight o'clock to light the fire. The entrance has two doors and the man had evidently broken in the east door. Then taking the school flag he had tied it to an iron rod, used as a brace, and hung himself, the body swinging perhaps three inches off the floor. At time of discovery coroner Clark was in Blanchard, hence the inquest was delayed, the body being taken to the Oates undertaking rooms. Up to Thursday noon noone had been found to identify the body.
The school bouse had been closed for Christmas vacation and it is thought at least twenty-four hours entervened between the time of the act and the discovery of the body. CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Jan 1, 1914

Unknown Man 1916

UNKNOWN MAN IS FOUND DEAD.
His Body Was Near Wabash Tracks
Two Miles from Blanchard.
Shenandoah World, Sept. 4:   An unknown man was picked up by the train crew of the second section of No. 95, the Wabash freight, Saturday, which passes through here about 2 o'clock a.m., and brought to this city. The man was lying beside the track in a perfectly normal attitude, with his clothing undisturbed in any way, his head lying about two feet from the rails, about two miles this side of Blanchard. The first section of No. 95 had passed the same point about an hour earlier, but the man was either not there at that time or the train crew failed to discover him.
There was not a mark or a bruise about his person to indicate that he had met a violent death. When Dr. Putman was called a little after 2 o'clock the man was still breathing but died shortly after, although heart stimulants had been administered and at first seemed to respond to the action. There was not a thing in the pockets to indicate who the man might be.   Not a scrap of paper of any kind, nor an initial on the clothing. In fact the only articles found in the pockets of the man was a piece of chewing tobacco, a pocket knife and some matches, together with a common two-side leather pocket book containing 67 cents in money. This money was two quarters, a dime, a nickle and two pennies.
The man was about 5 feet ten 10 inches, slender built, dark, short hair, well kept mustache, blue eyes, and would weigh about 145 pounds. He was from 35 to 38 years of age and very fair skinned. He had a neat suit of dark underwear, blue work shirt, blue serge pants and vest with a darker blue serge coat. He wore no socks and no hat was found. His shoes had been very good once, but the soles were badly worn at the bottom of the toes. They were worn in a rather peculiar place—right at the end of the sole, as though the shoes were either too short or he dragged his feet in walking.
After he died at the depot the remains were brought to the Clovis & Gage undertaking parlors where Acting Coroner Cheney summoned a jury, and it was decided to hold a post mortem examination to ascertain the cause of his death.
The coroner's jury was composed of J. P. Nye, E. H. Mitchell and George Hill. They are awaiting the report from the physicians before attempting to make any report an the cause or the disposition of the remains.
The strongest identifying mark about the man was the fact that he had no teeth, either upper or lower and had no plates for either. In addition to the articles found on his person was a blue bandana handkerchief.
Dr. Putman examined the brain and found no traces of any cause for death. He sent the stomach to the chemist at Omaha for examination and and will probably have a report on the contents of that this evening or tomorrow.   No disposition of the body will be made until the report can be given to the jury.
There was a man reported missing from Bridgewater and Coroner Cheney has wired a description of this man to the parties interested there.

Man Is Buried Unidentified.
Shenandoah Sentinel-Post, Sept. 6: Scores of people have viewed the remains of the unknown dead man that lies in the undertaking parlors of Clovis & Gage, who was picked up along the Wabash track a few miles north of Blanchard, Saturday morning, but none have been able to identify him. 
A photograph of him was taken yesterday by Emil Strom at the request of Clovis & Gage so that the man might be identified by it.
The funeral will take place today at 2:30 o'clock and the remains will be buried in Rose Hill cemetery. The inquest will be held tomorrow as the information has not been received from Omaha as to the analysis of the contents of the stomach. The body cannot be kept longer and will be buried doubtless without anyone ever knowing who he was or how he came to his death. CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Sep 7, 1916