The Buda Family Reunion, 1896.

The mysterious correspondent, "M.", reported in the newspaper of the Buda family reunion, held after Christmas in 1896.  It was discussed in his Glenburg news column of the paper.

The extended family of Charles Buda and Christina Thiebolt of Milford township, Defiance County, met to renew family acquaintances.

As the reporter named the twelve children of the couple, he decided that each child's weight should be mentioned, as well.  
An unusual decision!

From the Defiance Daily Crescent,

March 15, 1897, page 2

"FAMILY REUNION.

On the 27th day of December, 1896, there occurred a family reunion at the residence of Charles Buda in Milford township, which, for vast proportions, excels anything in the county.  When I have related the circumstances, it will so be pronounced by all who read this account of it.  I shall not enter into fulsome praise of the event, nor embellish it with words of fancy; but shall only give the simple facts.  There were about forty-five present, children and grandchildren.

The most notable feature is the number of children.  The total number in the family is fourteen, father, mother, ten sons and two daughters.

Following are the names and weight of the children: Their average age is 32 years. Philip weighs 163 pounds; Christena Mavis , 167 pounds; George, 139 pounds; Charles, 151 pounds; Edward, 143 pounds; Simon, 140 pounds; Peter, 150 pounds; Frank, 164 pounds, William, 155 pounds; Cora Richardson, 165 pounds; Wallace, 156 pounds, and Curtis, 162 pounds. 

The father was born in Alsace Lorraine, Germany, and sailed to this country when sixteen years of age.  The mother is German also, having been born directly after her parents arrived in America.

Photo of Christina Thiebolt and unknown child, posted on Ancestry Public Trees

 The menu consisted of turkey, goose, and chicken with the usual amount of pies and cake.  The immediate family ate at the first table, and as they marched around it, they stepped to a tune played by the newly made bride of the son, Will.

The children are all married except the two younger sons, Wallace and Curtis.  Perhaps little Curt never will be, for we are told that he ' doesn't like the girls.'

On the day following, the entire family went to Bryan and had a family group photograph taken, in extra large size.  It was a most enjoyable affair, one never to be forgotten by those present.

There is only one family larger than this in the county, we believe, and that one is in Washington township or perhaps in the south edge of Tiffin.

We noted above that they were all married except two.  This is in itself significant.  It means an addition of two sons-in-law and daughters-in-laws to the family.  In all, it makes a family huge in proportions, numbering twenty-four, with the prospect of two more when the younger sons 'double up.' "   M.

Farmer Cemetery, Farmer, Ohio

 

 

Benjamin B. Woodcox, Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Born in Ohio in March, 1827, Benjamin B. Woodcox was a pioneer of Defiance County.  He was here by 1850 in Defiance Township with his new wife, Mary Elizabeth Southworth.  They were married on February 27, 1850, and then were enumerated on the census on July 20th in Defiance.  Benjamin was a carpenter.

By 1860, the family had four children: Emily, 9; Gilbert, 7; Ella, 3; and Charity, 3 months.  One might assume life was hard for this family with personal effects worth $50.

Benjamin decided to join the Union Army, enlisting on April 27, 1861, for a three month term.  He was assigned to Company K, 21st Infantry at 34 years old.


Leaving his family behind, he was first sent to Cleveland to prepare as a soldier, and then to Columbus where the unit picked up their weapons and supplies.  In Gallipolis, Ohio, until July 3, 1861, the unit then received word from General McClellan that they were needed to reinforce Union troops in West Virginia.  The group encountered the Confederates at least once and drove them away.  Then it was back to Galipolis.  They had one other battle at the Red House on the Kanawha River where their colonel was wounded by a bayonet.  The unit was ordered home by August 12, leaving 4 men killed in battle, 3 drowned and 8 dead of disease.  Benjamin managed to escape all of these.

On August 13, 1862, Benjamin reenlisted into Company E, 111th Infantry.  He was promoted to Sergeant on August 26, 1862, then to 2nd Lieutenant in December, 1862.  In the 111th, Lt. Woodcox spent most of his time skirmishing the enemy in Tennessee and Georgia.  He was mustered out on February 10, 1864, and promoted once more to full Lieutenant on March 3, 1864. He noted no disabilities on the 1890 Veterans Census.

The Woodcox family moved to Toledo at least by 1868, when Benjamin's name began appearing in the city directories.  The enumerator found them there for the 1870 census.  Benjamin, at 44, still worked as a carpenter, but he held real estate valued at $2500 and personal effects valued at $1500.  Their only son, Gilbert, was 16 and four other daughters lived at home - Ella, 12, Charity M.(Myra), 10, Effa, 4, and Mildred, 1 year old.  Emily had married to George Gibson in 1868.

Benjamin B. Woodcox appeared in the Toledo directories until 1873.  In 1880, he lived at 73 Water Street, Defiance, according to the census.  He was 53 and the enumerator listed him as "Woodcocks".  Ellen, Effa/Effie and Mildred were at home with George Bartlett, 25, a painter born in England.   

Towards the end of their lives, Benjamin and Mary resided at 962 Broadway St. in Defiance.  It was documented through the newspaper and legal notices that Mary was suffering from some sort of dementia, and Benjamin was named as her guardian.  The incident that led to her transfer to the Toledo State Hospital happened in April 1901.  It was reported by the Defiance Crescent-News on April 4, 1901.

 "DEMENTED LADY IS SAVED FROM DEATH.

Mrs. Ben Woodcox, Nearly Frozen, Wanders on Wabash Tracks Early This Morning. 

A demented lady, Mrs. Ben Woodcox, came near being killed on the Wabash tracks in North Defiance about 2 o'clock this morning.

The circumstances surrounding her escape from the house and wanderings about the street in the cold, ending in being snatched from in front of a rapidly moving train, are pathetic in the extreme.

At about the time mentioned, John Lantow, who resides not far away from the Woodcox home, was awakened and heard someone outside.  Looking out, he discovered a woman, and thinking it was a different person, he called her.  Mrs. Woodcox advanced toward him and when quite near, she was recognized.

Mr. Lantow knew of the mental condition of Mrs. Woodcox and, calling to his wife, said Mrs. Woodcox is out here.  When her name was mentioned, the old lady took fright and ran down the street.  Mrs. Lantow hurriedly dressed, threw a shawl over her head, and started after the fleeing woman.

Seeing she was pursued, Mrs. Woodcox ran down the embankment onto the Wabash tracks.  A train was rapidly approaching, but Mrs. Lantow followed and succeeded in catching her.  She was pulled off the track, just in time to save her from a frightful death as the engine was but a few feet away when the rescue was made.

Mrs. Woodcox was not clad sufficiently to be out in the cold and was nearly frozen, which evidenced that she had been wandering on the streets for some time.  It seems that she had not been missed from her home as no one searching for her appeared.

She was taken to the Lantow house and thoroughly warmed.  Later she was taken to the home of Mrs. Hatfield, the only person that has any influence over her during these spells.  There she remained the balance of the night.

This is the third time Mrs. Woodcox has left her home and aimlessly wandered about during the night.  On both former occasions, she was found in Mr. Lantow's barn, fast asleep.  Her experience of last night might have been a serious one.

She has no particular hallucination and is not dangerous, but during these spells, she is childish.  No steps have been taken to have her placed in the Toledo State Hospital, although the authorities have been asked to advise."

In fact, probate court records indicated that Mary Woodcox was admitted to the Toledo State Hospital on April 13, 1901, leaving Benjamin alone.  He lived about another nine months before passing away in January, 1902.

From the Defiance Democrat, January 23, 1902:

"REMAINS ARE INTERRED.

FUNERAL SERVICES OF B. B. WOODCOX HELD FROM M. E. CHURCH

The funeral of Benjamin Brown Woodcox, the pioneer and veteran who died Sunday morning, occurred this afternoon at 2:30 from the M.E. church.

The two orders, the G.A.R. and the I.O.O.F., of which the deceased was a member, showed respect and turned out in a body.  The latter organization, which Mr. Woodcox joinedin 1845, had charge of the services. Both orders escorted the funeral cortege from the house in North Defiance to the church, where Rev. Whitlock preached an eloquent sermon.

The services at the church were attended by a large following of friends of the deceased pioneer, conspicuous among them being the many soldiers of the blue and old time residents of the city.  After the ceremonies at the church, the remains were conveyed to their last resting place at Riverside Cemetery, where the Odd Fellows went through their beautiful burial service."

On January 22, 1902, Benjamin's will was probated in Defiance.  His only son, Gilbert, received $100, daughter Effie Bolt of Los Angeles, California was left $200.  The remainder of the property was given to his daughters, Myra Jarvis, 2/3 and Ella Viola Bartlett, 1/3 ; they were the executrices.  After Benjamin's death the guardianship of his wife, Mary, was put in the hands of attorney, F. L. Hay; Mary died in 1903.


(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)

Frank L. Forlow, A Raw Deal - Part 2

When Frank Forlow left Hicksville after being prosecuted and acquited for forgery and embezzlement, and then embarrassed by a false report in the Cincinnati Enquirer which was printed in many local newspapers of the area, it was unknown whether he could restore his reputation as an attorney or not.  
His plans were go with his wife to her home in Joplin, Missouri, and then perhaps back to Huntington, Indiana, to set up a new practice in 1893, when the article appeared.

In fact, Frank Forlow became so well-known and esteemed that his biography appeared in both the Missouri History Encyclopedia and the History of Jasper County, Missouri. He left the raw deal behind him and forged a new, successful life and career.

From the Missouri History Encyclopedia, 1901, Vol. 2, pp. 486-487:

"Forlow, Frank Leslie, lawyer, was born in Hicksville Township, Defiance County, Ohio, October 31, 1858, son of Amos and Eliza (Myers) Forlow.  His parents were still living on the farm in Defiance County which has been their hoe for more than half a century.  Mr. Forlow's paternal ancestors were natives of Ireland, members of the family locating in America prior to the Revolution, and his great-grandmother was a descendant of a German family, members of which were also among the pioneers of America.

Mr. Forlow lived on his father's farm and attended the country schools in the neighborhood until he was fifteen years old, when he entered the public schools of Hicksville, Ohio, where he completed the course, after which he entered the Northwestern University, from which institution he graduated a few years later.  He taught school in Logan, Ayersville, and Evansport, Ohio, and in 1882, he commenced the reading of law.  In 1885, he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Ohio, and a year later was licensed to practice in the United States courts at Toledo, Ohio.

For a number of years, he was a law partner of Honorable W. D. Hill and practiced at his home town in Ohio until 1893, when he removed to Webb City, Jasper County, Missouri, where he soon established a lucrative practice, which since has continued to increase. In 1897 and 1898, he was city attorney for Webb City, and for four years was attorney for the city of Centerville.  Prior to his location in Missouri, he held a number of minor offices in Ohio, and for two years was president of the Northwestern Ohio Teachers' Association.

Mr. Forlow has always been an earnest worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, active in the campaigns, in the field and on the stump.  He is a member of Joplin Lodge, No. 501, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of Lodge No. 244, Knights of Pythias, of Hicksville, Ohio, of which he is a past chancellor.  For two years, he was a member of the Ohio Grand Lodge of the last named order and served as a member of important committees.  He is a member also of the Webb City Camp of the Woodmen of the World.

September 16, 1885, he was married to Miss Ida Harmany, daughter of Judge W. S. and Margaret (Mock) Harmany, well known residents of Joplin, Missouri.  Mrs. Forlow is a niece of Rear Admiral David B. Harmany of the United States Navy (retired), and is a Daughter of the Revolution.  She is highly educated and accomplished, and assists her husband in caring for his large practice.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Forlow are members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Joplin."

A History of Jasper County and Its People, Vol, 2, by Joel Thomas Livingston adds even more to Attorney Forlow's story:

"Frank L. Forlow, a native of the great state of Ohio, which was not so very long agoon our far western border, but is now in the eastern quarter of the country, and which has almost rivaled Virginia, 'themother of states and of statesmen," in the number of presidents it has given to the American republic.  Frank L. Forlow, of Webb City, is a fine representative of the enterprise, progressiveness, and all-conquering daring of the people of that illustrious commonwealth.  He was reared to manhood on its soil, began his education in the public schools and imbibed its very spirit by long and intimate connection with its institutions and association with its citizenship.

Mr. Forlow's life began in Defiance county, Ohio, on October 31, 1858.  He is a son of Amos and Eliza (Myers) Forlow, the father is a native of Butler county, Ohio and the mother of Berks county, Pennsylvania.  The father has followed farming from his youth and is still engaged in that interesting and independent pursuit in Defiance county in his native state, although he is now living in the city of Defiance and is practically retired from the excessive labor of the farm.

Frank L. Forlow grew to maturity on his father's farm and attended the district schools in its vicinity.  After completing their course of study, he passed four years at the Northwestern University, and was graduated from that institution in 1878.  He then taught school in his native county five years, and while doing so studied law with a view to realizing his great ambition for a professional career.  At the end of the period mentioned, he gave up teaching and entered a law office in Defiance to complete his preparation for admission to the bar. In that city, he was admitted to practice in 1885 and at once, began devoting himself wholly to professional work.


He conducted a successful and increasing practice in his native county for a period of nine years. By the end of  that time, the region around him had become well settled and highly developed, and he longed for a newer territory, with its hopes and possibilities largely yet in embryo, and its opportunities still awaiting seizure and use.  He therefore determined to come to Missouri, and in 1894, he became a resident of this state, locating in Jasper County and Webb City.

The law was still the idol of his longings and he has never abandoned it.  On his arrival in Webb City, he immediately sought admission to the bar of this county, and he has ever since been occupied busily in an active general practice in the courts of this state and those which adjoin it on the west and south.  His practice is large and steadily increasing, and has included some of the most important cases in this part of the country.  In fact, Mr. Forlow is one of the leading lawyers of southwestern Missouri, and is employed in every case he can find time to take.

It can easily be inferred that his professional duties have been extensive and exacting.  But he has not allowed them to absorb all of his time and energy.  He has also been interested in mining, and is so at the time of this writing in the year 1911.  He has been very successful in her professional activiites, for he has shown in them ability of a high order.  His mining operations have also been fruitful and responsive to his hopes, for they have been conducted with judgement and governed by prudence and foresight.  In every department of his industry, Mr. Forlow has shown himself to be master of the situation with all its powers and opportunities in his control.  The people all around him accord him the first rank in the legal profession, and they also hold him in esteem as a very capable, enterprising and successful business man.

Mr. Forlow has always taken a very active interest in public affairs.  In political thought and action, he is allied with the Democratic party and has made himself by his energy, zeal and efficiency in its service one of its leaders and most potential forces in his part of the state.  He has served as chairman of the Jasper county Democratic committee, and in that position, has displaced a capacity for organizing and enthusing the rank and file of his party that has been of great benefit to it.  He was for six years also one of the leading and most active members of the school board, and as such, was effective in raising the standard of the schools and greatly augmenting their usefulness.

All matters of public improvement in his city and county have had his earnest and helpful support and felt the force of his resourceful mind and quickening hand.  In fraternal life, he has long been a member of the Order of Elks, and in religious connection has for years belonged to the Episcopal church.  He lodge and his church are looked upon him as highly useful moral agencies and he gives them his close attention and renders them every assistance in his power in the good work they do.

On September 18, 1885, he was united in marriage with Miss Ida M. Harmany, a native of Rock Island, Illinois.  Her father, W. S. Harmany, came to Missouri and located in Joplin in 1877.  Soon after his arrival, he founded the first machine works in Joplin and for many years was in active control and management of them.  He is still a resident of that city, and one of its most esteemed citizens."

Buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Webb City, Jasper County, Missouri

Frank Leslie Forlow died in March, 1927 in Missouri at the age of 68.  His obituary appeared in the Joplin Globe, Joplin, Missouri, March 29, 1927, page 1.

"SERVICES PROBABLY WILL BE AT 2:30 O'CLOCK WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

Webb City, Mo., March 28.  Arrangements for the funeral of Frank L. Forlow, a prominent Jasper county attorney, who died at 2:30 o'clock this morning at his home, 130 North Ball Street, following an illness of three months, are incomplete. 

Definite arrangements await information as to whether Bishop Partridge of the Episcopal church of Kansas City, can come here to preach this service.  The funeral will be held at the residence, probably at 2:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon.  Burial will probably be in Fairview cemetery at Joplin.

BEDFAST TWO WEEKS

Mr. Forlow had been confined to his home since the middle of December.  He had been bedfast the last two weeks, and last Thursday his condition became critical.  His death was due to hardening of the arteries.

Mr. Forlow had been an attorney forty-two years, thirty-three years of which time he had practiced in Webb City.  At his death, he was president of the Jasper County Bar Association, an office he held ten years.  He also was a member of the American Bar Association and the Missouri Bar Association.

He was 68 yearsold.  Born at Defiance, Ohio, October 31, 1858, whre he received appublic school education, he began teaching school when 16 years old to obtain money to make his way through college.  He was graduated from a college at Ada, Ohio, in 1885, when 27 years old, and began practicing law.  The same year he came to Joplin.  On September 18, 1885, he married Miss Ida Harmany.

Mr. Forlow came to Webb City in 1894 and occupied the same office at 112 North Main street continuously.

MEMBER OF STATE BOARD

In addition to being president of the Jasper County Bar Association, Mr. Forlow was serving as a democratic member of the elsemosynary board, which was formed in Governor Hyde's administration.  Last January, he concluded two terms as legal advisor and assistant prosecuting attorney under Roy Coyne.

Mr. Forlow also had serve as president of the National bank being a member of the board of directors many years, and later being elected vice-president.  He was at the head of the institution when it was merged with the Webb City bank, having served as president about two years.

He had been a member of the Episcopal church of Joplin thirty years and a member of the Elks Lodge. Besides his wife, he is survived by two sisters and a brother, who resides in Ohio."

 

 

 

John A. Crow of Mark Township, Murdered! Or Was He? - Part 3

March 9, 1886, the last day of the trial.

J. W. Winn of Defiance County, O., spoke for the prosecution, after objections from defense.
D. F. Glidden, defense attorney pointed out the previous good character of John Vanimann and that the money that he had shown in Mark Center was actually his own  He had done several days work and had been paid and he took John Crow's revolver in part pay for work.  Vanimann said he traded watches with Crow and gave him $5 to boot on the day they started north.  A big point for the defense was that the body could not have decomposed to a skeleton is twenty-eight days, hence it could not even be Crow's body.  Finally, the case went to the jury.

Defiance Democrat - March 11, 1886

"GUILTY OF MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE
A private telegram received by Sheriff Wonderly this morning from Eli Fredericks, the Sheriff of Mecosta County, Mich., states that the jury rendered a verdict of murder in the first degree.  The punishment for this crime in the State of Michigan is imprisonment in penitentiary for life for Vanimann.

➜THAT, I THOUGHT WAS THE END OF THE STORY...until I came across this article in The Springfield Leader (Springfield, Missouri), May 24, 1894.

"Muncie, Ind., May 23 - A man named Crow, about 38 years old, was here last night enroute to Michigan, where he said he had just ascertained his brother-in-law, John VanNiman, was serving out a sentence for life for having murdered him (Crow) ten years ago near Big Rapids, Michigan.

'The account I have just read,' said Crow, 'stated that a skeleton of a man had been found near Big Rapids, Mich., along the Chicago and west Michigan railroad, the same I left on from Big Rapids.  It was learned that I was mysteriously missing and the authorities supposed it was my skeleton.  My brother-in-law was known to have been with me when I was last seen and he was arrested, tried and declared guilty of my murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment.  He has already served about five years."

John VanNiman, a prisoner at the Jackson penitentiary in Michigan, was excited about the prospect of freedom, proclaiming his innocence again, now 8 years after the crime.  The Logansport Journal (Indiana) reported on May 24, 1894:

DON'T STOP READING NOW!

 

   Just a few weeks later, the truth was exposed - from The Goshen Democrat, June 6, 1894:

 

John A. Crow of Mark Township, Murdered! Or Was He? - Part 2

After a reporter from the Big Rapids Herald visited the jail to talk to the alleged murderer, John Vanniman, he reported his interview to the paper:

"Vanniman said he was willing to state all he knew about the case.  Information: Had known John Crow for a long time - had worked with him - thought the world of him.  Had been in Big Rapids and neighborhood a good deal.  Had an old acquaintance named Fisher at Turnbull's Lake who was now in Grand Rapids.  He wanted to see him about taking an interest in a patent, and determined on going to Grand Rapids.

As he boarded the train at Mark Center, his friend, John Crow, got on board, and said he was going north.  Vanniman had not the slightest idea where John was going till he saw him on the train, although in the past, he had told him that Big Rapids and Hungerford were good places for work.  The two stole their way as far as they could on freight trains.  Before reaching Grand Rapids, they made the acquaintance of another fellow stealing his way.  The fellow said he was going north.  

They reached Grand Rapids Sunday morning, May 31, loafed about the city all day, hoping to find Fisher, occasionally had a drink, did not put up anywhere.  In the evening, John (Crow) and his new acquaintance left him to go north on the G. R. & I.  He (Vanniman) remained in Grand Rapids until some time on Monday, and then concluded to return to Mark Center"

The trial of John Vanniman for the murder of John Crow took place in Mecosta County, Michigan, where the crime was committed.  The Defiance Democrat followed the murder investigation and the trial from day to day.  The trial began on March 3rd with the Defiance County sheriff and prosecuting attorney and Crow's family and friends present.  On the first day of the trial, John Crow's mother, Mrs. Rebecca Crow, of Mark Center testified.

Report from the Defiance Democrat, March 11, 1886:

"The last witness of the day was Mrs. Rebecca Crow, of Mark Center, O., mother of the murdered man.  She minutely described how her son dressed when he started north with Vanimann and produced buttons, braid and pieces of cloth, shirting, etc. from which she had made or repaired his clothes before he left home.  When the blood-stained, storm-washed garments taken from the dead body were given to her, she readily recognized them and the trimming bore her out.  The identity of the body is not more in question.

Just before dinner, the broken skull of the murdered man was produced and identified as one removed at the time the body was found.  Its exhibition created a sensation, and the prisoner at the time was ill at ease.  He had not a friend among the crowd.

On March 5th and as the trial continued, more and more evidence was found supporting the guilt of John Vanniman.  

"By unimpeachable testimony, they (the witnesses) have shown the penniless condition of the prisoner when he started from Mark Center, O. with his victim on May 30th, last and the flush condition when he returned there on the evening of June 2, stopping at Grand Rapids long enough to pawn the watch and revolver of the man he had left dead the night before near the West Michigan Railroad track a mile or two from this city.  

His admission in Ohio that he left Crow at work near Grand Rapids and hasty departure with his children from there to Chicago, displaying quite a roll of greenbacks when purchasing his ticket, seemingly fastens his guilt beyond doubt.

On March 6th, the fourth day of the trial, Crow's father testified and Dr. Terrill, who had talked to Vanniman in Big Rapids on June 1st.  The case for the defense was presented, with Vanniman's lawyer indicating it was impossible for him to commit a murder in Big Rapids on Saturday night and be back in Ohio by Monday.  He claimed that the body had lain out for more than the five weeks, making it impossible that it was Crow.  And lastly, the defense lawyer discussed the prejudice against his client in Defiance County.

On March 8th, Vanniman, himself, took the stand. and insisted that all the witnesses so far had lied.  He claimed the body was not Crow's and that there was no proof whatsoever that the articles of clothing could be matched by just a patch on the pants.

"The prisoner felt quite elated last night, although the Sheriff took the

precaution of handcuffing him for the first time during the trial.  Prosecutor Palmer closed this morning.  The case has proved the most exciting in the history of the county.  Yesterday the murdered boy's father left the room, rather than listen to the attorney's flattering commendation of the prisoner. 

To be continued...

  

  



  

John A. Crow of Mark Township, Murdered! Or Was He? - Part 1

Sometime in 1885, two fishermen discovered a decomposed body along the West Michigan Railroad, about a mile from Big Rapids, Michigan.  They immediately notified the authorities who suspected murder: the victim's clothes were in disarray with the pockets rifled and his skull had been crushed by a rock which was underneath the body.  Sheriff Eli Frederick led the investigation, according to a story that ran in the Big Rapids Herald and then was reprinted in the Hicksville Tribune on Thursday, December 17, 1885.  

Clues led the sheriff to Mark Center.

The papers reported:

"At Mark Center, Defiance county, Ohio, a young fellow named John A. Crow, aged about 22 years, left his father and mother, who resided on a farm, and for the first time in his life, started out into the world.  His companion was an old acquaintance named John Vanniman.  They left on May 30th of this year.  Vanniman had been making Mark Center his home.  He is a widower with three children, one of them aged seven and one five years; they were all in the care of a sister who had married a brother of John Crow; the third child is two years old and has been and is still in care of the deceased wife's sister in Defiance county.

The two men came to Michigan. On Tuesday morning following, Vanniman surprised the folks by appearing in Mark Center and alone.  He had one of the Crow boys take his two children to the station, saying he had not found any work north, but had a job at a factory there.  Telling Crow not to wait with the team, that he would soon find a place to board, Vanniman saw the team and driver start back, and then, after some talk with the station agent about a ticket for another place, purchased a ticket for Chicago and the next train bore Vanniman and his children to that city.

Time went on.  The Crow folks had not received a word from their son, John; neither could they learn any tidings of him.  The matter was talked over, but no solution was discovered.  Rumors of the Big Rapids dead body find reached them, as also the inquiries set afloat by our officers.  Sheriff Frederick found the trail getting hot; he visited Defiance county, gained a mass of information.  A public meeting was held there in the settlement, a fund of money raised; Sheriff Wonderly of that county came to Big Rapids; notes are compared; the two Sheriffs and Marshall Hunt visited the lonely grave; the balance of the clothing was taken from the bones, and after being washed, is, with the clothing taken off by Ex-Marshall Jones, fully identified by the mother as that worn by her own son when he started out on that fatal trip to Northern Michigan.

Suspicion now pointed stronger to Vanniman, whose whereabouts are unknown, and the work of looking him up is commenced."

In December, 1885, Vanniman was located and arrested at Peabody, Kansas, as the alleged murderer of John A. Crow.

To be continued...