The  Shelbyville  Democrat
 Monday December 14, 1896
Page 1 column 4
----------
           Mr. William Mefford, whose five-year-old daughter died at the home of her grandmother, Mrs. Derrickson, Sunday morning, December 6, was in the city today and stated that the rumor afloat in that section regarding his daughter having died under suspicious circumstances, was the work of parties who were not friendly to him, and that there is not one particle of truth in the reports. The cause of the child’s death, he says, was lung fever, and she was attended by Dr. Sam Kennedy during her sickness, and he was at her bedside the day before her death.  Mr. Mefford says he is perfectly willing that the Coroner should exhume the body, but, like his physician, regards such steps as being a useless expense.  The Democrat’s informant is a well-known resident of that neighborhood, and stated that he was, with others, firmly of the belief that something was wrong. We hope and now believe that such is not the case.
Contributed by Barb Huff


The  Shelbyville  Daily  Democrat
 Saturday December 12, 1896
Page 1 column 6
----------
UGLY  RUMORS
----------
Afloat Regarding the Sudden death of Little Tessie Mefford
The Coroner Should Investigate the Case
----------
           Last Sunday morning  Tessie Mefford, the five-years and six-months old daughter of  William Mefford, who lives with his mother-in-law, the  Widow Derrickson,  east of the city, died very suddenly.  There was no attending physician at the home, and no undertaker was called to take charge of the body, which was dressed by  Mrs. Nancy Collins and  Mrs. Mary Ayers.  The child was then taken by  Thomas Derrickson and buried, Monday, in the Liberty cemetery, in the north part of the county.  There is considerable talk going on in and around the vicinity of the child’s late home, regarding the manner in which the child died and the disposition of the body, and a gentleman from that neighborhood stated today that the ladies who dressed the child have been doing some talking about the condition of her body, which they intimated, if correctly reported, showed symptoms of violence.  There are those who believe that a wrong had been committed, and that Coroner Booher should disinter the body and investigate the case.  If there is no foundation for the rumors afloat and investigation will so prove, and if what is reported is true the guilty parties cannot be too severely punished.  Do your duty, Coroner Booher.
Contributed by Barb Huff

Newspaper Index       Main Page