Among the other players here are Darius Wilcox, who discovered the newborn infant atop a manure pile in southwest Chariton, and John H. Bramhall, to whom the manure pile belonged. Both were rising young Chariton merchants of the day. I've illustrated this piece with advertisements they placed in The Democrat of that time. Both moved on --- Bramhall to Florida and Wilcox to Nebraska --- so neither is widely remembered here.
In any case, here's the story as published in The Democrat. The name of the defendant in the case, Alexander Lockey, is spelled "Lockie" in Faith's early reports.
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On last Wednesday morning, considerable excitement was created in town by the finding of a newly-born infant child, lying upon a manure pile, at Mr. Bramhall's stable in the southwestern part of the city, which seemed to have been left there during the night.
Sometime during the night, a servant in the family of Mr. Wilcox, who lives next door to Mr. Bramhall, heard the cries of a child and as soon as daylight appeared search was commenced. Mr. Wilcox found the child as above stated without the least covering, and exposed to the chill air, and with a feeling of pity and alarm that can be better imagined than described, took it up in his arms and instinctively carried it to Mr. Bramhall's house, and arousing him, begged him "for God's sake" to take the poor thing in.
But "Bram" didn't know it, and begged of Mr. Wilcox for God's sake, take it away, and there they stood for some minutes, each pleading to the other to take it until Mrs. Bramhall, good, motherly soul that she is, came to the door and without any ado about it, took the little waif into the house, washed, clothed and fed it, and poor Wilcox went home rejoicing, and then the alarm was raised.
Upon investigation it appeared that the child had been brought there by some person on horseback, but no other clue could be found. All the sources from which such an episode might be expected to originate were canvassed, and a general inquiry was instituted, but all without avail, until near noon, when it was whispered that a man named Lockie, living about two miles south east of town, had been running things on the Brigham Young principle, regularly cohabitating with his his wife's sister, a girl named Lizzie McCarty, whose confinement was being daily expected.
A warrant was issued by Justice Woodward, and Sheriff Lyman, accompanied by Dr. Kneeland and the editor of the Democrat, made a visit to Lockie's residence the same evening. Mrs. Lockie refused to answer any questions, informing the sheriff that probably her sister could speak for herself. The girl was found confined to her bed upstairs, and at first declined to divulge anything upon the subject, but the doctor told her that by freely answering his questions she could avoid an unpleasant examination which he would be compelled to subject her to. She then frankly confessed that she had been confined the night before, but that she knew nothing of her child, nor any of the circumstances attending her confinement (giving out the impression that she was under the influence of chloroform during her labor).
With a feeling of interest that she did not try to conceal, she asked whether they knew where her baby was, and whether it was alive and upon being told that it was alive, in good hands and doing well, she pleaded with the doctor to fetch it to her, and seemed unwilling to let him off without his promise to do so. She was also alarmed at which she seemed to consider a terrible crime upon her part, and begged that she should not be killed.
Mr. Lockie was not at home, his wife stating that he was in town at work, upon Dr. Heed's stable. The sheriff and the doctor, fully satisfied with the result of their visit, we returned to town, and the sheriff at once proceeded to arrest Lockie. He was taken before Squire Woodward and gave bonds in the sum of $800 for his appearance on Monday, W.H. Simpson becoming his bondsman.
The child was taken to its mother the same evening, since which time we have not heard from either. We have given the above plain statement of what seems to be the circumstances, and as the case will come up for a legal investigation, we do not feel at liberty to state conclusions in advance of the trial of the accused, trusting that, whatever the facts may be, justice will be given him.
Much credit is due to Mr. Bramhall and his excellent wife, for the real humane spirit they manifested. They did what any good man or good woman should do, and they will receive the commendation of all who know the circumstances.
Tuesday, 6 a.m. --- The examination of Lockie commenced before Squire Woodward yesterday morning and is being continued today. Considerable circumstantial evidence has been given, which seems to have but a remote bearing on the case. No direct testimony has, as yet, been elicited.
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As it turned out, no one had witnessed Mr. Lockey deposit the infant on the manure pile and he declined to admit doing so. As a result, according to The Democrat of July 5, he was released:
"That Baby Case --- The examination of Alex. Lockie before Squire Woodward upon charge of having exposed an infant child in an open field, was concluded on Tuesday of last week, and resulted in the discharge of the prisoner. The State failed to produce any positive evidence of Lockie's connection with the affair, and the case resulted as above stated. E.M. Thorpe, Esq. prosecuted, and Mr. Wilkerson defended."
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By July 19, the Lockey family had sold out and moved on, according to a report in The Democrat of that date. The "woodbine twineth" reference may be to their possible destination, the town of Woodbine in southwest Iowa's Harrison County where the newspaper is entitled, logically enough, The Woodbine Twiner. Here's John V. Faith's brief report:
Left --- Lockey, the man who was under arrest recently, charged with being the man who left an infant child upon Mr. Bramhall's manure pile, has sold out and gone "where the woodbine twineth." There are those who regret that it became unpleasant for Mr. Lockey to remain here. In losing him they lose a man who was an ardent church member and who voted the Radical ticket straight through. It was a sorry thought that Lockey drove his own wife from under his roof and that in a short time thereafter her sister became the mother of the child that was found exposed as above stated.
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The last reference I was able to find to the Lockey affair was a paragraph in The Chariton Patriot of April 23, 1873, three years later. After this, the trail goes cold.
Lockey --- We understand that the man Lockey, who lived on a farm a few miles east of our town a few year ago, and who will be remembered by our readers as living with two women in such intimacy as to be contrary to the statutes made and provided, and who was arrested for having carried an infant child of his own blood to our town, and leaving it exposed in one of our alleys in the southwest part of town, is now living in Cass county. He is also reported to have been before the Grand Jury of that county for the purpose of investigating his right to cohabit with the two women, who are sisters and one of whom at least is not his wife.
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