DAVIS, Elija

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal 14 Nov 1872 p 4

Last Saturday night, a young man named Elija Davis residing near Hillsboro met a terrible death at that place under the following circumstances. Several young men in company with Davis were on what is known as “The Bluffs,” on the creek. The “Bluffs” is an overhanging ledge of solid rock and is about 25 or 30’ igh with solid rock below. The night was very dark and the boys were running to and fro when Davis coming too close to the edge of the precipice, slipped, fell and dashed his brain out on the rocks below. When the party reached the mangled form of the unfortunate young man, life was extinct and is supposed that he was killed instantly.

Later – just as we go to press, we learn that the above is erroneous and that the young man instead of falling off the precipice, was undoubtedly murdered as when he was found his pockets were turned wrong side out. The murdered man had been drinking and his companions put him in a shed to sleep off the liquor. This was the last time he was seen alive – Covington Friend.