Honey Creek School

One of the most startling occurrences ever within the limits of Benton Township was the butchering of a family of John B. Cox, in September 1861. The neighbors found, one forenoon, that an awful crime had been committed. 'Those earliest on the premises found Mr. Cox unconscious on his porch from the loss of blood, with several severe cuts and bruises about his head and neck. Within the house a ghastly scene was presented : Mrs. Cox lay dead upon the bed, with her throat cut from ear to ear. Upon another bed near lay a girl about ten years old, with her throat horribly mangled, though she was still breathing and alive, though unconscious. On the floor near this bed was a younger girl, dead, with her head half severed from her body. The trundle-bed held two children, a maller girl severely cut about the neck, though not mortally, and alive, though partially unconscious, and also a boy, not a member of the family, about ten years old, severely cut, though alive, but helpless from the loss of blood. He was considerably scratched and bruised, and seemed to have struggled desperately with his assailant, as the bedding was torn and scattered. The youngest child, a mere baby, was found unhurt. An enormous crowd gathered within the space of a few hours to view the horrible sight. Mr. Cox had some trouble with several of his neighbors, who were immediately arrested and taken to Bloomington for safe-keeping. The dead and wounded were conveyed to the residence of William Cox, near by. Mr. Cox, as soon as conscious, was questioned and stated that several men attacked the family during the previous night, knocked him senseless, after which he knew nothing until the next morning, when by shouts he aroused his neighbors. The men charged with the crime were tried and acquitted. Several from the first had insisted that Mr. Cox, the head of the family, had himself committed the deed in a moment of insanity, with which he was at times afflicted. This case terminated with this view.

Passage source: 1884 History of Monroe County Indiana, published 1884.

David Barrow, came to this section lren it was a pristine wild, and, being a farmer, located in this townsbtp, where he served as Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner seventeen years. He had a farm of 240 acres, was a Democrat, a Baptist and the father of eight children. He died in 1880, aged seventy-nine. James M. Barrow was reared a farmer, received some education, and at the age of forty years became a minister of the Baptist denomination, uniting such service with the management of his farm. He has been father of three sons and four daughters, five of whom are living. He is a Freemasoa and a Democrat. David W. Barrow attended the home schools at intervals until twenty years of age, when he entered college at Bloomington for one year; then taught two years, returned to college and selected the classical course. After leaving the institution, be entered the office of Dr. Mc- Pheeters, and read medicine, in all nearly two years, after which he attended a course of lectures at the Ohio Medical College, and in 1881 began a practice, which he has succeeded in enlarging, with honor and satisfaction. Dr. Barrow is a member of the Baptist Church, a Democrat, and also a member of the K of P. In 1882, he was chosen Township Trustee.

Passage source: 1884 History of Monroe County Indiana, published 1884.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

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