Published in The News Star. Monroe, La. left with mystery after 'visit' Throughout its history, Monroe has had its fair share of visitors that have caused at least a little stir while they were here. Of course the list includes entertainers, such as Elvis, Tom Jones, and, most recently, Garth Brooks. But you kind of expect people like that to attract attention, after all that's how they make their living. Every now and then, say about every 50 years or so, a more "common" person becomes a hot topic of local conservation. No, I'm not referring to just the regular old beauty shop/coffee shop/cocktail lounge gossip that the local rumor mill grinds out daily. I'm talking about someone, or something, unusual. Our librarian, Mimi Hunnicutt, unearthed a very good example of this phenomenon during one of her recent ventures through the ancient files of the paper. It seems that in early February 1955, Monroe was graced by a brief visit from an exquisitely dressed young woman of an obviously well-heeled family. From all accounts, she was quite lovely---and quite dead. Workers laying a water line to a home site in the Lakeshore area accidently opened a brick tomb that was buried in the ground. Inside, they found a cast iron casket with an unusual feature---a glass top. Underneath the glass lay a perfectly preserved, petite young woman who, according to the remains of a silver plaque attached to the coffin, died in 1814. She wore a black silk dress, accessorized by a lace handkerchief and a diamond ring upon her hand. Magnolia blossoms were laid by her head. The casket was moved to a Monroe funeral home. As hundreds of people streamed through the parlor to get a look at the woman, local historians were busy trying to figure out who she was. The silver plate, badly damaged by the elements, gave only one clue---the name "St. Clair." As more people lined up outside the funeral home for their chance to get a glimpse of the mysterious woman, health officials stepped in and ordered the unexpected sideshow to close. The body was rapidly decomposing because the glass top somehow got cracked during the move to the funeral home. Health inspectors dictated that the casket be sealed with an iron plate and reburied in the city cemetery. Sadly, historians were never able to figure just who the mystery woman was before she was returned to the earth. Today, she lies in an unmarked grave at Memorial Park Cemetery, her true identity still a secret.