Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-11-26
A River Mystery.

the editor of the Dubuque Times by
one who processes to know the facts
advanced, and to be able to prove
them. The piece was published as
below in that p per, Withholding the
name of the author, witnesses and
81 Gamer. There are a great many
of our readers who will remember
the reports of the circumstance,
which created some excitement at
the time 1t ia said th ere are per-
sons still residing in Waterloo and vi
cinity, who were present at the ex
huming of the murdered mans body,
and can point out the place where it
now lies. The crime may have been
committed in Grant County, and the
sand bar where he murderers buried
their victim was certainly vi thin
its borders. The name of the boat
is the War Eagle, as many of our
readers will probably recollec'.
In August, 1856, the steamer--
WAS running between Galena and ST
Paul, Four young men took pass
age on her at Galena. One of them
was a cabin passenger, the other
three went on deck. The cabin pas s.
enger became intimate with one of
the three deck passengers, aud, the
first day and evening out, they spent
their time in each others compaI y
sitting on the hurricane deck until
late in the night, the cabin passen-
ger looked at his watch by the light
of the moon, which was shining
brightly, told his companion the hour,
then babe him "good night" They
both arose and separated-one going
forward on one side of the Texas"
the other on the other side. The
deck passenger paused by the side of
the Texas to light his pipe. While
doing so he heard the sound of a blow
fall, and then low moan. Imme-
diately starting forward in the direc-
ton whence the sounds came, be dis
covered man lying on his face on
the deck, another man standing over
him in the act of d, livsrIng him a
blow with a club on the head, The
blow was given and the club thrown
overheard into the river at the same
moment three other men sprang
from the Texas and surrounded the
dead man. The deck passenger
sprang towards him also, and by the
clothes recognized in the dead man
his companion of the evening. He
bad no time to do more, for with
blows and curses, the four men drove
him down stairs, where he awakened
his two friends, and acquainted them
with what had transpired above.
Then, together with them, be made
the attempt to reascend the stairs for
the purpose of an investigation, but,
in the meantime, deckh hands had been
stationed at the foot of the stairs
with orders to let no person go up.
The deck passengers told their story
TO other deck passengers, who, with
them waited aud watched. They
heard hammering on the roof, and
shortly after wards the steamer was
stopped in the channel, a rough box
was let down by ropes from the
wheel-house, into the yaw and then
transported to dry bar near at hand
and there buried. The three deck
passengers were put ashore at Gut
tenburg, under the pretense that the
steamer was going 90 further than
Prairie du Chen. Two of these pass
eDgers went back into the country,
looking for work, and one of them
followed down the river to Waupe-
ton, whore he incidentally related
the above facts TO river pilot then
engaged in the wood trade. This
pilot, to satisfy himself in regard 10
the truth of the relation, proceed
ed to the bar in a canoe, and there,
seeing freshly made footprints on the
sand, followed them to where the
party halted, at which point he
thrust his paddle down into the sand,
where it sud-, My came in co tact
with something that soundo' like a
box, He scraped enough of the sand
away to discover that it was o box,
and then returned to Waupeton, from
whore be came back with four other
men, one of whom was O surgeon.
They soon arrived at the spot, dug
up the box, opened it, and found it
contained the dead body of man
dressed in blue clothes, and whose
head was bandaged with some cot
ton cloth. The surgeon unbound the
bandage, when two great wounds
were discovered-one above the left
eye and the other on the top Of the
head-both were from blows, as the
skull was crushed in at each those
points. The surgeon declared that
either of the wounds must have been
fatal. The body was not decomposed
in any degree 1t was owded into
the box, which was too short for it
The features of the face were distort.
ed as if by fear or horror. The cloth
ing was searched, but neither watch,
papers or anything else were found
to indicate who the party was or
where he came from. The remains
were removed by these witnesses, all
of whom are now living, and buried
IN spot where the river was not
likely to wash them away and whore
they are reposing to-day. The story
Is told. | enclose you, Mr.. Editor,
the names of the witnesses.
Pneumatic Tube Express.