The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-07
JonN JUNKLE ss,s FATE.
A Man who, Dying, was Commemcrated in
the Laws Of His Country.

the Laws Of His Country.
zone beautiful sunny morning in the
month OF June, in the year 1857" said Mr..
Magufin, "Jchn Junkless, an amlable young
man, who lived In Eagleville, Arkansas, sat on a
stone I'm the suburbs OF the town tampng a
charge OF blasting powder into a hole In the
rock beneath his feet. He had worked four
years a lneman for a telegraph company,
saved $40, married and settled down, and now
he was bias ting for the cellar Of q house which
he purposed to build As no pounded away
with the tampinR iron he cheerily sang that
most beautiful Of native ballads, The suwanee
River somewhat obscurnR many OF the words
and syllables, but still keeping rhythmic time
with the blows:
"'Jdm down up5dn the Jdm.wce Jdm.ver.
Jam where my yam Is JdminsJam
jam where the jd--P
Two weeks later, Col. Horace FeatheistocE,
the veteran edtGr OF the Edglevlle 1ri-wccklv
TOmdhdiCkd and Mirror, sat In his sanctum calmly
smoking regalia cabbago-dsinfectoro maduro,
and In the intervals when the cloud OF smoke
lifted he scanned the columns Of his exchanges.
lie WIS surprised, more than that, panied, to
note the startling story Of murder that disng-
ured every paper. Their columns seemed to
reek with gore, an when he closed his eyes he
found II easy TO Imagine that they were printed
with blood. No man more than the Col
onel had commended the promptness
of his fellow-citizens in resentiug al
front, himself had contributed no meGn
share to the mortuary statistics OF the state;
but brutal murder for base plumber or any other
ignobc purpose shocked him. In every in-
stance the victim seemed to have been cut to
pieces and In all his wide experience the Colo
mel had never known any Of his friends. how
ever skilled In the use OF the bowie, to so COM
pletely carve up an opponent In fact, many Of
the murders would never have been discovered
bus for the apparent carelessness OF the muir
derers, who mad left here and there in the
woods the roads, ana the swamps, hand, or
foot. a piece Of leg. or an arm which they
seemed to have been too reckless to secrete with
the rest Of the body.
"Another two weeks later, the citizens OF all
the counties for many miles around were IN an
uuroar over their Coroners' bills. Ali over the
country the Coronors were suddenly growing
rich, and the vigilance committees that were
hunting the mysterious assassins were, as
the cnarRcs for the inquests rolled up, almost
moved to turn their wrath from the murdeTers
TO the Coroners. At last the outcry grew too
strong to be quoted, and Investigation was re-
solved upon. BY common consent EaRleyille
was The place appointed, and one day IN the
month OF july great thropg OF the inhdbitants
and all the Coroners assembled there. Each
Coroner brought with him, as proof OF the legali
" OF his action, the remains upon which his IN
quests had been held, and there were some
remarkable exhibits. One enterprising man had
held an inquest on a loot and another, whose
crimson clarion proclaimed his bibulous propen-
stiles, had put In big DILL for sitting on
Mot many OF the Coroners had contributed
to the collection when the surgeon In charge
noticed that some of the pieces seemed to be
counterparts OF others and more Coroners
laid down their fragments, further similarities
served to deepen what In his mind promised To
be all even more startling and wonderful nys-
terry than the murders themselves. When the
last piece mad come In, and all hands had re-
pared to the tayerns To refresh preparatory to
the Investigation, the surgeon, With an Hide
fined motive, set to work to match the odds and
ends, and as lie progressed II was Impressed
upon him that the murdered men must have
borne a striking resemblance 10 each other Tor
their parts seemed Interchangeable. As he kept
ON matching and matching, the body grew, aud
the pile OF fragments diminished, until at l. s..
when only great toe was lacking to complete
the reconstructed body, there was left OF the
COroners' offerings just one great toe and no
thing more; and having stuck this on, the sur
geon, with some feeling OF pride In his skill,
out little knowing That unconsciously no had
| cleared up the mystery. placdly awaited the re-
turn OF the investigators; and they soon came.
with Col. featherstock marching grayely at their
head. Stalking sOlemny In through the open
door, the Colonel took one square look at the
body. and then, with that profanity which IN
| periods OF excitement sometimes marred his
otherwise classical utterance, he burst out :
John Junkless, 10y -
~ was indeed he. sitting happily on a stone
In the suburbs OF Elgleyille n month before,
tamplng blasting powder into "A hole IN the rock
beneath his iect, TIC had pounded too hard, tHs
c,aree had exploded, and he b d been blown all
over the country In the all fragments upon
which the reporters mad based their tales Of
murder and the CorOners had held their many
| inquests. Probably no other man was ever
that WAS blown into the middle OF next week
| this was tue man that was blown into the mid
! die Of several al Joining counties.
"Of course" Mr. Magufln concluded, this
discovery relieved tue COronefs OF any suspicion
Of corruption, but IL also led To- the passage of d,
Wholesome law which has since icen suustau-
| italy adopicd in many states. namely, that no
Coroner should charge for All inquest unless lie
could produce certain quantity of corpse