Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-07-14
A CRUEL HOAX.
How a Facetious Workman Sold
Out the Boys.

On last Thursday the startling an
nounccment was made that Il human
skeleton had been uncarlhed by the
workmcn IN digging for the founda-
ton of building on the site of the
old European Hotel, which was
burned last December. Crowds flock
cd to the spot aud beheld the alleged
grave. The wOrkmen reported that
the body had been found Immediate
" under where small closet had
been, with the feet against the east
ern foundation and the head TO the
west. The bones indicated thar the
dead man had been about six feet
high and dirk twelve inches in
length was also taken from the grave.
The body had been covered with
charcoal, some of which was dug. up.
Scores of persons believed II all
and numerous theories were advanced
and many conjecturcs made as to
when and how the body came there.
The preponderance Of opinion was
that some man had been murdered in
the past, while the lower room was a
saloon and gambling den, and his
body buried under the floor. This
must have been done since 1865, as
the house was built that year. We
may add that many prominent citi-
zens believed the story aud expressed
the opinion that murder had been
committed. One facetious individ-
ual expressed the opinion that the
bones were those of man who ell
tered the SOUTH KENTuCKIAN Office,
which was formerly In the second
story of the old house, and undertook
to clean out the office. This was
communicated to us and we thought
over the matter and came to the con-
clusion that this theory could not be
correct. Though we frequently had
to dispose of parties in various ways
who called to see "who writ that
piece" we could not recollcct that we
had ever clandestinely buried the re-
mains of any of them. We usually
kicked them down the stops or threw
the bodies out of the windows and
let the police scrape up the remains
and remove them in a wheel barrow.
Desiring to investigate the matter
the editorial detective visited the
scene of the tragedy Thursday after.
noon and at once concluded that the
cork had already been sunk by SO
many that he wouldn't bite. His
reasons for arriving at this conclu.
sion may be briefly summarized
The skull and otller bones had been
carried away with the dirt, SO the
workmeu said, and a handful Of
small pieces OF ribs and broken bones
only remained by the side of the
grave.
The so-called grave was be.
low the level of the old foundation
and could have been grave before
the house was built.
We did not believe that the bones
would have crumbled, under dry
dirt, in twenty years. l
The "charcOal" was the remains o.
an old black-smith's shop that stood
on the spot a quarter offs century ago
The whole thing looked transpar'
rent and we saw that it was a hoaS
and didn't care to spoil the joke b!
an exposure in Fridays paper.
Believing as we did we ignored the
matter and permitted our Bridg
street contemporary to enjoy the Clio
ny of having "scooped" "a first-clas'
sensation.
On Saturday we approached thu
originator of the joke and after few
minutes conversation and by prais
ing the success of his sell, we elected
a confession, corroborating our sus
picions in regard to the affair, ant
for the benefit of those who allowed
themselves to be sold so readily, W
announce by authority that the Who'll
thing was a job put up to sell tn
cred1lous. The dirk was fonn'
buried in the rubbish and this is tn
only part of the hoax that was found
ed on facts. 1t had probably beef
lost under the floor or was sticking
in some forgotten crevice when tn
building was burned.