The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-01-31
MYSTERY SOLVED
AFTER MANY YEARS
LAST svRvlvER TELLS OF AN
EDDYVlLLE INCIDENT.
DOCTOR WANTED A SKELETON
Took Body From Des Moines River
At Night-Evidence Necessary
For the Widow to Get a
\ Pension.

EddyVilie, Jan. Z9.--1 ears ago, DC
fore the Civil War, there lived in Ed
dyville, a block east of where the
Rock Island depot now stands, a mar
named Jonathan Maxoa with his wifi
and three children. One summer ey
ening youth named Ben Slemmons
standing on the river bank, saw this
Maxon approach the ford below where
Johnson's saw mill now stands, striI
of his clothes, tie them up into
small bundle, and rasten them to an
ak he carried, start to wade across
the river As he approached the
island, :" Ca land mark well known to
old settlers) he suddenly began to
struggle, thrashing wildly about in
the water, and calling for help. Still
struggling madly, he shortly disap,
peared beneath the waters. Stem
mons Immediately gave the alarm
and an immense crowd gathered; they
searched the river above and below;
securing seines, they seinei the wat
er for hours, and for days after they
paroled the river banks, but the only
trace of the missing man ever found
was his ak which John Henry Besco
recovered from the river the next
summer,
I. 1t was thought that Maxon, not be-
ing well acquainted with the ford, had
wandered off the path and stepped in
to quicksand uncovered by the wat.
or, which sucked him out of sight
forever. No; they never found the
quicksand bed, but the river came up
shortly after that and probably GOV.
cred it over again. Such is the gen.
orally accepted version of the tragic
disappearance of the body of Maxon,
who was drowned in the Des Moines
river in the summer of 1860, and so
told to the younger generation of Ed
dyyille for the past AZ years.
Afterwards the widow moved away
a71 married again, this time soldier
of the Civil War. He is now dead
and his widow, who lives in Indian
Territory, is applying for pension.
To complete the records showing she
was the legal wife Of her soldier hus
band, the government required that
she furnish proof of the death of her
first husband, Maxon, and she sent
back TO Eidyville for the required
proof.
About ten years ago Charles Lutz,
one of Eddyyille's best known old.
time citizens, told to convivial gath
ering in the back room of a downtown
restaurant the inside story Of the dis
appearance of Maxoa.
In the crowd who went to search
for Maxon's body was DR.. Buck, Ed
dyvilless leading physician and the
best swimmer and diver on the river.
He searched the bottom of the hole
where Maxon had disappeared, and To-
Gated the booy. AS he found it sud
den thought struck him. He had been
wanting a good human skeleton. II
the body was not found here was the
material providentially placed at
hand. When the searchers came with
seines to drag the river, he told them
that he had searched the hole thor.
oughly. The strong current had ul
doubtedly foatei the body down
stream. They should seine below
A wise. idea. They seined the river
for hours without result. One by
one the searchers tired out and final.
ly quit.
After midnight Dr.. Buck got a one
horse wagon and taking his good
friend, Charles LutZ, with him, went
down and recovered the body, putting
it in the back room of DIR. Bucks of.
fee. The next day Tom Kale acci.
deltally got fish hook caught in his
finger so securely he had to have it
cut out He sought out the doctors
office. The front door was locked and
he started up the alley. AS he pass.
ed the back door of the office he saw
it standing ajar about a foot He
leaped over the fence and looked IN.
side. On one si1e stood the doctor
and on table in front Of him lay a
disemboweled body. He did not rec.
ognize the body at first, but the doc.
tor drew him inside and told him it
was Maxon's body. He was securing
the skeleton. He made him prom
Use secrecy. He cut out the fish hook
and dressed the finger. An inch scar
on the middle diget Of the left hand
Is Kale's living remia1er OF that day.
The pext day as kale passed Lutz's
shoe store. Charley called him in and
again secured his promise of secrecy,
DIR. Buck has been dead for thirty
years. Half a dozen years have pass
ed away since jovial Charley Lutz
Joined the great majority, and today
before notary public, Thomas e.
Kale, Civil War veteran, swore sub
stantially 10 the story as above. Al
ter forty-sevea years the last survivor
has revealed the mystery OF the river
quicksands.
Hit With jug.