Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-30
Body of Drowned Man, Never
Recovered, Taken BY Doc
tor For Skeleton
THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN IN SAND
Story Is Revealed in Affidavit by Only
Surviving Man Who Know, in Or
der to Aid tho Widow to Secure
Pension From the Government-Body
Recovered at Night.
Special to Times-Republicnn

Eddyville, Jan. 30.-Years ago, be
fore the civil war, there lived In Ed
dyville, a block east OF where the
Rock Island depot now stands. a man
named Jonathan Maxon and his wife
and three children. One summer even
ing youth named Ben Slemmons,
standing on the river bank, saw Max
on approach the ford below, strip off
his clothes, tie them up into a small
bundle. and fasten them to an AK he car
ried, and start to wade across the river.
AS he approached the "island" he sud-
denly began to struggle, thrashing
wildly about in the water and calling
for help. Still struggling madly. he
shortly disappeared beneath the waters.
Slemmons Immediately gave the alarm
and an immense crowd gathered; they
searched the river above and below,
but the only trace OF the missing man
ever found was his AK which John Hen
ry Besco recovered from the river the
next summer
1t was thought that Maxon, not be-
ing we'll acquainted with the ford, had
wandered Off the path and stepped into
quicksand uncovered by the water.
which sucked him out of sight forever.
Such was the generally accepted YER
sion 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 the younger gen
GRAFTON OF Eddyville for the past forty
seven years.
Afterwards the widow moved away
and married again. this time a soldier
Of the civil war. He Is now dead and
his widow, who lives in Indian Terri
tory, is applying for n pension. To
complete the records showing she was
the legal wife of her soldier husband,
the government required that she fur
nish proof of the death Of her first hus-
band, Maxon, and she sent back to
Eddyville for the required proof
In the crowd who went to search
for Maxon's body was DR.. Buck, Ed
dyvilles leading physician and the best
swimmer and diver on the river He
searched the bottom OF the hole where
Maxon had disappeared and LOCATED
the body. AS he found it a sudden
thought struck him. He had been
wanting a good human skeleton. If
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 thoroughly. The
strong current had undoubtedly floated
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 fin
ally quit.
After midnight DR.. Buck got 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 DR. Bucks Of
flee. The next day Tom Kale acct
dentally 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 passed
the back door Of the office he saw 1t
standing ajar about a foot. He leaped
over the fence and looked inside. On
one side stood the doctor and on a
table in from Of him lay a dtsembowel-
ed body. He did not recognize the body
at first, but the doctor drew him inside
and told him it was Maxon's body. He
was securing the skeleton. He made
him promise 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 reminder OF
that day. The next day as Kale pass
ed Lutz's shoe store, Charley called
him in and again secured his promise
Of secrecy.
DR.. Buck has been dead for thirty
years, and today before notary pub
lie, Thomas B. Kale, civil war vet
eran, swore substantially to the story
as above. After forty-seven years the
last survivor has revealed the mystery
Of the river quicksands.
The GrinneIl News.