State Logo

Cass County

Nebraska

usgenweb

DEAD FOR 14 YEARS



Jacob Funk, Thought to Have Been
Murdered, Returns Home.



MAN TRIED FOR KILLING HIM

People of Skidmore, Mo., After Testing him,
Are Convinced of His
Identity

(Post Special)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo., Jan 11. --Fourteen years ago Jacob Funk, then a young farmer near Skidmore, Mo., left his home one night to go to town to purchase some seed potatoes for planting the next day. He did not return, and fearing foul play, his relatives caused a search to be made for him. Several months later a badly decomposed body, wearing clothes which were identified as Funk's, was found tied to a tree in a lonely wood. The body identified as Funk by his father, was buried in the family cemetery and a handsome tombstone erected over it. A young man, with whom Funk was known to have had trouble, was arrested on suspicion of having caused his death, and after a long trial in which circumstantial evidence was proven against him, was acquitted by a jury. Several members of which stubbornly stood out for the death penalty.

Yesterday a man, carrying on his shoulder a sack of potatoes, walked up to the old Funk homestead and walked into the room where the family was assembled for dinner, dropped his burden with the remark, "There are those seed potatoes I started after."

Aged Mrs. Funk promptly swooned, but was forgotten in the excitement and revived later only with great difficulty. So doubtful were members of the family as to Funk's identity that he was forced to relate several things which no one outside of the family could know before he was believed. As to where he has been during the years since his singular leave taking, Funk has little to say, beyond the fact that he has seen a large portion of the world. He says he has come home to stay now, and expects to pick up his work where he left off.
The above article was transcribed from a clipping in a scrapbook. Unfortunately, the person who collected these items is now gone and neglected to identify either the newspaper or the year date of the incident. It is on a page in the scrapbook with an article written in 1901 and another of approximately the same period as it has many of the same folks' names in it.

Questions or Comments?

If you have questions or problems with this site, email the County Coordinator David Gochenour