The Post Boy Murder

1825--Coshocton post boy, William Cartmell, while making a postal delivery three miles south of Newcomerstown, was shot and killed. The Coshocton Daily Age, in a recounting of the murder, wrote:

"It has always been the idea of many people in Coshocton that the assassin mistook his man
and when killing the mail carrier, supposed he was shooting Smeltzer (a horse drover who was on the same trail-ed.), and would get a considerable part of the price of the drove of horses sold by him."

A hunter by the name of Johnston discovered Cartmell. Johnston roused the neighbors to the murder, but soon found himself a suspect sitting in a New Philadelphia jail. Luckily for Johnston, his footprints did not match those close to Cartmell's body. Johnston had caught a glimpse a glimpse of the murderer and informed the sheriff that he could probably identify the man.

The citizenry of the area were summoned to the jail. Johnston scanned the gathered crowd and identified John Funston. Funston vehemently denied the murder, but was arrested and taken to the New Philadelphia jail. After a trial, Funston confessed the crime and was executed at the New Philadelphia gallows three days after Christmas.