The Mystery of Sycamore Pond

It was an unusually warm spring afternoon in mid March of 1907, following a long, cold and bitter winter. The weather had made a drastic change to warm days with plenty of sunshine. The trees were beginning to sprout their buds, with the early wild flowers peeping through the warmed soil.

Two local young men of the Richville community in Eastern Douglas County, Johnny Johnson and Charley Collins decided it would be a good evening to go fishing, not to the creek which was six miles away, but to a natural upland pond situated on a smooth valley floor, surrounded by huge sycamore trees, hence the name Sycamore Pond.

The Sycamore Pond was a natural sinkhole formed centuries earlier, in Eastern Douglas County, near the village of Richville. This sinkhole was not an ordinary one as it was huge, over 100 feet across and no one knew for certain, how deep. Over the eons of time the sinkhole had sealed itself so that the level of the water remained almost to the top, at all times. This served as a great fishing hole for the ridge folk who were too far from the rivers and creeks, with nothing more for transportation other than their two legs.

The weather had warmed several days earlier, so the boys knew that the fish would be eager to take on about any form of bait. Earth worms were beginning to surface, so the boys dug a bucket of the slimy critters, with intentions of spending the better part of the night fishing for a 'gunny sack full' of catfish. So in the afternoon of the 13th of March, the boys made their way to the Sycamore Pond. Even though this particular day was warm from the sunshine, they knew the night air would be quite different, prompting them to bring coats to ward off the late night, early morning chills.

The sun was beginning to sink behind the tall sycamores by the time the boys arrived at the fishing spot. They cut some fishing poles from the native saplings growing nearby and proceeded to rig their hooks and lines before nightfall.

As they approached the pond they spied, what appeared to be a coat floating near the surface of the water, a few feet from the pond bank. The boys proceeded to retrieve the garment, for their own personal use, if it being of any value. Upon hooking their fishing gear to the garment, attempting to pull it nearer to the bank, a human hand appeared at the water surface, from within the coat!

Both young men gasped as they, in turn looked at each other. "Have we seen a ghost...can we believe our eyes...what'll we do", were the thoughts racing through their minds!

Immediately, and by no means, without hesitation, they began running as fast as their legs could carry them to the Richville store, as that was the nearest contact with any one to relate the news of the sighting. Upon reaching Richville, over a mile away, the frightened boys were so out of breath, it was difficult for them to relate the story with any details and were questioned in great depth before any one would accept their story, to the point of further investigation.

After much pleading and "swearing on the Bible", a few of the local men reluctantly agreed to accompany the boys to the pond. It was true! There was a body floating in the water!

But by this time, the long shadows of the sycamores were darkening and the daylight hours were fast beginning to fade into the blackness of night. It was evident, this was a task which needed some official supervision, so the men decided not to attempt to remove the body at this time, but rather, wait until morning until a formal removal could be made with the proper authorities present.

The body was secured by sharpening sticks, piercing them through the clothing and staking the body to the pond bank, so it could not float away. The news spread fast, throughout the night, even without modern day communications.

On the following morning, with over two hundred people present, Esq. Robert Sparks officiated in the removal of the body from the water. The body was of a boy appearing to be about 16 years old. A bullet hole was in his forehead and clotted blood over his face and hair. His left arm was cut and bruised in several places, which indicated he had used it in warding off possible blows to his head and face in the defense of his life. His hat was pulled down over his face and his left coat sleeve wrapped around his head. A piece of clothes line wire was tied to his clothing, and a large rock fastened thereto. Rocks were also tied to his feet, and one placed in the back of his shirt. The boy was wearing blue bibbed overalls, a red sweater and a black coat, but no means of identification could be found on the body, which had evidently been in the pond for several days.

Owing to the cool temperature of the water, the features had been very well preserved. Vigorous efforts were made to get some clues to the hidden mystery, but no one was able to identify or find any trace of the boy. On his coat were found many gray horse hairs, leading to the general opinion that the body had been brought to the scene on horseback by some person riding a gray horse, then thrown into the pond.

Great excitement prevailed with everyone curious as to who this young boy could be. This was the first such incident of this sort, in this vicinity, since the reconstruction days following the Civil War. Since the mystery could not be solved, the body of the unfortunate youth was buried nearby, in a simple grave with only the clothes he was wearing. A few whispered prayers were heard among the onlookers as the body was lowered into the grave at high noon.

As word begin to spread outside the local neighborhood and queries were circulated as to who this young victim to this heinous crime could be, a Mr. Joseph Welch, of the Romance community, in Ozark County, advised that his stepson, Mat Matney, was missing.

On March 20, Mr Welch was summoned, by county officials, to the gravesite where the body was exhumed for the purpose of identification. When the body was unearthed, Welch was unable to make positive identification as this being his stepson. The features of the murdered victim had begun to deteriorate beyond recognition.

On the second burial, a decision was made to move the remains to the Pleasant Mound Cemetery, near Richville, for a formal burial. The rocks which were used by the murderer to weight the body, were then used for a headstone for the unknown victim.

During the investigation, the situation grew more tense when it was reported that, Mat Matney had recently spent the night at the home of Mr S.A. Russell, who at the time, was Deputy Sheriff of Douglas County. Mr Russell lived less than a mile from the Sycamore Pond. Rumors were being recklessly spread, the tension was getting more vicious. Russell was confronted with the allegation. He was overwhelmed to think that his neighbors and friends, had so relentlessly made such an accusation!

He informed the accusers that he could, and would produce Mat Matney, if given a bit of time. He saddled his horse and headed southward, in search of the boy. Before nightfall, he found Matney a few miles south of the Arkansas border, well and healthy. He returned the boy to the neighborhood to prove his innocence, later delivering him to his mother, near Romance, where a joyous reunion was made.

In a letter to the editor of the Douglas County Herald, Mr Russell vehemently censured those who so carelessly accused him of such an act. Little did Russell realize, the murderer was closer than he suspected.

On Friday, March 28, it was reported a local man, Vick Riley, brother-in-law of Mr Russell, had accidentally shot and killed himself. The neighborhood was again in shock. But upon further investigation by authorities, it was found, the shot was not accidental as first reported, but rather, intentional and self inflicted.

A suicide note had been left, stating he was the one who had killed the young boy, during a card game. The stress on his conscience was greater than Mr Riley could withstand. It was then recalled, that earlier, at the exhumation of the murder victim, Riley had become violently ill and could not remain at the site of the removal of the body.

At the final investigation held on April 3rd, Mrs. Riley testified that her husband had been working in the vicinity of Springfield. On his way home the murder victim had accompanied him, getting off the train at Mountain Grove, where the young boy had cashed a $100 check. He accompanied Mr Riley to his home and there they, along with others unknown to Mrs Riley, entered into a card game in Riley's barn loft.

According to the suicide note, the boy was shot by Riley, but had assistance moving the body to the Sycamore Pond, but no names were given as to who his helpers were. He also stated in the suicide note that the boys grip had been thrown in the pond, along with the body. A vigorous search was conducted by local volunteers, but no luggage was ever found. The mystery still remained, who was the murdered boy?

Days turned into weeks, then into months as the news of the murder mystery of Sycamore Pond spread. Slowly, but surely it would reach the eyes and ears of a mother of a lost 16 year old boy.

Nearly a year later, a letter arrived, addressed only to: Postmaster, Richville MO, from an aggrieved mother near Springfield, with a tear stained note enclosed, stating only that her son, Harvey Hobart, had left her home in the company of Vick Riley, in early March.

The mystery of the identity of the murdered boy, had come to light! The note also added that the poor mother could not afford the fare to come to view the site of her son's fate nor to visit his final resting place, but expressed the hope that "may he rest in Peace".

For many years there was no marker, for young Harvey Hobart, other than the rocks which had been used to submerge his murdered body to the darkened depths of the Sycamore Pond. In the late 1940s, two well known individuals of the neighborhood, Lee Thompson and John Dickison, took it upon themselves to erect a headstone for the unfortunate victim.

Neither of these two men were old enough to even remember the event, but through their devotion to preserving a bit of history, related to them by word of mouth from their predecessors, they felt it a civic duty to memorialize the Murder Mystery of Sycamore Pond.

 

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