A deadly poker game, buried gold and a burned human skull are at the center of a mysterious Iowa legend that dates back more than a century.
According to a story attributed to Eddyville postmaster and newspaper editor W. W. DeLong, a letter arrived in 1903 describing an alleged murder near Eddyville in 1878.
The letter, reportedly signed by a man using the name Le Barge, claimed that three men returning from the Black Hills gold fields stopped at a campsite about a mile north of town. Each man supposedly carried a jug filled with gold dust and nuggets.
During a poker game, a dispute allegedly broke out after William Gunton won heavily. Le Barge reportedly accused Gunton of cheating, and the confrontation ended with Gunton being stabbed to death.
The letter claimed the surviving men burned the victim’s head, buried his body and hid their gold in separate locations. Years later, Le Barge supposedly revealed the story and asked DeLong to help locate the remains.
DeLong reportedly joined Sid Crossan and Arthur Beamer in searching for the grave and treasure. However, the search was abandoned amid growing public attention and suspicions that the story might be a newspaper hoax.
The mystery resurfaced in 1920 when a road crew reportedly discovered a burned human skull along an old wagon trail north of Eddyville. Some believed the discovery supported the letter’s account, while others questioned whether the entire story had been fabricated.
Despite decades of speculation, no reliable evidence has confirmed that Gunton was murdered near Eddyville, that the skull belonged to him or that the gold ever existed.
Researchers have pointed to archived editions of the Eddyville Tribune from October and November 1903 as important sources for investigating the original story and its reported follow-up.
The newspaper archives can be explored through the Eddyville Public Library’s digital collection.
Today, the tale remains an intriguing piece of Iowa folklore. Was it a genuine confession to a long-forgotten crime, or a newspaper story that grew into a local legend?
Until historical documents or physical evidence provide answers, Eddyville’s headless murder mystery—and its missing gold—remain unverified.
Sources: Lost Treasures in Iowa
Editor’s note: The alleged murder, letter and skull discovery have not been independently verified.
