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mystery_of_the_german_count

The Mysterious German Count

Everyone loves a good “whodunit”, but how about a “who is it” mystery? In 1906, the good folks of Constance were pondering that very question.

In those days, the Ohio River offered a major means of travel, and accidents occurred with as much frequency as on our modern highways. One major difference is that the roads stay in one place, and the river moves along, sometimes carrying its victims downriver with the current.

The flow of the river is rough in some spots, and calmer in others. In some cases, the current moves toward the river bank, bringing flotsam and jetsam with it. This happened with great frequency along the banks near Constance. There are numerous reports of the bodies of unfortunate victims of floods, river accidents or foul play washing ashore in this sleepy river town.

These sad discoveries were made so often, that the coroner was not surprised to be summoned, yet again, to Constance. In 1904, the body of an unknown man floated ashore at Constance, and could not be identified. As the body’s condition did not prompt further investigation, and no one came to claim him, he was buried in a plain box near the river. Two years later, strangers came calling to the Boone County Coroner, looking for the remains of this mysterious man.

The two “middle aged men” as described in the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1906, claimed to be brothers of the unidentified man, but refused to give their names. What they did disclose is that the deceased was a member of European nobility. The men had traveled from their native Germany in search of a missing brother, who had boarded a boat in Cincinnati, carrying a large sum of money and other valuables. They feared that he had met with foul play. They asked for the body to be exhumed, to confirm their suspicions.

Upon examination of the remains, the men identified several gold fillings in the teeth and were convinced. This was their long lost brother, the German Count. Though the mystery surrounding the identity of the deceased and the two men might have caused a bit of curiosity, everyone was cooperative with the visitors. They received the coroner’s permission to take possession of the body, and placed it in an expensive metal casket. The two men loaded the casket onto a west-bound boat, and took their leave of Boone County. To this day, the identity of the “Count of Constance” has not been revealed; another unsolved Boone County mystery.

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mystery_of_the_german_count.txt · Last modified: 2020/11/03 18:42 by 127.0.0.1