FINDING OF THE BODY
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lenor Murray, daughter of Henry Murray,The druggist at LeRoy, a village nearThe shadow of Starved Rock, this ElenorBut recently returned from France, a heartWho gave her service in the world at war,Was found along the river's shore, a mileAbove Starved Rock, on August 7th, the dayYear 1679, LaSalle set sailFor Michilmackinac to reach Green BayIn the _Griffin_, in the winter snow and sleet,Reaching "Lone Cliff," Starved Rock its later name,Also La Vantum, village of the tribeCalled Illini. This may be taken to speakThe symbol of her life and fate. For firstThis Elenor Murray comes into this life,And lives her youth where the Rock's shadow falls,As if to say her life should starve and lieBeneath a shadow, wandering in the world,As Cavalier LaSalle did, born at Rouen,Shot down on Trinity River, Texas. SheSearches for life and conquest of herselfWith the same sleepless spirit of LaSalle;And comes back to the shadow of the Rock,And dies beneath its shadow. Cause of death?Was she like Sieur LaSalle shot down, or choked,Struck, poisoned? Let the coroner decide.Who, hearing of the matter, takes the bodyAnd brings it to LeRoy, is taking proofs;Lets doctors cut the body, probe and peerTo find the cause of death. And so this morningOf August 7th, as a hunter walks--Looking for rabbits maybe, aimless hunting--Over the meadow where the Illini'sLa Vantum stood two hundred years before,Gun over arm in readiness for game,Sees some two hundred paces to the southBright colors, red and blue; thinks off the batA human body lies there, hurries onAnd finds the girl's dead body, hatless head,The hat some paces off, as if she fellIn such way that the hat dashed off. Her armsLying outstretched, the body half on side,The face upturned to heaven, open eyesThat might have seen Starved Rock until the eyesSank down in darkness where no image comes. This hunter knew the body, bent and looked;Gave forth a gasp of horror, leaned and touchedThe cold hand of the dead: saw in her pocket,Sticking above the pocket's edge a banner,And took it forth, saw it was Joan of ArcIn helmet and cuirass, kneeling in prayer.And in the banner a paper with these words:"To be brave, and not to flinch." And standing thereThis hunter knew that Elenor Murray cameSome days before from France, was visitingAn aunt, named Irma Leese beyond LeRoy.What was she doing by the river's shore?He saw no mark upon her, and no blood;No pistol by her, nothing disarrangedOf hair or clothing, showing struggle--nothingTo indicate the death she met. Who saw herBefore or when she died? How long had deathBeen on her eyes? Some hours, or over-night. The hunter touched her hand, already stiff;And saw the dew upon her hair and brow,And a blue deadness in her eyes, like pebbles.The lips were black, and bottle flies had comeTo feed upon her tongue. 'Tis ten o'clock,The coolness of the August night unchangedBy this spent sun of August. And the moonLies dead and wasted there beyond Starved Rock.The moon was beautiful last night! To walkBeside the river under the August moonTook Elenor Murray's fancy, as he thinks.Then thinking of the aunt of Elenor Murray,Who should be notified, the hunter runsTo tell the aunt--but there's the coroner--Is there not law the coroner should know?Should not the body lie, as it was found,Until the coroner takes charge of it?Should not he stand on guard? And so he runs,And from a farmer's house by telephoneSends word to Coroner Merival. Then returnsAnd guards the body. Here is riffle first:The coroner sat with his traveling bags,Was closing up his desk, had planned a tripWith boon companions, they were with him there;The auto waited at the door to take themTo catch the train for northern Michigan.He closed the desk and they arose to go.Just then the telephone began to ring,The hunter at the other end was talking,And told of Elenor Murray. MerivalTurned to his friends and said: "The jig is up.Here is an inquest, and of moment too.I cannot go, but you jump in the car,And go--you'll catch the train if you speed up."They begged him to permit his deputyTo hold the inquest. Merival said "no,"And waived them off. They left. He got a carAnd hurried to the place where Eleanor lay....Now who was Merival the Coroner?For we shall know of Elenor through him,And know her better, knowing Merival.
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