The Aftermath

At 4 a.m. Friday, Frankfort lighthouse keeper Matthews and his crew of rescue workers and volunteers arrived at the beach, first coming upon the wreckage of the Menekaunee. The cargo was strewn about the beach, along with bodies and one injured dog trying to protect the cargo. The dog’s injuries were severe, and he died within a few hours. Captain Matthews, when asked to describe the scene on the beach, said that it was too horrible to describe. He had never seen a ship wreck this bad. Broken masts, shrouds, and lumber were heaped together on the sand in chaotic piles. He suspected that the Menekaunee must have had her anchor down and proceeded to be pounded to pieces on the outer bar of the shore.

Someone brought word that another wreck had been discovered several miles south on the beach. They found the stern and part of the vessel’s bow, painted red and bearing the name Marinette.

The next week, the coroner from Manistee, along with men from Oscoda, Port Huron, and Frankfort, scoured the beach searching for bodies. They came

across the body of two men, one still in the water, and the other lying on his back higher up the beach. It was obvious from the dragging marks and footprints that the second man had been dragged there. His pockets were turned inside-out and all of his valuables - watch, rings, etc - were gone. The men began searching the area for signs of who could have done this, and soon came upon an old man, F. R. Axtell. Mr. Axtell admitted to removing the valuables from the body, claiming to be a Justice of the Peace who was going to hold an inquest. He offered to take charge of both bodies and remove them to his house. The men reluctantly agreed. The body still in the water was discovered to be that of John Davidson. He was wearing three suits of clothes, including what was probably his best suit. Whether he put on three suits to increase his chances of surviving the cold or whether he was trying to make sure he didn’t lose them in the shipwreck we will never know.

The following day, after searching amid the wreckage on the beach, the men traveled the short distance to Mr. Axtell’s house to retrieve the bodies in order for them to be taken to their families for burial (note: a photo on the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy's Watervale page has a photo captioned "Axtell Farm Ladies"). At Mr. Axtell’s house, they discovered both bodies hidden in the corncrib. John Davidson was completely naked - all three suits of clothes and all of his valuables were gone. Mr. Waters had nothing left on him but an old jacket and an old pair of pants. The men immediately took the bodies and left. In Frankfort, as news leaked out about the treatment of the dead, public outcry insisted that Mr. Axtell be arrested for robbery and desecration. Other warrants were issued for people who had gone to the wrecks and stolen anything valuable they could find, including some of the lumber.

According to The Marine Record, the wrecking schooner Experiment, intent on salvaging what lumber and other recoverable hardware, found the body of a sailor in the wreckage of the Menekaunee on May 12, 1887. There was nothing to identify him.