Mr. John Funston killed The Post Boy, William Cartmell, on September 9, 1825. When he killed The Post Boy, a man William Johnston heard the gun shot and arrived to the scene. Funston told Johnston they needed to get help and told Johnston to go back to the nearby Tavern he had came from. As Johnston went back to get help, Funston ran. As most murderers would do. When johnston arrived back to the scene with the people Funston was long gone, and the people had nobody to blame but William Johnston. He was a stranger to them, an outsider, so they blamed him. Johnston was immidiately thrown into jail. But the county had done something they had never done before, a "Writ." All the men in the county had to make an appearance at the court house and if William Johnston could point out the guy he said he had seen murder the Post Boy and they could prove that guy guilty, Johnston would be let go and the other man would be the guilty one. Funston actually showed to the courthouse, and Johnston picked him out right away. He told the officers there would be a scar on his hand to prove it. Officers confronted Funston asking to see his hand. At first Funston refused but they eventually got him too. Funston was also known to now be the man of the murder because when he killed William Cartmell he had taken a 10 dollar bill that was known to be in the Post-Boy's bag. Funston went and spent it at a Gunsmith to repair his gun. Funston was found guilty and Johnston was let go. William Johnston returned to his home near Stubenville. Within a year of returning home Johnston died. Funston on the other hand went through court, and was sentenced to death. But not just any kind of death. He was sentenced to a public hanging, in New Phila Ohio. This was scheduled to happen on December 30, 1825. Funston didn't want to go out like this though. The night before his execution he tried to hang himself in his cell with a pair of suspenders, but fortunately they broke while in the process. Stories say that Funston then made a confession to a man, James Patrick, after he attempted and failed to hang himself. Funston told him that he never intended to kill the Post-Boy. He was intending to kill and rob a Coshocton merchant and cattle drover that always carried a large amount of money and who planned to take that road. The merchant had been delayed, and Funston by mistake killed William Cartmell, The Post-Boy. Funston then said he would go back and give his own life for Cartmell's because William Cartmell, wasn't a stranger to Funston. He was a friend. Cartmell and his family helped and saved Funston's life when he was sick. Funston killed his own friend and someone who once saved his life.