I did try the search-through-HTML approach to strip the Conkeror link-numbers (since I have the cut&paste selection with contamination, and the raw HTML of the page, I can search for one to find the other.) My results were fuzzier than I liked, and refining the effort didn't really hold my attention.
I found something simpler:
function strip_numbers_hard()
{
removeExisting(document.commandDispatcher.focusedWindow.document);
}If I run that before the cut&paste, I lose the numbered-links entirely, and the existing code should just work...