Jackson County, Illinois
Premeditated and Diabolical Murder
Southern Illinois Herald, Carbondale, December 29, 1894
In last week's issue of the Herald brief mention was made of the finding of the dead body of a man on Friday morning
near the track of the Short Line railroad a short distance west of the county line, and that from appearances a
murder had been committed. The facts are now fully developed and disclose one of the most horrible crimes ever
placed on record in this county. The victim's name was James Towle, a man aged forty-five years, formerly a resident
of Harrisburg (Saline County), this State. The murderers are Douglas Henderson and Frank Jeffries, both residents
of Carterville (Williamson County).
When the intelligence of the finding of the body reached this place Coroner Bastien, of Murphysboro, was notified
by wire. He at once came here and summoned a jury. Sheriff Wells was here on business and actively interested himself
in the case. Later in the afternoon State's Attorney Herbert came also. The officers and coroner's jury, with quite
a number of citizens, repaired to the place where the body was found and began an investigation.
The body was in a thicket about fifty yards from the railroad track. On the ties east of the track blood and brains
were found, and there was a distinct trail from the spot across the track and into a ravine and to the clump of
bushes which concealed the body. Two wounds, one in the back of the neck, the other in the forehead, gave evidence
that the man had been murdered in cold blood.
As noted in the Herald, the body discovered late Thursday afternoon by Marion Claunch, residing in the locality,
but the boy, supposing it to be a sleeping tramp, passed on. The following morning another son of Mr. Claunch,
while hunting, came upon the body. He gave the alarm, whereupon a messenger was dispatched to this place.
While the coroner was investigating Officers Ryder and Robertson were seeking a clue to the murderers. It was observed
that two men had participated in the crime, as the tracks were plainly visible along the trail made by dragging
the body through the soft earth at the side of the railroad and along the ground. These tracks continued from the
thicket through a field to a strip of woods, and from the length of the strides, the men ran away from the scene
of their bloody work.
The body was brought to Carbondale and deposited with Undertaker Romig. Saturday Mr. Lee Brandon, of Carterville,
came to view the body and at once identified it as that of his uncle, James Towle. Then Mr. Lewis Brandon, a brother-in-law
of the deceased, corroborated his son's conclusions by a positive identification of the dead man.
All day Saturday the officers devoted their time to working the clue furnished by Ryder and Robertson. Satisfied
that two men had committed the murder in broad daylight, the officers pushed their investigations rapidly.
Towle left Carterville on foot and alone Thursday forenoon for a visit to a sister at Makanda. For over a week
he had been working for his nephew, Mr. Lee Brandon, a farmer. When Mr. Brandon settled with Towle Wednesday evening
he paid him three dollars. This was probably all the money Towle had in his possession. Some distance out from
Carterville three men were seen together going west.
Saturday morning Sheriff Wells and Marshal Ryder repaired to the place where the Carbondale officers had left the
trail of the two men the evening previous. They followed the trail to the Carterville road. While on route the
sheriff was informed that two men had been seen the day before going across the field toward the road. A description
of the men was secured. Further on several parties were found who had seen the men.
About one mile west of Carterville Mr. William Nicholls resides. This gentleman while returning home Monday night
of last week had been held up by two men, but no money was found on his person. Sheriff Wells now visited Mr.
Nicholls
and obtained from him a description of the robbers who had waylaid him. The two descriptions -allied exactly. The
sheriff also obtained a glove that had been dropped at the scene of the robbery.
In the meantime the officers and people at Carterville had been active. Jeffries and Henderson had been suspicioned
as the murderers and were arrested separately and prevented from having any conversation with each other. Then
parties who had seen the three men together the previous day identified Jeffries and Henderson as two of them.
The sheriff brought the glove mentioned to Carterville, and one of the merchants identified it as one of a pair
he had sold to Jeffries a short time before. At this juncture Mr. James H. Conner gave valuable assistance to Sheriff
Wells. Mr. Conner had Jeffries brought to his store, where he began a most rigid "seating" process. Conner
cross-questioned the man most unrelentingly, and got him very badly mixed up. He then presented the glove and boldly
charged him with being one of the robbers of Nicholls as well as one of the murderers of Towle. "What's the
use of lying!" asked Mr. Conner. "We have arrested Doug Henderson and he has given the whole thing away.
Henderson says that you helped to rob Nicholls and that you shot Towle. You might as well own up, for we've got
all the evidence we want." Upon this Jeffries wilted, and told the story of the robbery and murder, implicating
Henderson as the principal in both cases. Then Mr. Conner put Henderson through a similar process and succeeded
in getting from him exactly the same story as told by jeffries, except that Henderson claimed that Jeffries had
done the shooting.
Sheriff Wells, deeming that he had sufficient evidence to convict both men of the murder, took them to Murphysboro
late Saturday night and incarcerated them in the county jail. The prisoners were given a preliminary examination
Monday and held without bail.
The gist of Jeffries' confession was to this effect. He and Henderson had met Towle when he was making some purchases
at Carterville and knew that he had a little money. They watched the direction taken by him when leaving town and
followed him, coming up to him on the railroad track. While Towle was several feet in advance Henderson remarked:
"That fellow has stuff and it would pay to get it from him." Jeffries objected and thought the matter
had been dropped. A short time later he was in front, Henderson behind and Towle walking second, when he heard
a pistol shot, and turning saw Towle turn around and say to Henderson, "what do you want?" when the last
named fired a second shot striking Towle in the forehead and killing him instantly. Henderson then turned the pistol
on him and commanded him to search the dead body, after which he compelled him to help drag the body away and secrete
it.
Henderson told all the circumstances just as above, but claiming that Jeffries, and not himself, had done the killing.
Sheriff Wells did not trust to memory for anything, but has a record of everything connected with the affair down
to the smallest detail, and had there been no confession he had succeeded in securing a chain of circumstantial
evidence that would have a great deal of weight. Too much credit cannot be given the sheriff for the promptness
and clever manner in which he handled the case.
Jeffries is about 28 years of age, Henderson is 22. Both have wives but no children. They were day laborers, and
have resided sometime at Carterville.
Towle was 45 years old. He had a family of grown-up sons and daughters, some of whom reside at Harrisburg. These
were notified of the murder, but they made no response. The body was buried in the cemetery at this place Saturday
night at public expense.
Getting Ready for the Execution
Southern Illinois Herald, May 25, 1895
The Murphysboro Independent of Wednesday states that Sheriff Wells has secured the scaffold from which George Centrel
fell into the unknown beyond at Belleville a few months ago to do similar service for Henderson and Jeffries. The
same scaffold was used at Nashville two years ago in the execution of two negro murderers. The erection of a stockade
has also been provided for