The Murder of Charles Scott

The Mysterious Case of Charles Scott (1858-1880)
By Kit Zinser

The question: Was there a rancor between the brothers over a woman?  Could one person dispose of a strong, healthy man?  Why was the well on the family farm chosen as Charles’ final resting place?  

Background:  Randolph Scott was a well-known figure on the Underground Railroad scene in Washington.  At one point, he and George Kern were held on charges of aiding and abetting the escape of enslaved people.  A seasoned Abraham Lincoln defended the men at the trial in Pekin, Illinois.  Scott was an astute businessman, and the family home reflected his successes.   As a father and fierce protector of his brood, Scott instilled the values of hard work, self-respect, and honesty. These attributes come into question later.

The murky and sometimes convoluted facts:  On a hot July morning in 1880, 22-year-old Charles Scott left his home about three miles southeast of Washington.  Robert Davis, an agent at the ticket office for C. B. and Q. line, sold him a ticket, but he cannot vouch for his whereabouts after that time. No friends remember seeing him on the train headed to Peoria.  One report stated that Charles had a lot of money when he left home that morning.  Conversely, his father said he had approximately $17.00.  All trace of young Charles Scott was soon lost.

In November 1880, Charles's whereabouts were no longer a mystery. It seems that “some family members” were out in the pasture and ran across an old-fashioned well (the type boarded on four sides whereby water is drawn using a bucket and rope). The well had not been utilized for two years and was covered with wooden planks and weighted down with logs.

Curiosity ensued, and upon removal of the covering, a “ghostly spectacle” presented itself.  Not a single distinctive feature was evident.   Randolph Scott notified Lewis Tobias, Justice of the Peace, that the remains of an unknown man had been discovered on his property.  Coroner Warren arrived on the scene, and through clothing and articles, it was evident young Scott had been found. A pocketbook opened in the presence of spectators proved to be empty.  The trouser pockets were devoid of any identification.  The shirt was a mass of clotted blood.  On his right side, over the short ribs, a “fresh” gash of three to four inches with two or three other stab wounds was evident. 

An inquest resulted in no definite conclusion. Some thought his death was suicide; others knew it was implausible for him to drown himself and then cover the well.  An additional line of reason held that one person could not convey the body to the well.  State’s Attorney Reardon could not come to an equitable conclusion. Still, that office presumed Kirk and Will Scott (heretofore unmentioned as participants in this mystery) knew more of their brother’s demise than they were willing to reveal. 

In December 1880, Randolph Scott, Governor Cullom, and others authorized a reward of $1000.00 for the person or persons involved in Charles's quietus. Charles’s father declared he would spare neither time nor money to ferret out the guilty parties, whoever they may be, and bring the criminals to justice.

Interestingly, in January of 1881, a young man, Mr. Allen, formerly of Normal, Illinois, came to Washington on particular detective business.  That business was to find the murderer of Charles Scott.  He had a “good gun,” which local authorities removed from his person.  Mr. Allen “talks incessantly and buttonholes each person he meets.”  The consensus is that the young man has dementia, “evidently a trifle out of balance mentally.” Nothing came of Mr. Allen’s investigation.  

The case was allowed to languish, but suspicion rested on Lincoln Scott, an older brother.   Subsequently, Constable Jeffries arrested Lincoln, even though J. Randolph Scott stridently offered a reward.  J. Randolph obtained, through counsel, a Writ of Habeas Corpus against Constable Jeffries to determine whether Lincoln had correctly been detained.  If guilt should fall upon his son in the future, the father was now attempting to shield his son from a murder charge.

For some indefinable reason, no grand jury brought an actual bill of indictment against Lincoln Scott.

Strangely, in 1908, the Pekin page of the Star mentioned that Lincoln R. Scott of Denver, Colorado, formerly Washington, Illinois, was in the city, recently looking up data concerning the murder of his brother, Charles Scott.

The case remains unsolved.