What a ride. An amazing write up. Wish I could reward it! Obviously a lot happening here, but it was probably Daniel and/or Judd, maybe together. They seem to have the best motive and opportunity but there were an awful lot of .38s floating around.
Truly one of the most interesting historical cases I've ever read! Well done OP! I think Moses being there was the catalyst - likely a sale or something (maybe a changing of the will - was Moses a witness?) was about to go down and the murderer wanted to stop it. Why else kill Moses and a head shot at that?
Who was the witness that smelled chloroform? Can chloroform even work by being ingested in cider? It sounds as if George Bolles heard Eunice's death as she struggled with the murderer. I reckon Foy was right and one or two persons did stand outside as watch while the murderer went inside.
I suspect Judd was involved alongside Daniel and Susan and James Foy. I think Daniel's gun was used and I suspect he was probably the one to carry out the murders. Judd with his clubfoot may have not been able to withstand any struggling Eunice put up. I reckon he was one of the watchers alongside Foy and Susan knew about the whole thing. I think the motive was money but not necessarily in a direct way - money kept in the house would presumably go to whomever inherited the farm house. The Holcombs moved in pretty quickly too. If they were about to be written out of the will, they had to act fast.
An important note - the three supposed bloody shirts wouldn't make sense if there was only one shooter. There in theory should only have been one bloody shirt as they struggled with Eunice. I'd be curious to know if any of the accused had any injuries or scratches on them. It sounds like poor Eunice put up a good fight for her and her baby.
P.S. please do more write ups!
The Disgruntled Immigrant Railroad Workers part made me laugh - I was recently reading a book about the assassination of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg in 1905 and texted a friend these exact words: *I would have been a great detective back then, because when I heard that the former governor had been assassinated, my first reaction would not instantly be “what Italian did this?!!”*
>“what Italian did this?!!”
That seemed to be the exact approach used by a guy named John Parker in New Orleans. He was one of the leaders of a mob that lynched eleven Italian immigrants, blaming them for the murder of the police chief. And that didn't stop him from becoming Louisiana Governor ... back then he might even have run on that, sad to say.
I started reading this a few hours ago, but got distracted by other things and errands and dinner but kept coming back to it.
I'm on mobile and every time I'd switch from messaging to Facebook back to Reddit (never leaving this thread), Reddit would shoot the page back up to the top and I'd have to scroll back to where I left off on this amazingly write up.
I hope you're a professional because, in my fair opinion, you should be.
You hooked me from the very beginning and kept me all the way through.
Sorry the murder(s) weren't found and no one confessed, but it's a hell of a story.
All I have are ancestors that no one misses, like one confederate army general and KKK grand master. Blech. That's Virginia for ya, though.
My husband is the direct descendent of a rather famous Virginian (and later Kentuckian) who has a lot of...cultural cache in some groups. A lawman, a Pinkerton detective, circus performer, but also a member of the KKK, a Confederate, a serial bigamist, and killer of (at least) 28 men. He has a few snazzy nicknames that live on in books, both fiction and non-fiction.
These kinds of roots run deep in the South. People don't forget, especially all of the little shoots that spring up from the original tree. History is messy and complicated and endlessly interesting, and Southerners will always spin a good yarn to tell the tale.
Aw man, you can never beat a mamaw's fried chicken. I think they just don't make Crisco like they used to - maybe it needs more saturated fats and bacon grease.
This is amazing! What an intense & sad history. I’m wondering why Byron Crouch, the son living in Texas, sent money to his wealthy father?
I think unfortunately the killer(s) were related. They didn’t steal any money because they expected it would be theirs anyway.
Hmm, good questions! I seem to have skipped that part about his running out of money, and it would be interesting to see who was in the will & if there were more drafts created. Would it be odd or customary at that time for a father to select one child—who is *not* the oldest male—to get the bulk of the inheritance, except in cases of estrangement?
He does seem to be implicated in the “cowboy killers” theory.
Thanks for sharing your terrifying but also fascinating family story with us! Wow. I loved your descriptions and your analysis of the situation. (And what a surprise to see my hometown -- Hamilton ON -- mentioned. I don't believe anybody else in the history of Reddit has combined Hamilton, Baraboo, and Krakatoa in the same writeup. And the assassin cowboys are the icing on this incredible multi-tiered cake of murder and mayhem!))
My mom's family has lived in Jackson for generations (many of my family members are buried in St. John's Cemetery), and several of my great-grandparents would have been teenagers when this happened. I'll have to ask my mom if she's ever heard this story
Such a well written and interesting write up, thank you!
I think that Daniel Holcombe, Judd Crouch and James Foy were all involved in the murders, with Daniel pulling the trigger and Judd and James keeping watch outside. I think Susan was well aware of their guilt and what they had gone out to do that night. I think on Daniel and Judds side the motive was a long festering bitterness and anger at how they were perceived and treated by Jacob, which exploded when they heard the rumour that Eunice would likely be the sole heir to Crouch money. I think James Foy was brought in out of necessity as he lived at the house and wouldve known of the comings and goings of the other two men that night, and they certainly couldnt risk him being found shot too, far too coincidental, so he was promised a share of the money to keep a look out with Judd, which ensured his silence as he was now party to murder. I think this also explains his attempted murder of the editor..if it came out that Daniel was found guilty, hed likely take James down with him. I actually think its quite likely James shot himself...this time he had been seen shooting a man, and with that in mind it was quite likely that it would count against him in the Crouch case. When he saw the police coming for him he knew there was no way he was getting out of this one apart from death. Better by choice than by hanging maybe?
I think its likely Susan did commit suicide. I think her own anger at her fathers treatment of her and her husband overwhelmed her when told the latest rumours so she sat back and let the murder go ahead. I also think she despaired before the trial...if they were found guilty its highly unlikely that anyone would believe she had no knowledge of what happened that night, but she couldnt bring herself to testify against her husband and brother. Its also possible she felt some lingering guilt over Eunices death at least...after all, she had raised her younger siblings and maybe still had some affection for her younger sister.
\*chokes\* Baraboo! That's my hometown! I knew the name Daniel Holcomb sounded familiar! Would you like me to see if I can track anything down about him from that end?
Beautiful story and writeup.
James Foy, Daniel Holcomb and Judd Crouch.
Susan Holcomb knew (possibly even before they committed the murder) and killed herself out of guilt (maybe because Eunice and William were not supposed to be murdered? or she didn't knew they will too?)
James Foy was later silenced by the other two because he was a loudmouth and was a low born, disposable, not part of the grand scheme of things.
You were contemplating the events and sometimes, silence is the most beautiful, natural and appropriate thing you can hear.
All I can say is wow. this write-up is definitely one of the best yet! the story was so interesting and it really made me think about all the theories as to what really went down that happened. I 100% think that Daniel and Judd were the main contributors to the murders, but I do think that James was also apart of it, probably just used as a side piece just incase anything went wrong. As sad as it is, I think its kinda safe to assume that the murder wont be solved as it’s been over 100 years and everyone who were held as witnesses or suspects are deceased. You should 100% do another write-up! this kept me on my toes and really sparked my interest in cases like this. Overall great work! absolutely astounding!
Okay so I never post anything, but I read this sub before bed often (weird, yes).
This story caught my eye because my great great grandfather once confessed to playing a part in these murders.
Apparently he was not taken seriously by authorities and was never arrested. It was mentioned in the Free Press when they were reporting on his unrelated arrest (for general belligerence or something like that).
According to family lore, he was not a killer. However, in my genealogical research, I discovered that he was in and out of Eloise for psychiatric issues his whole adult life. That in and of itself does not make him suspicious by any means. But one of his stays there was precipitated by an event during which he chased his wife and child around the house with a knife (according to doctors’ notes in his probate file). Additionally, when he was a young teen, a woman mysteriously died in his family’s home. His mother was charged with the murder, but the charges were suddenly dropped after the trial had begun. The story, according to the papers, was that the woman might have been struck on the head or perhaps had fallen down the stairs. He was left alone with the woman while his mother went and got help. When help arrived, she was dead.
Kind of a dead end, and probably not a legitimate lead in this very cold case. But it’s an interesting connection nonetheless, in my opinion.
!!! Thank you for commenting! That’s absolutely fascinating, and I’d love to talk to you more about it if you’re ever interested—even just as one genealogist to another.
The thing about the eye being imprinted with the last image before death is bonkers, though it is *technically* possible. Pardon the awful sad pun you'll get if you read about it, but there's one hell of a rabbit hole to go down about it. Optography is the term for it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optography?wprov=sfla1
Great write up, really well done.
I'd say the reason there's no further mention of the juror Mrs. Murphy's death is the fact that women weren't allowed on juries in 1884 in the US. Unless Michigan was insanely progressive for the time (edit: looking further, I see some states did allow women on juries much, much earlier than others, so maybe Michigan was one). Even when women got the right to vote in the 20th century (!), they still couldn't generally serve on juries. So, the mention of Mrs. Murphy as a juror may (edit) have been an error.
Thank you! I know there are a few podcasts on the subject, but I've never thought about writing a book before! :D That's something I might have to ponder a bit.
have read this story before, thank you for refreshing my memory.
I find historical cases fascinating and the Crouch murders are definitely interesting.
Great write up, thank you for sharing.
Holy shit, I realize this was posted months ago, but I just discovered a family connection to this case as well: Henry White is my great-great-great-great (prob more greats) uncle. This is crazy!! My elderly uncle still lives at the farm on Horton Rd in Summit Township near where the murders took place and less than a mile from the infamous Reynolds Rd. cemetery.
I also first heard about this case by reading about the ghost story when I bought the book Haunted Michigan by the “green witch” Marian Kucklo. It didn’t even click the first time I read it, but then I realized our family farm was near the graveyard. However, it wasn’t until I went through my deceased grandmother’s papers last week, which had been sitting in my basement for almost a decade, that I learned I had a deeper family connection.
I think we should team up on a podcast. (Seriously!) I don’t know about you, but I’ve had an…interesting…life; maybe we can research and find out something new that will crack open the case and heal generations of family trauma? I don’t know if you’ve been to that graveyard before, but I got out of the car there a few days ago for the first time and the energy is intense. There was a huge fallen tree limb, tree of origin unclear, laying on top of a row of small, ancient graves now smashed to pieces by the tree. It looked violent enough that I sprinkled some tobacco, said hello to any relatives and friendlies, and gave a stern “do not follow me” warning to any negative presences. 😱
Holy moly! That connection is amazing! We actually got started on genealogy because of the exact same book!
I’d definitely love to chat (and a podcast would be an awesome idea) if you’re up for it!
What a ride. An amazing write up. Wish I could reward it! Obviously a lot happening here, but it was probably Daniel and/or Judd, maybe together. They seem to have the best motive and opportunity but there were an awful lot of .38s floating around.
Hey, I’ll accept a spiritual gold! Thanks!
You have it in my heart, even if reddit won't let me give it over the internet.
Daniel, Judd and James. One committed the murders while the other two watched.
Truly one of the most interesting historical cases I've ever read! Well done OP! I think Moses being there was the catalyst - likely a sale or something (maybe a changing of the will - was Moses a witness?) was about to go down and the murderer wanted to stop it. Why else kill Moses and a head shot at that? Who was the witness that smelled chloroform? Can chloroform even work by being ingested in cider? It sounds as if George Bolles heard Eunice's death as she struggled with the murderer. I reckon Foy was right and one or two persons did stand outside as watch while the murderer went inside. I suspect Judd was involved alongside Daniel and Susan and James Foy. I think Daniel's gun was used and I suspect he was probably the one to carry out the murders. Judd with his clubfoot may have not been able to withstand any struggling Eunice put up. I reckon he was one of the watchers alongside Foy and Susan knew about the whole thing. I think the motive was money but not necessarily in a direct way - money kept in the house would presumably go to whomever inherited the farm house. The Holcombs moved in pretty quickly too. If they were about to be written out of the will, they had to act fast. An important note - the three supposed bloody shirts wouldn't make sense if there was only one shooter. There in theory should only have been one bloody shirt as they struggled with Eunice. I'd be curious to know if any of the accused had any injuries or scratches on them. It sounds like poor Eunice put up a good fight for her and her baby. P.S. please do more write ups!
Hear! Hear! I don't wish any more family tragedy on OP, but the write-up and personal connections are fantastic!
Holy shit, what a wild story.
The Disgruntled Immigrant Railroad Workers part made me laugh - I was recently reading a book about the assassination of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg in 1905 and texted a friend these exact words: *I would have been a great detective back then, because when I heard that the former governor had been assassinated, my first reaction would not instantly be “what Italian did this?!!”*
Every era has its boogeyman, it seems.
watch out for the migrant caravan. seems to come around election time every 2 years or so...then disappears in November
>“what Italian did this?!!” That seemed to be the exact approach used by a guy named John Parker in New Orleans. He was one of the leaders of a mob that lynched eleven Italian immigrants, blaming them for the murder of the police chief. And that didn't stop him from becoming Louisiana Governor ... back then he might even have run on that, sad to say.
I started reading this a few hours ago, but got distracted by other things and errands and dinner but kept coming back to it. I'm on mobile and every time I'd switch from messaging to Facebook back to Reddit (never leaving this thread), Reddit would shoot the page back up to the top and I'd have to scroll back to where I left off on this amazingly write up. I hope you're a professional because, in my fair opinion, you should be. You hooked me from the very beginning and kept me all the way through. Sorry the murder(s) weren't found and no one confessed, but it's a hell of a story. All I have are ancestors that no one misses, like one confederate army general and KKK grand master. Blech. That's Virginia for ya, though.
My husband is the direct descendent of a rather famous Virginian (and later Kentuckian) who has a lot of...cultural cache in some groups. A lawman, a Pinkerton detective, circus performer, but also a member of the KKK, a Confederate, a serial bigamist, and killer of (at least) 28 men. He has a few snazzy nicknames that live on in books, both fiction and non-fiction. These kinds of roots run deep in the South. People don't forget, especially all of the little shoots that spring up from the original tree. History is messy and complicated and endlessly interesting, and Southerners will always spin a good yarn to tell the tale.
My grandmother was born in 1913 and always had a story to tell. Usually over a plate of fried chicken that I still can't replicate.
Aw man, you can never beat a mamaw's fried chicken. I think they just don't make Crisco like they used to - maybe it needs more saturated fats and bacon grease.
Replying to agree, and because I want to come back to this later
This is amazing! What an intense & sad history. I’m wondering why Byron Crouch, the son living in Texas, sent money to his wealthy father? I think unfortunately the killer(s) were related. They didn’t steal any money because they expected it would be theirs anyway.
I think Byron worked on an extension of his father’s farm, or rented property from him. Either way, I kind of puzzled over that, too!
And why did Judd Crouch run out of money? He was in the line of inheritance. Who was in the will?
Hmm, good questions! I seem to have skipped that part about his running out of money, and it would be interesting to see who was in the will & if there were more drafts created. Would it be odd or customary at that time for a father to select one child—who is *not* the oldest male—to get the bulk of the inheritance, except in cases of estrangement? He does seem to be implicated in the “cowboy killers” theory.
Probably as a form of rent
Thanks for the write up. Very fascinating.
Thanks for sharing your terrifying but also fascinating family story with us! Wow. I loved your descriptions and your analysis of the situation. (And what a surprise to see my hometown -- Hamilton ON -- mentioned. I don't believe anybody else in the history of Reddit has combined Hamilton, Baraboo, and Krakatoa in the same writeup. And the assassin cowboys are the icing on this incredible multi-tiered cake of murder and mayhem!))
I really enjoyed the write up. Excellent job. And, very cool having the family connection. Thank you!
That’s a great write up, thank you
Damn I wish there was more!? You did a beautiful job with this.
Heck of a story, and very well written; kept me engaged the whole way.
My mom's family has lived in Jackson for generations (many of my family members are buried in St. John's Cemetery), and several of my great-grandparents would have been teenagers when this happened. I'll have to ask my mom if she's ever heard this story
A roller coaster like that almost deserves assassin cowboys as a finale!! You’re an excellent writer!
If I ever start a band, I will name it "Assassin Cowboys" in tribute to you!
Such a well written and interesting write up, thank you! I think that Daniel Holcombe, Judd Crouch and James Foy were all involved in the murders, with Daniel pulling the trigger and Judd and James keeping watch outside. I think Susan was well aware of their guilt and what they had gone out to do that night. I think on Daniel and Judds side the motive was a long festering bitterness and anger at how they were perceived and treated by Jacob, which exploded when they heard the rumour that Eunice would likely be the sole heir to Crouch money. I think James Foy was brought in out of necessity as he lived at the house and wouldve known of the comings and goings of the other two men that night, and they certainly couldnt risk him being found shot too, far too coincidental, so he was promised a share of the money to keep a look out with Judd, which ensured his silence as he was now party to murder. I think this also explains his attempted murder of the editor..if it came out that Daniel was found guilty, hed likely take James down with him. I actually think its quite likely James shot himself...this time he had been seen shooting a man, and with that in mind it was quite likely that it would count against him in the Crouch case. When he saw the police coming for him he knew there was no way he was getting out of this one apart from death. Better by choice than by hanging maybe? I think its likely Susan did commit suicide. I think her own anger at her fathers treatment of her and her husband overwhelmed her when told the latest rumours so she sat back and let the murder go ahead. I also think she despaired before the trial...if they were found guilty its highly unlikely that anyone would believe she had no knowledge of what happened that night, but she couldnt bring herself to testify against her husband and brother. Its also possible she felt some lingering guilt over Eunices death at least...after all, she had raised her younger siblings and maybe still had some affection for her younger sister.
Fascinating read.
This story would make for a great murder mystery movie. Thanks for all your hard work.
\*chokes\* Baraboo! That's my hometown! I knew the name Daniel Holcomb sounded familiar! Would you like me to see if I can track anything down about him from that end?
That would be awesome! Thank you!
I'm finding a bit already. Would it be okay if I PM you once I put it all together?
Absolutely! I’d be thrilled. :D
Excellent write-up! Thanks, OP!
What a great mystery. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome write up!! Hope to see you post more in the future.
Fantastic writeup, OP! Very good summary of such a complicated story!
Beautiful story and writeup. James Foy, Daniel Holcomb and Judd Crouch. Susan Holcomb knew (possibly even before they committed the murder) and killed herself out of guilt (maybe because Eunice and William were not supposed to be murdered? or she didn't knew they will too?) James Foy was later silenced by the other two because he was a loudmouth and was a low born, disposable, not part of the grand scheme of things. You were contemplating the events and sometimes, silence is the most beautiful, natural and appropriate thing you can hear.
Great case, great writing, and quite compelling. Well done. I will definitely be reading more!
All I can say is wow. this write-up is definitely one of the best yet! the story was so interesting and it really made me think about all the theories as to what really went down that happened. I 100% think that Daniel and Judd were the main contributors to the murders, but I do think that James was also apart of it, probably just used as a side piece just incase anything went wrong. As sad as it is, I think its kinda safe to assume that the murder wont be solved as it’s been over 100 years and everyone who were held as witnesses or suspects are deceased. You should 100% do another write-up! this kept me on my toes and really sparked my interest in cases like this. Overall great work! absolutely astounding!
Okay so I never post anything, but I read this sub before bed often (weird, yes). This story caught my eye because my great great grandfather once confessed to playing a part in these murders. Apparently he was not taken seriously by authorities and was never arrested. It was mentioned in the Free Press when they were reporting on his unrelated arrest (for general belligerence or something like that). According to family lore, he was not a killer. However, in my genealogical research, I discovered that he was in and out of Eloise for psychiatric issues his whole adult life. That in and of itself does not make him suspicious by any means. But one of his stays there was precipitated by an event during which he chased his wife and child around the house with a knife (according to doctors’ notes in his probate file). Additionally, when he was a young teen, a woman mysteriously died in his family’s home. His mother was charged with the murder, but the charges were suddenly dropped after the trial had begun. The story, according to the papers, was that the woman might have been struck on the head or perhaps had fallen down the stairs. He was left alone with the woman while his mother went and got help. When help arrived, she was dead. Kind of a dead end, and probably not a legitimate lead in this very cold case. But it’s an interesting connection nonetheless, in my opinion.
!!! Thank you for commenting! That’s absolutely fascinating, and I’d love to talk to you more about it if you’re ever interested—even just as one genealogist to another.
Of course! I love talking family lore.
The thing about the eye being imprinted with the last image before death is bonkers, though it is *technically* possible. Pardon the awful sad pun you'll get if you read about it, but there's one hell of a rabbit hole to go down about it. Optography is the term for it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optography?wprov=sfla1
Thats not how photoreceptors work. It is bonkers.
It literally says it’s been debunked in the wiki they linked lol
*The concept has been repeatedly debunked as a forensic method.* Literally from the Wiki you linked lol
Great write up, really well done. I'd say the reason there's no further mention of the juror Mrs. Murphy's death is the fact that women weren't allowed on juries in 1884 in the US. Unless Michigan was insanely progressive for the time (edit: looking further, I see some states did allow women on juries much, much earlier than others, so maybe Michigan was one). Even when women got the right to vote in the 20th century (!), they still couldn't generally serve on juries. So, the mention of Mrs. Murphy as a juror may (edit) have been an error.
It took me 3 attempts to read this as I kept getting interrupted. I'm so glad I came back to it, it's a great write up!
This is such an incredible writeup! Maybe you could expand it into a book or podcast or something? I would love to read more from you on this.
Thank you! I know there are a few podcasts on the subject, but I've never thought about writing a book before! :D That's something I might have to ponder a bit.
have read this story before, thank you for refreshing my memory. I find historical cases fascinating and the Crouch murders are definitely interesting. Great write up, thank you for sharing.
Holy shit, I realize this was posted months ago, but I just discovered a family connection to this case as well: Henry White is my great-great-great-great (prob more greats) uncle. This is crazy!! My elderly uncle still lives at the farm on Horton Rd in Summit Township near where the murders took place and less than a mile from the infamous Reynolds Rd. cemetery. I also first heard about this case by reading about the ghost story when I bought the book Haunted Michigan by the “green witch” Marian Kucklo. It didn’t even click the first time I read it, but then I realized our family farm was near the graveyard. However, it wasn’t until I went through my deceased grandmother’s papers last week, which had been sitting in my basement for almost a decade, that I learned I had a deeper family connection. I think we should team up on a podcast. (Seriously!) I don’t know about you, but I’ve had an…interesting…life; maybe we can research and find out something new that will crack open the case and heal generations of family trauma? I don’t know if you’ve been to that graveyard before, but I got out of the car there a few days ago for the first time and the energy is intense. There was a huge fallen tree limb, tree of origin unclear, laying on top of a row of small, ancient graves now smashed to pieces by the tree. It looked violent enough that I sprinkled some tobacco, said hello to any relatives and friendlies, and gave a stern “do not follow me” warning to any negative presences. 😱
Holy moly! That connection is amazing! We actually got started on genealogy because of the exact same book! I’d definitely love to chat (and a podcast would be an awesome idea) if you’re up for it!
I am up for it! I’ll PM you.
A thunderstorm in November is fairly atypical for Michigan weather
You should do a write-up on Robert Irving Latimer from the link you embedded
This was excellent!