Imagine your 20-year-old son leaving his home in Summersville, Missouri to head out with his long-time chum to visit the father of said chum who was currently in the town of Smithton, about 175 miles north. That's not too bad, right? I mean you've known the family for years. The friend just lost his mom not long ago. It's only about a 3 1/2 hour drive and they will be getting a ride. So why would you worry? There should be no cause for concern, right?
A couple days go by and you hear nothing, but are not worried. Your son is an adult. He can take care of himself. You can't worry about him all the time. Then you receive word... "No, it can't be..." you think. "Not my baby! Why? How? When? NO!"
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| Source: Newspapers.com St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri 21 Sep 1934 |
William Shoults was born near Shannon County, Missouri on January 29, 1914, to Andrew & Daisy Shoults; their fourth child and third son. William grew up in Shannon County in the township of Casto, which is just a little ways East of Summersville, Missouri. When he was old enough to work, he helped his father on the family farm. He was good friends with Bill Douthat who was a few years younger than him. They had gone to school together and both families owned farms.
Bill Douthat's mom had died last year so he was to stay behind in Shannon County with his grandfather and siblings to care for the farm while his father, Robert Douthat, went to Smithton to go into the Cafe Business. No doubt to make some extra money for the family. So when Bill asked his old chum William if he would go with him up to see his father, he wouldn't have hesitated. Little did he know, that this trip would be his last.
Bill wrote his father and told him he was coming up to see him, but for him to not worry cause he had a ride with someone. When they didn't arrive, Robert must have been worried. Concerned. But he probably never expected to get that call from the Democrat informing him of the death of his son. What happened? Why was he asleep by the railroad tracks when he was supposed to have had a ride? And why over by Sedalia? That's about 6 miles East of Smithton. They could have just come straight North. Why were they East? And why would they rest being so close to where they were going?
Source: Newspapers.com
Sedalia Democrat
Sedalia, Missouri
20 Sep 1934
These questions would have to go unanswered unfortunately as everyone was convinced that Bill and William just stopped by the railroad tracks to rest for the night. Including the local Sheriff, the witnesses who found the boys, and the coroner. But it was the duty of the coroner to call an inquest just in case to officially settle the manner. In Missouri, the coroner is a county official, usually elected, who investigates and creates records for deaths that occur under accidental, questionable, unusual, or suspicious circumstances.
So after some setbacks, the inquest was scheduled for September 22, 1934, at 10:00 am at the McLaughlin Funeral Chapel. It was originally scheduled for the morning of September 21, 1934, the day after the accident, but the train crews that were subpoenaed were unable to be there. A jury was selected for two inquests that were scheduled to happen on the same day. According to the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Section 58.360, RSMo 1949, the duty of the jury is as follows:
So after some setbacks, the inquest was scheduled for September 22, 1934, at 10:00 am at the McLaughlin Funeral Chapel. It was originally scheduled for the morning of September 21, 1934, the day after the accident, but the train crews that were subpoenaed were unable to be there. A jury was selected for two inquests that were scheduled to happen on the same day. According to the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Section 58.360, RSMo 1949, the duty of the jury is as follows:
"The jury, having viewed the body, heard the evidence, and made all the inquiry in their power, shall draw up and deliver to the coroner their verdict upon the death under consideration, in writing under their hand, and the same shall be signed by the coroner."
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| Source: Newspapers.com Sedalia Democrat Sedalia, Missouri 21 Sep 1934 |
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| Coroner's Inquest William Douthat & William Shoultz Sedalia, Missouri 22 Sep 1934 |
According to the inquest, the jury viewed the bodies the day before the actual inquest. So the day of the inquest, they heard testimony from the crew that found the bodies. The first crewman to testify was E.J. Hess. He was the engineer of No. 79 who originally spotted the boys.
Testimony by E.J. Hess
Coroner's Inquest
22 Sep 1934
The other witness who was interviewed was George Novinger. He was the conductor on the No. 79. He examined the bodies a little more closely and had more to say on the subject.
Testimony by George Novinger
Coroner's Inquest
22 Sep 1934
Both witnesses stated that the Sheriff was there, but there was no investigation. He must have been fully convinced upon arrival that the boys had fallen asleep next to the tracks and that this was a tragic accident. This conclusion was also drawn by the jury members as well in their verdict.
Jury Verdict
Coroner's Inquest
22 Sep 1934
But a good investigator doesn't just go by this information. They would ask the family. They would inquire as to why the sheriff didn't do any investigating. They would take all the information and draw a conclusion. Granted, a coroner's inquest is limited on what they are to determine based on the evidence presented to them. This is not a trial, so to speak, and no other witnesses would be called except the ones who found the body. So based on this, it's easy to understand the conclusion the jury came to.
Although based on the information that Robert Douthat had, the families would definitely be suspicious of the circumstances. As stated, the boys were supposed to have a ride to Smithton, so it doesn't make sense the boys would stop off to rest somewhere by the side of the road when they were literally minutes from their final destination by car. And they were heading in an opposite direction from where Smithton was located.
The map below is from the 1940 Enumeration District Map collection. These maps were used by Census takers to help them navigate their districts. This is the map of the town of Sedalia, Missouri. Based on the information given by the witnesses from the Coroner's Inquest, the boys would have been found where the four dots in the box are located.
1940 Enumeration District Map
Sedalia, Missouri
Source: National Archives
If you pull up a map on Google, you can see where Smithton is located in proximity to where the boys were found. Looking at these maps definitely raises questions. The circle is the approximate location where the boys were found. That puts them about 6 miles West of the center of Smithton. The blue line coming from the South is the direction they would have been traveling by car. To head to Smithton from Summersville, they would have taken State Hwy W, but they were found near the intersection of State Hwy M and Hwy 50. Which is completely out of the way from how they would travel.
Source: Google Maps
Smithton, Missouri to Sedalia, Missouri
This took place in the 1930s in the midst of the Great Depression. Bill Douthat's mom had died, his far was trying to open a new business up north, and Bill had to stay back with his grandfather to run the family farm just to keep the family afloat. It wasn't unheard of for the Mob to use desperate teens to run "errands" for extra cash. Yes, the Mob. William Shoults' mother suspected the Mob had something to do with this and that the sheriff was in on it. And if that was the case, then there definitely won't be any answers.
But think about it. Bill Douthat was in a hurry supposedly to get up to his dad. He supposedly had a ride with an unknown person. He and William Shoults were found west of where they were supposed to be, not very far from a crossing where bodies could be dumped. And placing their bodies on the tracks would definitely guarantee their bodies wouldn't show any sign of assault. And if the Sheriff was in on it, all it took was for him to not do any investigating to help cover up the murder.
Whatever the case may be, the belief that the boys had laid down to sleep by the tracks so close to their final destination when they were supposed to have had a ride to begin with is pure 'kaka'. And since the train destroyed any possible evidence, there would be no way to prove it. Until her death, William Shoults' mom held to the truth that her son was murdered. And this was passed down to the rest of the family and will continue to be passed down.
William was missed tremendously by the family and did not have the opportunity to get married and have a family of his own. So no one will ever know what would have become of poor William. He will forever be 20 years old.
Shoults Family
circa the 1930s
This is amazing Jen! Thank you for sharing, this has always been a hushed mystery in my family, with no one to look into it!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome! I am so glad I was able to look up this information for you.
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