The Townsend Murder Case Had A Man Jailed Here In Cleveland, And His Identity Is Still A Mystery
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Nikki Rhoades
Author
In this modern day and age, forensics is an incomprehensibly precise science. DNA analysis, of course, is to thank for the open-and-close cases that our law enforcement often addresses today. However, that wasn’t a science yet in 1854 when William Townsend and his gang took the life of John Hamilton Nelles. The gang was, for the most part, captured… except for Townsend. His journey took him all around Lake Erie, and William Townsend continued to evade authorities… or did he? This is one story that is almost too bizarre to be true, yet Cleveland set the scene for part of its unraveling. Buckle up, because you’re about to go on a wild ride through local history.
He was born to Mary-Ann and Robert Townsend near Fort Porter, New York in 1832 and his family moved to Canada early on to work on canals and docks around Lake Ontario. At the time, crime in Canada was on the rise and locals did not hesitate to blame the Yankees for the turmoil. Following in the family’s maritime footsteps and ignoring local prejudice, young William worked on ships including the Mohawk and Montreal.
William was a poor student, leaving him unable to spell well and write with a coarse hand. As such, he stuck primarily to physical, labor-intensive jobs. After working a number of odd jobs, William Townsend returned to Ontario and then worked as an actor (his specialty was mimicking accents). He eventually joined a gang of pickpockets in the Hamilton area, engaging in petty theft… until the group of criminals began craving more challenge and more money.
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The group had heard that Nelles was in possession of money. They waited until he was asleep to enter the home… or so they thought. They found him very much awake, and, in a panic, Townsend shot him in the back. As his awoken family flooded into the crime scene in response, the robbers demanded money. There was none – Townsend plucked a gold watch off of Nelles’ wall and took off.
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The gang, of course, had fled into the United States only to turn around and return to Canada. Townsend was caught pawning off the recently stolen gold watch, but he escaped and boarded a ship. The authorities waited for the ship to dock, but once it did so, they were in for disappointment. Townsend had hopped onto another ship and then jumped overboard.
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William Townsend blended into everyday crowds almost effortlessly. He grew restless, however, and robbed a farmer. As a police officer trailed Townsend, the criminal turned his revolver around and shot over his shoulder, killing his second victim. Police trailed him once again, finding a man that appeared to be him on a train.
The man they had captured appeared to be Townsend and, though he denied the allegations, he seemed to cooperate. As the train they found him on was pulling away, he ran and jumped on the last car, leaving the startled police behind him. Two of his accomplices were hanged on May 18, 1855, having been found guilty of the initial murder, through Townsend had pulled the trigger.
According to The Desperate Ones: Forgotten Canadian Outlaws by Edward Butts, the man remarked upon his arrest, "Only a few hours in Cleveland and the darbies on already."
Darbies, for those not up on British slang, is a word for handcuffs. The man was placed in a tiny jail cell with two other prisoners. All the while, he insisted that he was Robert J. McHenry, a man from Scotland. For months, acquaintances and victims came to visit the jailed man, hoping to identify him as Townsend. Of the sixteen witnesses brought to Cleveland, most were unable to pass judgment. Only two claimed that Robert McHenry was, indeed, Townsend.
Darbies, for those not up on British slang, is a word for handcuffs. The man was placed in a tiny jail cell with two other prisoners. All the while, he insisted that he was Robert J. McHenry, a man from Scotland. For months, acquaintances and victims came to visit the jailed man, hoping to identify him as Townsend. Of the sixteen witnesses brought to Cleveland, most were unable to pass judgment. Only two claimed that Robert McHenry was, indeed, Townsend.
Once in Canada, the trial began. Following three days and countless testimonies, the court reluctantly disbanded. Robert McHenry was still a mystery man, and he sat in a Canadian prison for another six months. He published another letter in a local paper, insisting on his innocence and begging the public for help.
Could it be that Townsend had perfected his spelling or was this really an innocent man? The second trial began March 26, 1858, and lasted for 10 long days. Once again, the jurors were unable to identify the man as William Townsend. He left on a $100 bail on the condition that he be willing to stand trial again should the Crown decide to reexamine the case.
Could it be that Townsend had perfected his spelling or was this really an innocent man? The second trial began March 26, 1858, and lasted for 10 long days. Once again, the jurors were unable to identify the man as William Townsend. He left on a $100 bail on the condition that he be willing to stand trial again should the Crown decide to reexamine the case.
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For a man that so passionately professed his innocence, McHenry never sued Cleveland or Canadian law enforcement for his many months of imprisonment. In fact, he was totally silent following his release.
In Murders and Mysteries by William Wallace Stewart, the author points out that there was no record of McHenry in Scotland when he was said to have lived there. Stewart proposes that the captured man may have been a deserter from the British Army in Canada, in which case he had good reason to conceal his identity. The question remains: what happened to William Townsend... and who was the man imprisoned in Cleveland and Canada?
In Murders and Mysteries by William Wallace Stewart, the author points out that there was no record of McHenry in Scotland when he was said to have lived there. Stewart proposes that the captured man may have been a deserter from the British Army in Canada, in which case he had good reason to conceal his identity. The question remains: what happened to William Townsend... and who was the man imprisoned in Cleveland and Canada?
Whether or not the man on trial was Townsend, the master of disguise got away with murder. He was never heard from again, leaving those involved in his case to speculate about his true identity.
Are you fascinated by mysteries? The identity of the Cleveland Torso Murderer is still contested to this day, and some have even suggested that our local crime spree is connected to the infamous Black Dahlia Murder case.
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