Unnatural Histories, The Mysterious Murder of Jim Dawson

The murder of Jim Dawson

In March 1934, on a quiet country lane just outside the tiny village of Bashall Eaves, Yorkshire, a mysterious murder once occurred that has remained unsolved to this day, yet still haunts the local imagination.

Still a mystery to this day

The murder of Jim Dawson, who was returning home from the Edisford Arms, now called the Edisford bridge inn, happened on ‘back lane’ near to his home at Bashall Hall, and is still as mysterious now as it was at the time.

He was struck with a blunt object fired with some force which penetrated his shoulder, the weapon that was used and the person who fired it, however, have never been found.

Upon returning home Jim, who lived in the 18th century hall with his father and his sister Lily, just went to bed after having had his supper and didn’t speak anything about this, why is not known.

The next day it transpired that he had bled profusely overnight and he had to be taken to Blackburn royal infirmary, he died of septicaemia 4 days later.

Scotland Yard called in

The murder case that followed became so difficult for the local police that Scotland Yard had to be called in, every gun in the vicinity was seized and forensically examined, but none were found that could have fired the projectile that hit James Dawson. No weapon has ever been found either.

No motive was discovered for the murder, James, or Jim as he was known was a quiet and respectable soul, a veteran of the First World War and a farmer with few, if any enemies. The only possible suspect, a man called Thomas Kenyon who was a lodger at the hall with whom Jim had been out drinking with that night, was released after questioning as no weapon was found.

Kenyon believed the shot might have been intended for him, although he knew no reason why,as he happened to have walked back the same route that evening and Jim did recollect a car going past at the time he was shot, but no one admitted driving up that lane at that time and he did not see the make of car.

The catapult theory

The suspected weapon was thought most likely to have been a catapult, though a walking stick gun or a ‘poachers gun’, (a type of air rifle) were also theorised, as the wound was large but the missile hadn’t penetrated as far as a bullet would. Jim did say he had heard a ‘click’ sound as he was hit, but this turned out to be inconclusive, despite extensive searches nothing was ever found.

In a statement Mr Dawson made after the shooting he told West Riding Police Constable Sheldon that he had spotted a figure at the end of a lane briefly lit by the headlights of a passing car, possibly the same car that passed Thomas Kenyon, just before he felt the impact of the unknown object on his back;

“He was only in view a short time”, “and I cannot give a description of him,”

“About fifty-five yards away I heard a click and felt a blow on the shoulder as if I had been hit by a stone”

“I thought nothing about it, or that it was a joke, never realising I had been shot”

“I did not hear the report of a gun”

Passed into local folklore

The murder has now passed into local folklore but any attempt to get one of the locals to recall their accounts of the murder still meets with a wall of silence, no discussion of the matter will be brooked. (I know this personally as I have tried to bring it up in conversation). Bashall Eaves became known as ‘the town that refused to talk’ and the case remains unsolved to this day.

Locals will avoid walking up ‘back lane’ to this day as a figure has been seen on many occasions appearing and disappearing into the lane on evenings at the time that James Dawson was shot, it is said he is still looking for the weapon that killed him.

A B-H