Saturday, April 8, 2023

The Mystery Of Killer James Dunham 1896


James C. Dunham was a mass murderer who killed his family and two of the hired help back on May 26, 1896. His crime is characterized as "Parricide." I have to admit that I had to look that up since I'd never heard of it before. 

One source defines "Parricide" as "the deliberate killing of one's own father and mother, spouse, children, and/or close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to acts of matricide and patricide."

As for James C. Dunham, his six victims were his wife, Hattie, 25, her mother, Ada McGlincy, 53, her stepfather, Richard P. McGlincy, 56, her brother, James K. Wells, 22, and two of the hired help, Robert Briscoe, 50, and Minnie Shesler, 28. And no, I cannot imagine what that crime scene must have looked like. While Dunham strangled his wife, he shot her mother, her stepfather, her brother, and two of the hired help with a .38 caliber revolver and a .45 caliber pistol before resorting to using an axe.

Newspapers in 1896 called it "The McGlincy Killing" because one of the victims was Colonel Richard P. McGlincy. He was the killer's stepfather-in-law and one of the town's most respected citizens. For the town of Campbell, in Santa Clara County, California, it was a horror that no one could imagine. 

When the Santa Clara County Sheriff was called to the scene a few miles outside of San Jose on the morning of May 27, 1896, they found Col. McGlincy, three of his family members, a domestic worker, and a ranch hand brutally murdered. While the killer's motive has remained a mystery for well over a hundred years, the identification of the killer was known immediately. 

In fact, a Coroner's jury which investigated the murders took only two days to declare the deaths were committed by ''one James C. Dunham, with malice aforethought.''  

As for the killer's whereabouts, there were multiple reports of James Dunham, Col McGlincy's stepson-in-law, seen on horseback escaping into the hills. Of course, besides the mystery of his motive, something that will forever surround what took place, it's said there's also the mystery of why he spared his infant son's life that day. The boy was only 3 weeks old and was found near his wife's body. 

As for the boy, it is said that he was adopted by relatives in San Francisco and given a new name. It is also said that he later inherited his grandmother's estate. As for his father, it was better for the boy that his father never tried to contact his son.

And as for the killer, I'd like to say he was hunted down and tried and hanged. But I can't because this is one of those stories that have the bad guy, the person doing evil, actually never being made to pay for what he did. It's true. We will never know what sort of evil possessed James Dunham to kill his family because though seen on a horse heading into the hills, there is still the mystery of what happened to Dunham. The fact is that he vanished. He was never apprehended, tried, or made to answer for what he did. 

So now, what would bring a person to kill his or her entire family and a couple of hired help? Well, gossip swirled around the small farming community. And yes, there were all sorts of speculation over what triggered him to do such a thing. But really, no one will ever know Dunham's motives. 

And no, not even what was called the most extensive manhunt in the history of Santa Clara County, California, ever paid off. And even though he was well-known in the community, he escaped and was never found. Actually, as large as the posse was that went after him, the only thing they found was the horse that he used -- but no Dunham.

There are some who say he committed suicide. Others say he starved to death. I read an article that tried to say he became a "madman" that stalked those who traveled alone at night in that area. But, even later after people were trying to say that they found his bones -- bones that turned out to be that of a dead cow -- no one knows what ever happened to him. So who knows, maybe one day someone will find his remains. After all, stranger things have happened.

Tom Correa



2 comments:

  1. James Dunham really is one of the biggest mysteries of the Old West. Little is known about his life or where he lived before settling down in Campbell, California, in Santa Clara County. He was probably born in 1858 or 1860 in Texas. Some even say he was from Missouri. And others speculate that he was from Ireland. Whatever the case may be in 1896, James Dunham, either 38 or 40 years old committed one of the most brutal killings in the world. He killed his entirely family by shooting them with both a Smith and Wesson .38 and a Colt .45 before viciously chopping them up. He earned the nickname the "Santa Clara Killer" in the local newspapers. There have been many rumors as to why he killed his entire family including infidelity, his job, and even alcoholism. But the closest thing to gossip was when a neighbor noticed the bodies of the deceased covered in blood and contacted the local sheriff. By the time he got there however, Dunham was already gone. Where he ended up is heard to tell. Some say he went to Mexico. One witness claimed he went to Italy. And another claimed he committed suicide in Utah. Whatever happened to Jim Dunham remains unknown. I plan on making a movie about Jim Dunham called, "The Santa Clara Killer" The opening to the trailer will say, "Hello. My name is James Dunham. I'm the Santa Clara Killer. And I am evil." My belief is that James Dunham went on to kill many others and became one of America's earliest serial killers. My guess is that he died in either 1903 or 1924 at best. He would have been either 45 or 64 at the time. Wish me luck on the film and if you find out any more information on James Dunham, please let me know. Adios, amigos.

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  2. Oops! spelling error. What I meant to say is, "where he ended is HARD to tell". Damn you, auto correct. LOL.

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