Freeland Graham was born to William "Bill" Graham and Nancy Jane Enlow Graham on 17 August 1877 in Bloomfield County, Indiana. The Graham family moved to the Sweden area of Douglas County, Missouri, in the late 1880's. On 31 December 1902, when Freeland was 25, he married 50-year-old Sarah Angeline Reed/Rud Bell. Sarah's two children from her first marriage were grown and gone by 1910 and she and Freeland had no children. Exactly when or how Freeland died is still open to speculation. It is known that his remains were found about ten miles from his home in January of 1934. The following story, pieced together from newspaper stories, information on Ancestry.com, and personal recollections, holds the clues to his cause of death.
In Douglas County, Missouri, in July 1933, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Ryder were found in their burned out home. An older couple (73 & 65), the Ryders had moved to the little farm near Sweden. Ryder did not have a job or any obvious source of income but his home was well stocked with provisions. This led locals to believe the Ryders must be wealthy and must have money hidden somewhere on their farm since they, like others, did not trust banks following the crash of 1929.
Lead by bloodhounds through a pasture, Douglas County Sheriff Ernie Gentry found, hidden a short distance from the Ryder's home, a tow sack filled with groceries including two buckets of lard and a can of coffee which were identified as having belonged to the Ryders. Tracks showed a horse had been tied to a tree nearby and that the horse wore a No. 3 shoe. Also believed missing from the home were two feather beds, as no sticky remains of them were found in the ashes. Douglas County Prosecutor John Bragg surmised the Ryders had rushed into their home after it had been set afire to conceal a robbery and their murder was committed by means of arson.
Rube Graham, a then 39-year-old farmer who rented land to the Ryders, became a suspect in the murders. Although Rube denied it, officers learned he often rode a stallion which wore a No. 3 shoe. The woman who worked at the Rippee Store told investigators she had recently given some irregular coins in change to Guy Ryder. She said, Rube Graham spent the same coins in the store a few days after the murders. As a result of the investigation, Rube Graham, his brother William "Chigger Bill" Graham, their distant relative Freeland Graham, and Rueben Graham's 17-year-old stepson Earl Thurman were charged with the murder of the Ryders. All were arrested except Freeland who could not be found. Sheriff Gentry speculated Freeland had either "taken out" or been killed to assure his silence.
At the time of the Ryder's deaths, Freeland Graham was staying with his brother William Graham and William's daughter Mary. When Mary asked her uncle Freeland to take her down to the Ryder cabin to see what all the excitement was about, he refused telling her he had helped move things from the house to a cave but was not involved with the murders. One morning after breakfast, Freeland told Mary he had someplace to go. As he was leaving he said, "You won't have to fix me breakfast again." Freeland then went missing. The police believed family was hiding him and spent months watching them in hopes of being led to Freeland.
A preliminary hearing in the Ryder case was held in Ava, Missouri, in early September. In October, Douglas Countian Felda Medlock was taken into custody in Pratt, Kansas. Medlock denied any connection with the case and nothing further is known about his involvement. By this time Rube was still being held in jail in Gainesville while William Graham and Earl Thurman had been released on bond. Earl Thurman had told investigators that he was cutting logs up on a hill the day of the fire, saw smoke, and was concerned it was Rube's place. He arrived at Rube's to find his step-father setting on the porch red faced and fanning himself. Rube's horse was tied nearby and it appeared to have been ridden hard. It was all lathered up and wet – possibly from having crossed Rippee Creek which lay between Rube's house and the Ryder place. Having made this statement, Thurman was released under his own recognizance. On 19 Dec 1933, Earl Thurman died of a gunshot wound. He was out hunting with Charley Graham (Freelands nephew) and two of his uncles Edward "Ed" Nall and William "Willie" Nall (brothers of his mother Bertha Graham. Bertha was also Rubes wife. ) . The Nalls boys claimed Earl accidently shot himself and with no evidence to the contrary, his death was declared accidental. The Nalls and Charley Graham were unsavory characters and involved with Rube Graham in various nefarious dealings. Charley Graham had been questioned extensively about the Ryder murder. He spent a week in jail but never said anything about the crime, keeping quiet either out of fear of Rube or fear of incriminating himself.
On 22 January 1934, Douglas county resident Marvin "Buster" Shelton was out rabbit hunting. His dog brought him a shoe. The shoe, with bones inside, was Freeland Graham's. Freeland's remains were found intact in a sitting position leaning against a tree leading to the speculation the body had been moved. His knife was found by his body. His death was determined to be a suicide. Freeland was buried in Sweden Cemetery. His tombstone bears a date of death of 22 July 1933, the last day he was seen alive.
Shortly before Freeland's body was found, Ruben Graham was acquitted in the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Ryder. By 1940, Rube, his wife Bertha, and their four children (ages 5 to 16) had moved to Barren Fork, Ozark County, Missouri. Rube died in 1973 at which time he reportedly made a death bed confession to Clyde Fleetwood (the husband of Doris F. Stout who was a half-sister of Freeland Graham's niece Delpha Stout). Rube purportedly said he had thought the Ryders had a lot of money and he was going to do whatever was necessary to get it from them. Ryder was a tough old guy and would not tell where the money was hidden. As it turned out they had only a few dollars and some change, but by that time Rube could not turn them loose. Freeland, he said, felt bad because he helped dispose of the things Rube had stolen from the Ryders. Thinking Freeland's conscious would get the better of him and he would tell the police what happened, Rube killed Freeland. Rube also confessed he had a hand in the death of Earl Thurman, presumably eliminating Earl before he could testify against Rube at trial. Reaserched by Fred Wale (Delpha Stouts son and Freelands Grand Nephew.)
In Douglas County, Missouri, in July 1933, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Ryder were found in their burned out home. An older couple (73 & 65), the Ryders had moved to the little farm near Sweden. Ryder did not have a job or any obvious source of income but his home was well stocked with provisions. This led locals to believe the Ryders must be wealthy and must have money hidden somewhere on their farm since they, like others, did not trust banks following the crash of 1929.
Lead by bloodhounds through a pasture, Douglas County Sheriff Ernie Gentry found, hidden a short distance from the Ryder's home, a tow sack filled with groceries including two buckets of lard and a can of coffee which were identified as having belonged to the Ryders. Tracks showed a horse had been tied to a tree nearby and that the horse wore a No. 3 shoe. Also believed missing from the home were two feather beds, as no sticky remains of them were found in the ashes. Douglas County Prosecutor John Bragg surmised the Ryders had rushed into their home after it had been set afire to conceal a robbery and their murder was committed by means of arson.
Rube Graham, a then 39-year-old farmer who rented land to the Ryders, became a suspect in the murders. Although Rube denied it, officers learned he often rode a stallion which wore a No. 3 shoe. The woman who worked at the Rippee Store told investigators she had recently given some irregular coins in change to Guy Ryder. She said, Rube Graham spent the same coins in the store a few days after the murders. As a result of the investigation, Rube Graham, his brother William "Chigger Bill" Graham, their distant relative Freeland Graham, and Rueben Graham's 17-year-old stepson Earl Thurman were charged with the murder of the Ryders. All were arrested except Freeland who could not be found. Sheriff Gentry speculated Freeland had either "taken out" or been killed to assure his silence.
At the time of the Ryder's deaths, Freeland Graham was staying with his brother William Graham and William's daughter Mary. When Mary asked her uncle Freeland to take her down to the Ryder cabin to see what all the excitement was about, he refused telling her he had helped move things from the house to a cave but was not involved with the murders. One morning after breakfast, Freeland told Mary he had someplace to go. As he was leaving he said, "You won't have to fix me breakfast again." Freeland then went missing. The police believed family was hiding him and spent months watching them in hopes of being led to Freeland.
A preliminary hearing in the Ryder case was held in Ava, Missouri, in early September. In October, Douglas Countian Felda Medlock was taken into custody in Pratt, Kansas. Medlock denied any connection with the case and nothing further is known about his involvement. By this time Rube was still being held in jail in Gainesville while William Graham and Earl Thurman had been released on bond. Earl Thurman had told investigators that he was cutting logs up on a hill the day of the fire, saw smoke, and was concerned it was Rube's place. He arrived at Rube's to find his step-father setting on the porch red faced and fanning himself. Rube's horse was tied nearby and it appeared to have been ridden hard. It was all lathered up and wet – possibly from having crossed Rippee Creek which lay between Rube's house and the Ryder place. Having made this statement, Thurman was released under his own recognizance. On 19 Dec 1933, Earl Thurman died of a gunshot wound. He was out hunting with Charley Graham (Freelands nephew) and two of his uncles Edward "Ed" Nall and William "Willie" Nall (brothers of his mother Bertha Graham. Bertha was also Rubes wife. ) . The Nalls boys claimed Earl accidently shot himself and with no evidence to the contrary, his death was declared accidental. The Nalls and Charley Graham were unsavory characters and involved with Rube Graham in various nefarious dealings. Charley Graham had been questioned extensively about the Ryder murder. He spent a week in jail but never said anything about the crime, keeping quiet either out of fear of Rube or fear of incriminating himself.
On 22 January 1934, Douglas county resident Marvin "Buster" Shelton was out rabbit hunting. His dog brought him a shoe. The shoe, with bones inside, was Freeland Graham's. Freeland's remains were found intact in a sitting position leaning against a tree leading to the speculation the body had been moved. His knife was found by his body. His death was determined to be a suicide. Freeland was buried in Sweden Cemetery. His tombstone bears a date of death of 22 July 1933, the last day he was seen alive.
Shortly before Freeland's body was found, Ruben Graham was acquitted in the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Ryder. By 1940, Rube, his wife Bertha, and their four children (ages 5 to 16) had moved to Barren Fork, Ozark County, Missouri. Rube died in 1973 at which time he reportedly made a death bed confession to Clyde Fleetwood (the husband of Doris F. Stout who was a half-sister of Freeland Graham's niece Delpha Stout). Rube purportedly said he had thought the Ryders had a lot of money and he was going to do whatever was necessary to get it from them. Ryder was a tough old guy and would not tell where the money was hidden. As it turned out they had only a few dollars and some change, but by that time Rube could not turn them loose. Freeland, he said, felt bad because he helped dispose of the things Rube had stolen from the Ryders. Thinking Freeland's conscious would get the better of him and he would tell the police what happened, Rube killed Freeland. Rube also confessed he had a hand in the death of Earl Thurman, presumably eliminating Earl before he could testify against Rube at trial. Reaserched by Fred Wale (Delpha Stouts son and Freelands Grand Nephew.)
Freeland Graham was born to William "Bill" Graham and Nancy Jane Enlow Graham on 17 August 1877 in Bloomfield County, Indiana. The Graham family moved to the Sweden area of Douglas County, Missouri, in the late 1880's. On 31 December 1902, when Freeland was 25, he married 50-year-old Sarah Angeline Reed/Rud Bell. Sarah's two children from her first marriage were grown and gone by 1910 and she and Freeland had no children. Exactly when or how Freeland died is still open to speculation. It is known that his remains were found about ten miles from his home in January of 1934. The following story, pieced together from newspaper stories, information on Ancestry.com, and personal recollections, holds the clues to his cause of death.
In Douglas County, Missouri, in July 1933, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Ryder were found in their burned out home. An older couple (73 & 65), the Ryders had moved to the little farm near Sweden. Ryder did not have a job or any obvious source of income but his home was well stocked with provisions. This led locals to believe the Ryders must be wealthy and must have money hidden somewhere on their farm since they, like others, did not trust banks following the crash of 1929.
Lead by bloodhounds through a pasture, Douglas County Sheriff Ernie Gentry found, hidden a short distance from the Ryder's home, a tow sack filled with groceries including two buckets of lard and a can of coffee which were identified as having belonged to the Ryders. Tracks showed a horse had been tied to a tree nearby and that the horse wore a No. 3 shoe. Also believed missing from the home were two feather beds, as no sticky remains of them were found in the ashes. Douglas County Prosecutor John Bragg surmised the Ryders had rushed into their home after it had been set afire to conceal a robbery and their murder was committed by means of arson.
Rube Graham, a then 39-year-old farmer who rented land to the Ryders, became a suspect in the murders. Although Rube denied it, officers learned he often rode a stallion which wore a No. 3 shoe. The woman who worked at the Rippee Store told investigators she had recently given some irregular coins in change to Guy Ryder. She said, Rube Graham spent the same coins in the store a few days after the murders. As a result of the investigation, Rube Graham, his brother William "Chigger Bill" Graham, their distant relative Freeland Graham, and Rueben Graham's 17-year-old stepson Earl Thurman were charged with the murder of the Ryders. All were arrested except Freeland who could not be found. Sheriff Gentry speculated Freeland had either "taken out" or been killed to assure his silence.
At the time of the Ryder's deaths, Freeland Graham was staying with his brother William Graham and William's daughter Mary. When Mary asked her uncle Freeland to take her down to the Ryder cabin to see what all the excitement was about, he refused telling her he had helped move things from the house to a cave but was not involved with the murders. One morning after breakfast, Freeland told Mary he had someplace to go. As he was leaving he said, "You won't have to fix me breakfast again." Freeland then went missing. The police believed family was hiding him and spent months watching them in hopes of being led to Freeland.
A preliminary hearing in the Ryder case was held in Ava, Missouri, in early September. In October, Douglas Countian Felda Medlock was taken into custody in Pratt, Kansas. Medlock denied any connection with the case and nothing further is known about his involvement. By this time Rube was still being held in jail in Gainesville while William Graham and Earl Thurman had been released on bond. Earl Thurman had told investigators that he was cutting logs up on a hill the day of the fire, saw smoke, and was concerned it was Rube's place. He arrived at Rube's to find his step-father setting on the porch red faced and fanning himself. Rube's horse was tied nearby and it appeared to have been ridden hard. It was all lathered up and wet – possibly from having crossed Rippee Creek which lay between Rube's house and the Ryder place. Having made this statement, Thurman was released under his own recognizance. On 19 Dec 1933, Earl Thurman died of a gunshot wound. He was out hunting with Charley Graham (Freelands nephew) and two of his uncles Edward "Ed" Nall and William "Willie" Nall (brothers of his mother Bertha Graham. Bertha was also Rubes wife. ) . The Nalls boys claimed Earl accidently shot himself and with no evidence to the contrary, his death was declared accidental. The Nalls and Charley Graham were unsavory characters and involved with Rube Graham in various nefarious dealings. Charley Graham had been questioned extensively about the Ryder murder. He spent a week in jail but never said anything about the crime, keeping quiet either out of fear of Rube or fear of incriminating himself.
On 22 January 1934, Douglas county resident Marvin "Buster" Shelton was out rabbit hunting. His dog brought him a shoe. The shoe, with bones inside, was Freeland Graham's. Freeland's remains were found intact in a sitting position leaning against a tree leading to the speculation the body had been moved. His knife was found by his body. His death was determined to be a suicide. Freeland was buried in Sweden Cemetery. His tombstone bears a date of death of 22 July 1933, the last day he was seen alive.
Shortly before Freeland's body was found, Ruben Graham was acquitted in the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Ryder. By 1940, Rube, his wife Bertha, and their four children (ages 5 to 16) had moved to Barren Fork, Ozark County, Missouri. Rube died in 1973 at which time he reportedly made a death bed confession to Clyde Fleetwood (the husband of Doris F. Stout who was a half-sister of Freeland Graham's niece Delpha Stout). Rube purportedly said he had thought the Ryders had a lot of money and he was going to do whatever was necessary to get it from them. Ryder was a tough old guy and would not tell where the money was hidden. As it turned out they had only a few dollars and some change, but by that time Rube could not turn them loose. Freeland, he said, felt bad because he helped dispose of the things Rube had stolen from the Ryders. Thinking Freeland's conscious would get the better of him and he would tell the police what happened, Rube killed Freeland. Rube also confessed he had a hand in the death of Earl Thurman, presumably eliminating Earl before he could testify against Rube at trial. Reaserched by Fred Wale (Delpha Stouts son and Freelands Grand Nephew.)
In Douglas County, Missouri, in July 1933, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Ryder were found in their burned out home. An older couple (73 & 65), the Ryders had moved to the little farm near Sweden. Ryder did not have a job or any obvious source of income but his home was well stocked with provisions. This led locals to believe the Ryders must be wealthy and must have money hidden somewhere on their farm since they, like others, did not trust banks following the crash of 1929.
Lead by bloodhounds through a pasture, Douglas County Sheriff Ernie Gentry found, hidden a short distance from the Ryder's home, a tow sack filled with groceries including two buckets of lard and a can of coffee which were identified as having belonged to the Ryders. Tracks showed a horse had been tied to a tree nearby and that the horse wore a No. 3 shoe. Also believed missing from the home were two feather beds, as no sticky remains of them were found in the ashes. Douglas County Prosecutor John Bragg surmised the Ryders had rushed into their home after it had been set afire to conceal a robbery and their murder was committed by means of arson.
Rube Graham, a then 39-year-old farmer who rented land to the Ryders, became a suspect in the murders. Although Rube denied it, officers learned he often rode a stallion which wore a No. 3 shoe. The woman who worked at the Rippee Store told investigators she had recently given some irregular coins in change to Guy Ryder. She said, Rube Graham spent the same coins in the store a few days after the murders. As a result of the investigation, Rube Graham, his brother William "Chigger Bill" Graham, their distant relative Freeland Graham, and Rueben Graham's 17-year-old stepson Earl Thurman were charged with the murder of the Ryders. All were arrested except Freeland who could not be found. Sheriff Gentry speculated Freeland had either "taken out" or been killed to assure his silence.
At the time of the Ryder's deaths, Freeland Graham was staying with his brother William Graham and William's daughter Mary. When Mary asked her uncle Freeland to take her down to the Ryder cabin to see what all the excitement was about, he refused telling her he had helped move things from the house to a cave but was not involved with the murders. One morning after breakfast, Freeland told Mary he had someplace to go. As he was leaving he said, "You won't have to fix me breakfast again." Freeland then went missing. The police believed family was hiding him and spent months watching them in hopes of being led to Freeland.
A preliminary hearing in the Ryder case was held in Ava, Missouri, in early September. In October, Douglas Countian Felda Medlock was taken into custody in Pratt, Kansas. Medlock denied any connection with the case and nothing further is known about his involvement. By this time Rube was still being held in jail in Gainesville while William Graham and Earl Thurman had been released on bond. Earl Thurman had told investigators that he was cutting logs up on a hill the day of the fire, saw smoke, and was concerned it was Rube's place. He arrived at Rube's to find his step-father setting on the porch red faced and fanning himself. Rube's horse was tied nearby and it appeared to have been ridden hard. It was all lathered up and wet – possibly from having crossed Rippee Creek which lay between Rube's house and the Ryder place. Having made this statement, Thurman was released under his own recognizance. On 19 Dec 1933, Earl Thurman died of a gunshot wound. He was out hunting with Charley Graham (Freelands nephew) and two of his uncles Edward "Ed" Nall and William "Willie" Nall (brothers of his mother Bertha Graham. Bertha was also Rubes wife. ) . The Nalls boys claimed Earl accidently shot himself and with no evidence to the contrary, his death was declared accidental. The Nalls and Charley Graham were unsavory characters and involved with Rube Graham in various nefarious dealings. Charley Graham had been questioned extensively about the Ryder murder. He spent a week in jail but never said anything about the crime, keeping quiet either out of fear of Rube or fear of incriminating himself.
On 22 January 1934, Douglas county resident Marvin "Buster" Shelton was out rabbit hunting. His dog brought him a shoe. The shoe, with bones inside, was Freeland Graham's. Freeland's remains were found intact in a sitting position leaning against a tree leading to the speculation the body had been moved. His knife was found by his body. His death was determined to be a suicide. Freeland was buried in Sweden Cemetery. His tombstone bears a date of death of 22 July 1933, the last day he was seen alive.
Shortly before Freeland's body was found, Ruben Graham was acquitted in the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Ryder. By 1940, Rube, his wife Bertha, and their four children (ages 5 to 16) had moved to Barren Fork, Ozark County, Missouri. Rube died in 1973 at which time he reportedly made a death bed confession to Clyde Fleetwood (the husband of Doris F. Stout who was a half-sister of Freeland Graham's niece Delpha Stout). Rube purportedly said he had thought the Ryders had a lot of money and he was going to do whatever was necessary to get it from them. Ryder was a tough old guy and would not tell where the money was hidden. As it turned out they had only a few dollars and some change, but by that time Rube could not turn them loose. Freeland, he said, felt bad because he helped dispose of the things Rube had stolen from the Ryders. Thinking Freeland's conscious would get the better of him and he would tell the police what happened, Rube killed Freeland. Rube also confessed he had a hand in the death of Earl Thurman, presumably eliminating Earl before he could testify against Rube at trial. Reaserched by Fred Wale (Delpha Stouts son and Freelands Grand Nephew.)
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