Louis O’Neal on the gallows with the priest (Father Blanchet) and the sheriff.
This is a murder mystery, one that has fascinated me for years now. I keep threatening to write about it and now, in the time and space left by my leave of absence from teaching and summer vacation, I’ve gotten serious about my research. The basic facts are these:
In November of 1885, Lewis McDaniel, a prominent shopkeeper in Ashland, Oregon, was found dying just down the street from his house. Someone had shot him in the head. He died before naming his assailant.
And from there on, rumor and gossip took over.
People said that McDaniel’s wife, Amanda, was too fond of failed-prospector-turned-odd jobs man Louis O’Neal (his name is spelled a number of ways; I’ve settled on this because it seems to be most common in the historical records), and that McDaniel had taken issue with the closeness.
And that seems to have been enough. Within an indecently short period of time O’Neal had been arrested (the sheriff said it was to save him from a lynch mob). He never saw the outside of the jailhouse walls again except for brief trips to court, and then to the gallows.
Here’s something else:
Everyone agrees that the evidence against O’Neal was circumstantial–and yet each writer goes on to essentially convict O’Neal in print.
O’Neal maintained that there were serious flaws in the case against him.
O’Neal’s request for a change of venue (see “lynch mob” above) was denied, as was his request for a continuance until he could contact the man he had been seeing off at the train station at the time of the murder.
Public opinion was rabidly against him–newspaper coverage of the event is incredible; his guilt is assumed from the earliest coverage.
In an era when “the SOB had it coming to him” was considered a valid defense (see “newspaper coverage”) public sentiment was for hanging from the very beginning.
The woman at the center of the case, Sarah Amanda McDaniel, did not have public opinion on her side. Before she married McDaniel she had had a previous marriage to a man named Lewis Henry. And no, I have not made a mistake; all three of the men in this story were named “Lewis/Louis.” Sarah Amanda divorced him, claiming abuse and abandonment (the records I found indicated that he had taken a horsewhip to her at one point), and returned to her home in Eagle Point, Oregon.
So there she was, a single mother and a divorcee. Still, she managed to catch Lewis McDaniel’s eye. They married. And then they virtually disappear from newspaper coverage. This is strange, because the McDaniel family was quite wealthy; Lewis McDaniel is listed as one of the men who paid the most taxes in the area. Ashland, where the McDaniels lived, was a small town, and people liked to see their names in the papers. Accounts of social events like weddings frequently included extensive guest and gift lists. People liked to know who had given what.
Here’s the thing: Lewis McDaniel was from a prominent, wealthy family. He was wealthy himself. You’d think that the radiant brides would have sucked it up and invited Sarah Amanda if only for the present. But her name never appears in those society wedding guest lists. Maybe the divorce taint was just to strong.
So we’ve got a rich man married to a social outcast who seems to have been ostracized. Enter Louis O’Neal, failed prospector, failed farmer, and currently odd-job man. More important, he’ll talk to her. Maybe talk leads to other things; maybe not. Certainly people in town felt because divorcee Sarah Amanda had been seen “laughing” with O’Neal she must of course be up to no good. And then her husband winds up dead, and the people of Jackson County put two and two together and come up with considerably more than five. And it’s all in the papers.
Did Louis O’Neal and Sarah Amanda McDaniel conspire to kill Sarah Amanda’s husband? Good question. Certainly they were convicted in the papers. Certainly the Government in Washington, D.C. was pressuring the new state of Oregon to treat murder more seriously–that’s in the papers, too. Certainly the McDaniel family had considerable financial and social resources, and Louis O’Neal had none. Certainly Sarah Amanda’s reputation told against him. It was just so easy to believe that Louis O’Neal must be guilty.
And maybe he was. but maybe not. Research is moving slowly; I’m tracking the characters in this melodrama, as well as the events shaping their world. Will I ever know for sure if Louis O’Neal pulled the trigger? I don’t know. But that’s not the only story here. The bigger, more relevant story is that people seem to have given up on finding the truth and settled for a scapegoat. Louis O’Neal seems to have become a symbol of Oregon’s rectitude: “See, we’re tough on murder around here,” Louis O’Neal’s hanging says.
And of course, it was all so very lurid. And maybe it was true. But maybe not. I’ll keep you posted.
Speak! Good Dog! 
since Lewis McDaniel is one of our ancestors, we’re quite interested in this sorted saga. …
janet
Nice to meet you, Janet. I’d love to pick your brain on this, if you’re up for it.
these types of stories are what make this whole hobby a challenge. I’ve been doing this since before internet when you entered a locked room and took copious hand notes. so what you’ve found out is exciting. especially since the older people in the family have told us NOTHING!
these types of stories are what make this whole hobby a challenge. I’ve been doing this since before internet when you entered a locked room and took copious hand notes. so what you’ve found out is exciting. especially since the older people in the family have told us NOTHING! >
If you’re interested, I have most of the newspaper clippings as well as a number of books that deal with the subject in a chapter. I’ve also got the court records from Louis O’Neal’s trial. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Department provided “security” at the hanging, and they have records I was able to view (I was writing a piece on the history of the department and happened across this story). I’m more than happy to share what I know and what I have–just send me an email or something, and I’ll make you a dropbox and put in the digital records I’ve accumulated. It’s a fascinating case, as much for what it reveals about the power of public opinion as for what may–or may not–have happened.
Questions, questions. Along with the questions that arise from this whole issue, we have some others … What’s your name? What’s your connection with Lewis McDaniel. We are related to his brother John Andrew McDaniel (1797-1872) who died is Jacksonville, Ore. at the comfortable old age of 75. Are you west or east of the Rockies? We’re in Idaho, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Ontario, Ore. border. And, yes, we’d like to see any documents you are willing to share. Our brief online search brings up information about Lewis O’Neil, but not McDaniel. Go figure, back then, they focued on the murderer and not the victim, just like nowadays!
peace janet >
Whoa, Janet–I didn’t see this last note–I’m delighted to share what I have. You can contact me offline, if you like (swach105@gmail.com) and we can set up a dropbox for sharing.
Hi, I would like to obtain a copy of your research on O’Neil as I am writing a book on the hanging execution of Oregon. Thanks!!
Hi Andie–I’m happy to share what I have, but everything’s in the public domain. I know there are records I was not able to see (at the time I was in Southern Oregon researching this someone had them and refused to return them to the Historical Society, so I was out of luck). Tell me more about your interest in the hanging–I’ve been using the story for my College Writing research classes.
I’ve read everything I can find, but don’t have a real answer about Lewis O’Neal’s guilt or innocence. What I have found is a clear pattern of a conviction in the court of public opinion–the newpaper stories make this abundantly clear. It makes me sad that that trend has continued–modern pieces start out paying lip service to the fact that he was hanged on circumstantial evidence. They don’t point out as often that Amanda McDaniel was acquitted on the same evidence. Virtually every modern treatment ends up convicting O’Neal on the same circumstantial evidence.
The focus I use in my classes is the importance of gathering and evaluating information, being honest about what one can and cannot know from the evidence at hand, and not running ahead of the facts at hand. It ends up being an exploration of the role journalism and public opinion plays in the courtroom.
Thanks for the reply. I am most interested in the court records for the trial you mentioned. I am a Coos Bay historical researcher/author and my first book was about the executions and lynchings of Coos County. I recently completed a book, which is in editing, on the lynchings in Oregon and decided why not write one about the hanging executions. Thanks, for any help on the court records you can offer.
Here’s what my experience has taught me:
1. You can get SOME of the court records at the Medford City Library, but many of them are housed in off-site storage. You’ll need to call ahead and make an appointment.
2. You can see SOME of the archived historic newspapers also at the MCL
3. You can see many of the Ashland historic papers online at the Library of Congress site AND at the Ashland City Library.
4. I would suggest you start with the Southern Oregon Historical Society in Medford. Call ahead and make plans to use their reading room and archives. You’ll need to wear gloves, of course, but you can see an amazing selection of materials. You can also call ahead and, for a VERY reasonable fee, request copies of their archived materials.
That should get you started. As I mentioned above, there are a number of treatments of the case written in the last half of the 1900’s, but they all have a flaw as far as I’m concerned–they start out saying Lewis O’Neill was hanged on circumstantial evidence–and then go on to end their pieces by assuming his guilt. I’m not saying they’re wrong–just that it seems like there’s some running ahead of available information here.
About Lewis McDaniel–you’re right about there not being a lot of information about him directly, but much can be inferred from what is available. For example, newspapers published the largest taxpayers in the area, and Lewis McDaniel is on at least one of those lists. Second, the McDaniel family had a sawmill in Eagle Point. Because Jacksonville started out as a boom town built of lumber, and because it had a Little Problem with repeatedly catching fire (I wrote a piece about it for the SOHS magazine years ago) and needing to be rebuilt, the McDaniels seem to have profited handsomely. Lewis McDaniel owned a store in Ashland–I haven’t done a specific study of that store, but it should be possible to get at least a general idea of its success or lack of same from public records. As you say, he married later in life, and I find myself wondering why. I simply haven’t seen any information about it, but given the advantages marriage offered (doubled claims, for one thing, and free labor, for another), and given McDaniels’ apparent status in the community, His single status raises some questions for me. Another question is why he chose to marry Amanda.
They undoubtedly knew each other as young people–Amanda’s family lived in Eagle Point, where the McDaniel sawmill was located–but she first married someone else, (I’d have to look up his name; it escapes me now) who took her to San Francisco, where he took a horsewhip to her while she was pregnant and then abandoned her. She sued for divorce and came home to Eagle Point, though not necessarily in that order (court records should be available for this, once you track down where the divorce was filed).
So when Lewis McDaniel married her she was a divorcee with at least one child. How did this go down with the Ashland folks? (The McDaniels lived on Church Street there.) Apparently not well. A study of contemporary wedding coverage in the newspapers hints at this. At the time, Southern Oregon wedding coverage, particularly of the McDaniels’ peers among the wealthy, tended to be exhaustive. Guests got listed. Gifts given–and by whom–got listed. Who didn’t get listed in either area? Amanda and Lewis McDaniel. This isn’t probative, of course, but I think it is indicative. As some of the wealthiest folks in the area (as shown by the tax rolls), they would have been able to give really fine gifts. But they simply aren’t there.
Here’s another indicator. Lewis and Amanda don’t seem to have had any children together, though Amanda did bear one or two children (I’d have to look this up again) with her first husband, and I believe she had at least one more child with her third husband. So why were there no McDaniel children? I don’t know, because I simply haven’t seen any records that might hint why this is the case. It would be interesting to know if a) Lewis McDaniel had been married or involved with someone before; b) if any children resulted; c) if he had had any childhood diseases that can impact fertility. Of course not every couple proves fertile, even if there’s no discernible cause, but this is an area that might prove illuminating.
To sum up, the social factors seem to me to make Lewis O’Neal’s arrest, incarceration, conviction, and execution a very easy call to make, whether he was guilty or not. I don’t know if it’ll ever be possible to prove his guilt or innocence at this point–particularly since some of the crucial records have been made unavailable–but the trend to convict him in print, even while acknowledging that questions about his guilt remain, bothers me.
THANK YOU!!! I have a lot of work ahead!
good afternoon fellow personal-story-sleuths
It seems to me both of you have approached the Lewis McDaniel / Amanda Henry / Lewis O’Neal story from a different perspective from mine … Lewis is an ancestor of my husband.
I have to say your views on the truth behind the murder and conviction are close to my heart as well. As a reporter of 25 years in a small town, I tried to always remember the victim in my articles. I pushed editors beyond their own comfort by insisting the victim be remembered. The issue was not always about the person who committed the crime.
However, the innocence of someone convicted carries its own terror. I am glad there are people who work to correct this.
In the case of Lewis O’Neal, we will likely not be able to determine if he actually was guilty. Was he a scapegoat for Amanda? Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? These answers will probably stay part of the dust of Church Street. Especially since some documents are now “unavailable.”
A common cousin of ours through Lewis McDaniel’s father has withheld a lot of family information from us … so some things for us on a personal level will not be known, including information about Lewis.
At one point in my own research, I discovered the plethora of information on the Web. It took a year or two to realize some of this is undocumented or made up or someone connected ‘low lying information’ that is plain wrong.
So, on my own research, Lewis is born in Virginia. The family moves to Iowa by way of Kentucky and then on to Oregon. Lewis is in the 1870 census as a single man and in 1880 listed as bachelor.
I have a copy of his probate records (137 pages) and have not read them recently. They do not mention children, just survived by Amanda.
I have found some news articles, but none that talk about our uncle … all are about the murder.
I have written detailed narratives on our direct ancestors, but have not ventured into great, grand uncles. Because I don’t think Lewis has any children to write about him, I think I will. He deserves to have his life recorded.
There is something else going on with this story as it now reads. I agree Lewis was probably a man of some wealth and would have been in the society pages. Because he disappears from print when he marries says something.
According to her obituary, Amanda marries three times, Charles Henry (divorced), ___ McDaniel (murdered) and Thomas Bell (who outlives her). The 1880 census shows her ‘divorced’ with a daughter and son, living with her father. She dies in 1928.
On another note, Do either of you know the credibility of “Necktie Parties: A History of Legal Executions in Oregon,” 1851-1905???
I would like to follow what you come up with. I will gladly share what I have found.
peace
janet monti
great info, thanks, Janet. As for Necktie Parties, based on her citations, the book is very credible and I have cited her research a few time when I could not access the info myself.
About Lewis O’Neal: He mentions having children in one of the letters he is alleged to have written to Amanda McDaniel while he was in jail. I found a Lewis O’Neal who had emigrated to California with his children, left them there, and then came north to Oregon. I still need to verify this, but since his letter actually mentions children I think we can safely say he had some.
Ok, if Amanda Henry is listed as divorced and living with her father in 1880 with her son and daughter that would have been prior to her marriage to Lewis McDaniel. I know when she married Thomas Bell they ran a boarding house in Phoenix, Oregon.
You’re right about there being a gap in information because much of the info about Lewis McDaniel has been removed (or never was) publicly accessible. Based on my own research, here’s what I’ve been able to verify:
1. He was a shopkeeper in Ashland.
2. He and Amanda lived on Church Street.
3. He was comparatively wealthy (per tax records)
4. He married Amanda relatively late in life.
5. He virtually disappears from the public records where he should have appeared after his marriage to Amanda. (Possibly because of her divorce?)
6. I have not been able to find a newspaper notice regarding their marriage.
Things I’d like answers to:
1. What was the relationship of the court officials to the McDaniel family?
2. What evidence beyond being seen “laughing together” was there for an inappropriate relationship between O’Neal and Amanda McDanial?
3. Do we have evidence for a relationship between O’Neal and McDaniel other than the alleged murder?
4. What did Amanda’s family think about McDaniel/O’Neal the scandal?
Places to look:
1. Eagle Point branch of the Southern Oregon Historical Society (I know some of Amanda’s birth family had journals on file there before they were absconded with. It would be nice to see if they were ever returned.
2. LOC Chronicling America–they’re always adding new sources.
3. Jackson County court records
4. Southern Oregon Historical Society–it’s been a long time since I’ve tapped their resources–they might have more stuff.
5. Check for more of the small newspapers that popped up and disappeared in Southern Oregon–see if more have become available.
I’m pretty leery of using references like the Necktie Party book, for one reason: Like virtually every comparatively modern source I’ve found, she starts out by saying evidence is circumstantial, and then ends up convicting O’Neal by the end of the chapter. I’m not saying he was innocent–I just agree with the two of you that at this point, with the information available, there are too many questions to be able to say with any certainty who did the shooting.
Side note: As I said, I’ve used this as a research topic with some of my college writing classes. I had a student whose dad was a criminal defense attorney, and that smart student tapped his dad’s legal expertise. That attorney said there were enough questions that the conviction never should have happened. So we’re left with what we started with–there simply isn’t enough evidence to make a definitive statement–but the role public opinion and the press played in whipping up anti-O’Neal sentiment might well have played a not inconsiderable role in how events played out.
I want to find out what O’Neal said to Father Blanchet just before he was hanged! I know where to get Fr. Blanchet’s journals–I might dig into that. Also, I’d like to check Moses Williams’ journals, and see what he has to say. Can’t remember if he was still alive then, but I think so–I used him as a resource when I was writing about Southern Oregon weddings…
Janet – here is my email address Andie.Jensen@outlook.com and when you reply I will send you the book via Word on-line and you can scroll down to the O;Neil execution to see what I have. Plus, I hope you can add to it and let me know if anything is wrong.
Peace be with you
Good eveniing
I am starting to work through the death of our Great Grand Uncle Lewis McDaniel in 1884 Ashland, Ore. You have done a whole lot of work and I hope i can pick your brain.
Because my parents taught me to question everything which i refined during my 25 years as a newspaper reporter, I check out original sources. make copies for myself. some of your references I have not seen.
I have a question …What kind of shopkeeper was Lewis McDaniel (and source please)
I have not found Amanda Henry in the years between her 1865 marriage (copy attached) and back at her parents for the 1880 census where she has 2 children and is divorced. She and Henry must have been flying low to avoid 2 Census.
Lewis O’Neil and his wife Julia had 7 children, one died at about a month old. She died in 1877, years before Lewis left California. (copy attached) The 1880 census shows widowed Lewis with 6 children.(copy attached) I’m guessing he leaves to find better work and leaves his children with family which was common back then. None of his children seem to have published anything public about what happened to them after their father left and was executed. And because the 1890 Census is destroyed, I cannot check to see where they were. By 1900, all the children were adults.
I’ve got a copy of a Southern Oregon Historical Society 1983 newsletter full of errors about the McDaniel murder. I’m not using it for any source. But I will work on how to prove some of the stuff mentioned that’s no where else.
For me it’s frustrating because once something is printed, it gains a huge “must be valid / accurate” ribbon and sometimes it’s not. Even if it’s printed in a newspaper. There is one atribution of “thanks for the sympathy” in Dec. 1884 attributed to widow Amanda McDaniel. But a James Paul McDaniel dies within days of my Lewis McDaniel and it’s James’ widow NOT Lewis’. (COPY ATTACHED) who writes the thank you … note her signature “Mrs. J. P. McDaniel.”
I appreciate the sources you’ve sent … as well as your insight to the way things were done in the late 19th Century. It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas with who understands the way of thinking back.
The way this is going, at the end I will probably have two final sections, one “Items some publications printed I could not verify” and “Items some publication printed I was able to disprove with documentation / source included.”
I owe this to Uncle Lewis. And because I finally feel at peace with how this is coming together, I believe I will have the correct story.
thank you again for all your help
peace janet
>
To Bill and Janet Monti–
You mention several attachments–I’m thinking Word has stripped them out, but I’d be delighted to see them.
I agree with you about the credibility information acquires once it’s printed. It can be really hard to remember that just because something’s in print doesn’t make it so–that’s actually the one thing I really KNOW about this case: There’s so very much information attributed to rumor, what everyone “knows,” and what’s “being said” that it can be somewhat shocking to realize how very little is really provable about the case.
That’s one of the reasons I use this piece in my classes–it provides such a wonderful example of the power of the printed word–and the danger of accepting it uncritically.
I agree that there’s very little information beyond public records available about Lewis McDaniel–I, too, would love to see more “human” information about him. If those records have been withheld, I would have to wonder why.
About Amanda and Wilson Henry in the missing census records: I seem to recall that they moved to San Francisco. It might pay to check out the SF census records, those at the time the area was so full of transients, immigrants, and suchlike that they may or may not appear. I’d like to know the basis for thinking they went to SF…
I didn’t know attachments could be removed. Let me know another way to send them and I will.
peace janet
>
Andie …. I thought her sources seemed reliable. It’s good to know. I will probably start on Lewis’ narrative in July. … that is if nothing else comes up, you know like life!
peace
janet
Well, I’m so happy the two of you have hooked up and agreed to share information. I think my work here is done for the moment, but if I find more I’ll put it into the comments here. This has been a fruitful conversation! It’s also so nice to find people who can geek out about the McDaniel/O’Neal shooting!
This conversation has been so encouraging and rewarding. Finding people who are so helpful and willing to share had been great! I have enjoyed learning what each of you have found, know and wonder about.
peace
janet
Yes, I’ve really enjoyed this as well. You’ve inspired me to pull out my research and take another look!