Flashback Friday - Cold Case - Part One

53 years ago today, Gordon "Peel" Duncan walked into the dark post office in Seaton Illinois and was brutally assaulted by an individual or individuals.  He died two days later.  The murder was never solved.    

Gordon Duncan was one of the publishers of the Seaton Independent, a weekly newspaper in town that started in the late 1800's and stopped publishing in the 60's.   We boys were just young children when this took place, but we have been fascinated by it ever since.  The imagination of kids, I suppose or maybe the fact that it was unsolved.  Regardless, this was a big deal in our little lives.  For our parents it tended to shatter the idea that Seaton, our town, was safe.  That it could fend off the forces of evil in the world, that in our little universe we would be impervious to harm was gone forever.  For us kids I don't suppose we were old enough to know real fear.  Fear for us was not getting our list to Santa on time, not the bloody, brainy mess that was on the post office floor when Peel was discovered the next morning.

I suppose we viewed it a lot like an interesting event, surreal and somehow above it all.  After all, at one point we had a barber who killed someone and had a shop there for a while and we went to him.  His name was James Gipson and in 1953 he had an argument with the Aledo High School track coach and new father, George Marich,  26, in a study hall.  Gibson pulled out a knife in the hallway and stabbed the coach, and he died shortly after.  He was sentenced to prison (7-10 years), learned the barbering trade and returned to Seaton and set up shop. I remember feeling his hands on my hair and thinking they were capable of bad things, particularly my neck.  'Creeped-out' doesn't cover it.  

We also had a killing by the hardware store's son.  He killed his wife in a fit of passion, served his time and now lives in Chicago.  But these were guys who were caught and stood trial.  That was how it was supposed to work:  consequences for dastardly deeds.  It was the small town way in our little kid minds, bad people get caught.

I must confess that I don't remember Peel like I remember other townsfolk back then.  I understand he had the ever-present Sherlock Holmes pipe and I always thought in my kids mind that he was an ancient man.  He was, however,  only 52 at the time of his death.   


Here are the are the details as described by the Times-Record.  

"Gordon Duncan, 52, Seaton newspaperman, died at 2:10 p.m. today, Wednesday, in the Moline Public hospital, the victim of a brutal beating administered when he interrupted the burglary of the Seaton post office shortly after 11 p.m. Monday night.

Duncan is believed to have lain injured and bound in the back room of the Seaton post office from shortly after 11:00 p.m. Monday night until discovered by his brother-in-law at 5:30 a.m. the next morning.

Authorities believe Duncan, who is co-owner of the Seaton Independent newspaper, left the home of his brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Beckham, of Seaton, at approximately 11:00 a.m. to mail a letter through the mail slot of the post office which is located next to the Seaton Bank.  

They theorize that he found the door open after it had been forced by burglars and unwittingly entered the post office where he was a attacked in the main lobby.  On the floor were found his pipe, with scattered tobacco ashes nearby.  A few feet distant was his wallet, Duncan's glasses, folded and unbroken. were found on a railing top of the stairway in the lobby, a few feet from the wallet and pipe. 

No blood was found in the lobby, leading to the conclusion that Duncan was dragged to the rear room, bound, and slugged with a crowbar other heavy object so that the burglars could have time to loot the building.

Sheriff Richard E. Maynard stated that a U.S. mail bag had been placed over the head of Duncan before he was slugged.   

The robbery and fatal assault was not discovered until 5:30 the following morning when his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Beckham with whom he resided discovered his bed had not been slept in.  

Beckham inquired of several early risers as to Mr. Duncan's whereabouts, and then went to the post office where he noted the door was partly open.  He entered the post office and saw that a heavy oak door leading from the lobby to the back premises literally had been ripped from its frame, with pieces of frame and door moulding scattered about the room."  

This is the building at the rear of the Seaton Bank that used to house the post office.  It has been renovated so i can't tell you if that doorway is original or not.  It is possible since the step looks right.  If I recall correctly when you walked in the lobby was to the right and the service window area just to your left.  The lobby was "V" shaped with the boxes on the left, and the lobby narrowing the farther in you went.  

Deep Wound

"Beckham found his brother-in-law unconscious in the administrative office of the post office, suffering from a deep wound in the side of his head from other injuries.  Sometime during the night, Duncan had had managed to untie his hands and work his head free of the mail sack before relapsing into unconsciousness.  he had lost a great deal of blood when found.

He was at first taken to mercer County hospital, Aledo, and then to Moline Public hospital .  During the approximate 40 hours from the time he was discovered until he succumbed of his injuries, Mr. Duncan never regained consciousness.

It is believed $100 was stolen but stamps and money orders were not taken.  Local authorities await the arrival of State Postal authorities and experts from the State Crime Lab in Springfield.  

From Tuesday noon onward, a concentrated investigation of the scene has been carried out by state, postal and county officials working in unison.   With the death of Mr. Duncan, authorities are considering calling in FBI authorities if they have jurisdiction in the case under applicable statutes.  

Mercer sheriff's officials state that the entire robbery and murder was marked by roughness from beginning to end, leading to the conclusion that the crimes were carried out by run-of-the-mill rather than experienced burglars.

From the manner in which the safe was ripped open with a crowbar rather than the simpler method of knocking the combination loose or cracking it with a sledge hammer , they believe that the work was accomplished by other than an experienced criminal.  It was further pointed out that shy away from robbing such premises as post offices , where widespread and fullscale investigations are carried out for long periods of time until the crime is eventually solved."

The article goes on to state that a special investigator, a Roy Cole was called in to work the Seaton area to track down leads.  

Next Week - The Second Part of Seaton's Cold Case.