DEATH OF FRANK EDENS

Coroner Found That He Was Accidentally Killed

Lebanon, Tex., Jan 2 (To The News) - The story in The News a few days ago under the title "Mystery of a Murder Case," is so far from the facts of the case as found by the inquest, that I deem it my duty to make some corrections, not  only for public justice, but that The News itself may not be held as unreliable, and also in justice to those who may be so unfortunate as to be accused of so vile a crime as assassination, which this case must have been, unless it was an accident. I am Justice of the Peace of precinct No. 6 of Collin County, and as the body of the man was found very near on the line between Collin and Denton Counties, I was called upon to look into the case. On examination of the witnesses I found that m F. Teague of Denton city was passing through from Denton to Plano about 8 or 9 o'clock Christmas morning and was the first man who saw the body which was exactly in the road, which is  in one of the roughest parts of what is known as the "breaks," between Collin County ridge and the Denton County flats. Then I found that B. A. Andrews and Jim Walker, who lived just about one mile south of where the body was found, were the next to see the remains. I summoned Dr. W. H. Butler of Farmers Branch, who was visiting at Elias Griggs', near the place. He cut open the place just above the eye of the deceased and found that there was no conclusive evidence that the deceased had been shot.
He was driving a young and very fractious horse. There was no evidence to be found that he had ever had a struggle of any kind. His clothing was perfectly intact. His hat was found about 125 years southwest from Griggs' schoolhouse, at the side of the road. His overcoat, lapspread and empty pistol were found about 250 yards northeast of the same schoolhouse, at the side of the road, just as if they had simply lost out of the buggy. There was not a drop of blood inside of the buggy at all, but a little on the side just over the step and on the step. There was no evidence that there had been a struggle, neither where the hat, overcoat or body was found. There was no evidence to be found the day of the inquest nor the day following that there had been a two-horse buggy or two men connected with the affair. The body proved to be that of G. Frank Edens, who had been working for Henry Baccus, three miles southwest from Lebannon, for about six months, and it was found fully two miles northeast from Griggs' schoolhouse, directly on the road from Griggs to Henry Baccus' where the horse was raised. Edens had formerly lived at  Forney, and ran a tenpin alley there. He has an uncle living several miles west of Farmers Branch, who received and buried the body.
R. L. BARNUM

The Dallas Morning News - January 4, 1902
Submitted by Edward Lynn Williams

Body of a Dallas County Man Found in the Brush - with Two Holes in the Head

Carrollton, Tex., Dec 27. What appears to have been a murder was committed here on Christmas Day. The cause of it and the names of the perpetrators of the crime are shrouded in mystery.
About noon of that day Robert Hardcastle, who was driving northward from Carrollton, came to a point in the road near Griggs, about five miles north of this place, where there appeared to have been a struggle. He got out and made an investigation which resulted in his finding the dead body of Frank Eadon in the brush a short distance from the roadside. There were two bullet holes in the head.
Less than an hour before that time Eadon had passed Mr. Hardcastle in a buggy on his way to call on a young lady, to whom he had been paying attentions. Shortly before Mr. Hardcastle reached the scene of the tragedy he met two men driving southward in a two-horse buggy.
Eadon's buggy was found a short distance north of the place where he lost his life.  There was blood in the buggy, which was taken as evidence that he was shot while in his own vehicle. The buggy in which the two men were riding was found where they had abandoned it, a short distance south of the point where Mr. Hardcastle met them. There was blood in that buggy also, which seemed to indicate that the man had taken Eadon's body in their conveyance and hauled it to the place where they secreted it.
There is no clew to the identity of these men, and thus far the buggy which they used has not been identified.
Young Eadon was the son of a prominent farmer who lives near Farmers Branch, in Dallas County. He has recently been working with the Frisco construction gang. It is believed that the tragedy in which he lost his life may have grown out of his love affair, but it is merely conjecture.

G. F. Edens
Dec 28, 1784
Dec 24, 1901

Keenan Cemetery, Farmers Branch, Dallas County, Texas