"The Razor’s Edge: Death in Phelps County" (Lawson Murder Trial update)

Genealogical Research and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

How can A.I. help with genealogical research.  I will be exploring how A.I. can assist and derail family history research as I learn more about this technology. I will attempt to use some of this blog to reveal my discoveries.  In the meantime I am going to provide an update to the Lawson Murder Trial that took place in Rolla, Missouri (Phelps County) between 1896-1897.  This time, I was assisted by A.I. and added a little "flair" to the story.  

I will be posting more about this trial and more about how this story came about in another post (hopefully soon.)  Please refer to an earlier post I made on this on January 31, 2019 (Lawson Murder Trial: 1896-1897) for a reference to some of the facts in this version of the story.

"The following story is a fun yet informative account of the Lawson Murder Trial of 1896-1897, which took place in Rolla, Missouri (Phelps County). I enlisted the help of AI technology to transcribe old newspaper articles and create a chronological timeline based on historical accounts and court records I uncovered. I also gave the AI writing assistant permission to add a touch of fiction to the story for historical flavor and imagination. These fictional elements are marked in italics so they can be distinguished from historical facts. As I continue to uncover more details from other sources, this story may evolve. For now, it stands as a fascinating glimpse into an intriguing chapter of my family’s history, which I’m excited to share with you."

"The Razor’s Edge: Death in Phelps County"

It was a sweltering July morning in 1896 when Frank Wade, a bright-eyed eleven-year-old, disappeared from the bucolic countryside of Spring Creek Township in Phelps County, Missouri. The hills, usually peaceful with the sounds of cicadas and the occasional neigh of a horse, seemed to hold their breath that day. The rolling farmland, dotted with patches of dense woodland, stood witness to a crime that would send shockwaves through the quiet community and pit neighbor against neighbor.

The day began innocuously enough. William Wade, Frank’s father, sent his two youngest boys, Frank and Millard, aged fourteen, to visit the home of Hamilton Lawson. The Lawson family—a large, tight-knit group with a reputation for trouble—lived about two miles from the Wade farm. Hamilton, a patriarch in his sixties, presided over a clan that included his son Andy, Andy’s eleven-year-old boy Rackliff ("Rack"), and several other family members. The boys, eager to escape the chores of midsummer farm life, carried their lunches in small tin pails and skipped along the dusty road that meandered through the valley.

Frank and Millard arrived at the Lawson property between 8 and 9 a.m. They were greeted by Hamilton’s grandson, John Lawson, aged fifteen. The boys, restless with energy, quickly fell into rough-housing and exploring the nearby stable yard, where chickens scattered and the scent of fresh hay mixed with the damp earth. It wasn’t long before John suggested they head over to Andy Lawson’s house to fetch Rack. Reluctantly, Frank agreed to make the short trip alone. Moments later, Frank returned with Rack in tow, followed briefly by Andy himself, who soon left without explanation.

The morning unfolded lazily as the four boys roamed through the woods surrounding the Lawson property. They climbed trees, hunted frogs near a small creek, and threw stones at an old log balanced precariously across the water. But as the sun reached its zenith, casting shadows long and foreboding, a subtle shift occurred. Little Rack and Frank slipped away from the group and headed into a nearby vacant field.

Lunch was called an hour later by Martha Lawson, the matriarch of the family, who ruled her household with a stern hand. A meal of cornbread, fried chicken, and boiled potatoes awaited the boys, but when the group assembled, Frank was missing. Rack returned to the table last, looking suspiciously flushed. When pressed about Frank’s whereabouts, he shrugged, claiming that Frank had wandered off over the hill, singing and laughing. Johnny Lawson, unusually pale and restless, excused himself from the meal, muttering about feeling ill.

It was Andy Lawson who raised the most eyebrows that afternoon. Emerging from the house with a razor in hand, he paused on the front porch to "strap" the blade against a leather strop. The metallic whisper of steel on leather carried eerily across the yard, leaving those present with an inexplicable unease. Without a word, Andy pocketed the razor and disappeared up the hill with his mother, Martha, and his brother, Jacob, following close behind.

By the time Millard Wade returned home later that day, dusk had settled over the valley, and the oppressive heat had given way to a humid stillness. Frank was nowhere to be found. Alarmed, Mr. and Mrs. Wade, along with Millard and his older brother Devers, retraced the boy’s steps back to the Lawson property. Their search extended into the night, joined by neighbors armed with lanterns and a sense of foreboding. Andy Lawson, however, did not participate. Instead, he was seen the next morning riding a borrowed horse toward Pulaski County, where he claimed to have "business."

Two days later, the grim discovery was made. The clear water pond behind the Lawson house had been searched before, but it wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that the lifeless body of Frank Wade was found floating face-up. He was naked, his throat cut from ear to ear, and a deep gash marred his forehead. The left side of his face was swollen and bruised. The small community was stunned. The brutality of the crime—so cold and calculated—seemed inconceivable in their quiet corner of Missouri.

The Coroner’s inquest quickly turned its focus to the Lawson family. Witness testimony painted a damning picture: Rack’s evasive answers, Johnny’s sudden illness, and Andy’s suspicious departure all pointed toward foul play. A lynch mob began to form, but cooler heads prevailed, and Andy and Rack were taken under guard to the jail in Rolla. There, they awaited their fate as rumors swirled and theories multiplied.

By the time the September Grand Jury convened, three indictments for first-degree murder had been returned: one against Andy Lawson, one against Rackliff Lawson, and one against Jacob Lawson. At the March 1897 term of the Circuit Court, the charges against Rack were dropped, but Andy stood trial. The evidence was largely circumstantial—the razor, the timing, the behavior of the suspects—but it was enough to hold the community in thrall.

In the courtroom, the prosecutor’s voice rang out as he painted a vivid picture of the crime, accusing Andy Lawson of orchestrating a "horrible and inhuman butchery." Witnesses spoke of the bitter animosity between the Wades and the Lawsons, tracing its roots to an old feud involving a shooting years before.

Despite the drama, the jury remained unconvinced. After hours of deliberation, they failed to reach a verdict. The trial ended in a hung jury, and Andy was remanded back to jail. But the case was far from over.

In the months that followed, the body of Frank Wade was exhumed for further examination, and the focus shifted to Martha Lawson. The prosecution alleged that she had taken the razor from her son Andy and delivered the fatal cut herself. When her trial commenced in July 1897, the courtroom buzzed with anticipation. But the evidence—already tenuous—failed to convict. Martha Lawson was acquitted, and with her exoneration, the case against the Lawson family began to unravel.

By the end of that summer, the Lawsons returned to their farm, their reputation irreparably tarnished but their lives spared. The murder of Frank Wade faded into local legend, an unsolved mystery that left scars on the tight-knit community. To this day, the shadow of that bright Sabbath morning in 1896 lingers over the hills of Phelps and Pulaski counties, a chilling reminder of the darkness that can hide even in the most peaceful of places.

The End?

"This story was developed with the assistance of AI technology, specifically ChatGPT, which contributed factual research, writing support, and creative storytelling elements based on historical records. The AI played a key role in organizing and crafting the narrative under my guidance, while striving to maintain historical accuracy wherever possible."  "The illustrations accompanying this story were created using Craiyon, an AI-based tool that generates images from textual descriptions. These images are not historical but are intended to evoke the time period and setting of the events."