In the heated days leading up to the 1860 presidential election, political tensions in southeast Iowa escalated into violence that ended in tragedy.
On October 26, 1860, 35-year-old farmer Silas McCart was fatally stabbed during a confrontation near Batavia in Jefferson County. The incident remains one of Iowa’s unresolved historic murder cases.
According to historical accounts, the conflict stemmed from sharp political disagreements during one of the most divisive periods in American history. The nation was deeply divided over slavery and the upcoming election that would ultimately send Abraham Lincoln to the White House.
On the night of the incident, Silas McCart, his brother Pleasant McCart, and several other men reportedly went to the home of John A. Mix intending to confront him over opposing political views. Reports indicate the group carried brickbats and intended to damage the property.
Amos Wimer, a boarder living at the Mix residence, came outside to warn the men away. During the confrontation, McCart allegedly struck Wimer with a brick while several others joined the altercation.
Wimer then pulled a small dirk-style knife and stabbed McCart four times before the group fled the scene. McCart later died from his injuries.
Fearing retaliation, Wimer fled the area and avoided arrest. Before the case could be resolved, he enlisted in the Union Army and was later killed during the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. His death effectively ended any chance of a legal resolution in the case.
Silas McCart was born in 1825 in Clark County, Kentucky, to James R. McCart and Matilda Smith. He later married Keziah E. Holley in Indiana, and the couple had seven children. By 1860, the family had settled near Batavia in Jefferson County, Iowa.
McCart was buried in Batavia Cemetery.
This report is based on research written by Nancy Bowers for Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases.
