In February 1874, a quiet Scott County farm became the scene of a brutal double shooting that would capture the attention of communities across Iowa.
Lizzie Thomson Brownlie, a 32-year-old farm wife, was fatally shot inside her family’s home in Winfield Township near Long Grove on the evening of February 18, 1874. Her four-year-old son, Andrew, was also struck by shotgun pellets during the attack. He died three days later, on February 21.
According to historical research by Nancy Bowers, the Brownlie family was prominent in the Long Grove community. Lizzie and her husband, Alexander, lived on a 160-acre farm with their four children. On the night of the shooting, Alexander left home to get medicine for an ailing horse after Lizzie assured him that she and the children would be fine.
About 20 minutes after Alexander left, Lizzie was sitting at her sewing machine while the children played nearby. A brick was thrown through a window, followed moments later by two blasts from a double-barreled shotgun. Lizzie was struck by both shots, while Andrew suffered multiple wounds to his head.
When Alexander returned later that evening, he found the home dark and discovered his wife dead. Their frightened children had hidden upstairs, believing the attacker might still be nearby.
Investigators initially suspected Patrick Hennessy, a Davenport teamster who had previously worked for the Brownlie family and was believed to have held a grudge against them. However, his alibi and testimony shifted attention elsewhere.
Suspicion eventually focused on Lewis Johnson, a longtime hired hand who had been treated as part of the Brownlie family. Investigators found the shotgun believed to have been used in the killings, along with other evidence they believed connected Johnson to the crime. He was arrested and later tried for Lizzie Brownlie’s murder.
Johnson maintained his innocence. After a highly publicized trial in October 1874, the jury returned a not guilty verdict. He was scheduled to face a separate charge involving Andrew Brownlie’s death, but that trial never took place.
Lizzie and Andrew were buried beside one another at the Long Grove Christian Church. Despite the investigation, trial and intense public interest, the circumstances surrounding the Brownlie murders remain an unsolved chapter in Iowa history.
The case was researched and written by Nancy Bowers for Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases.
