The Connection · 1888
Unsolved
Snell's Murder —
Related to the Toll Roads?
The motive for the crime was never discovered. But many users of the toll roads were becoming increasingly resentful of the fees they were compelled to pay. Whether the culprit was Willie Tascott or a disgruntled toll-road traveler remains a mystery.
Source: Skokie Centennial Book
The Unsolved Murder of Amos Snell
In the three decades since he had built a log cabin near the southwest corner of the original boundary of Niles Centre in 1857, Amos J. Snell had been a busy man. Acquiring hundreds of acres of land now on the north side of Chicago, he made a fortune selling timber to the new railroads and then garnered even more income by using the land he cleared to construct crude cabins to sell to new arrivals in the area.
Snell bought the Northwest Plank Road (Milwaukee Avenue) and rebuilt the entire road using a gravel surface much more resistant to the ravages of time, extending it northward to Wheeling. He also added a number of new tollgates, including one at Fullerton, Belmont, Jefferson and Leland Avenues. By the 1880s, each of these tollgates could take in $400 or more on a busy day.
"One night in 1888, Snell was murdered in his home. Clues were few, and suspicions were many. It had appearances of being an inside job. A nephew, Willie Tascott, became the prime object of the search. Detective work spread through the nation, and trails were picked up in Europe. The case dragged on and all leads faded out. Neither Tascott nor other suspects ever were caught."
— Bertha Rosche, "Setting Down the Record…"
The Toll Road Connection
A Motive Never Discovered
The motive for the crime was never discovered, but it is known that many users of the toll roads in northern Illinois were becoming increasingly resentful of the fees they were compelled to pay for driving wagons on private roads. Complaints were many, as were attempts to dodge the toll by driving around the tollgates. Whether the culprit was Willie Tascott or a disgruntled toll-road traveler remains a mystery.
Suspect One
Willie Tascott
A nephew of Snell's. Became the prime object of the search. Detective work spread through the nation, and trails were picked up in Europe. Police arrested Tascott on his deathbed at the Cape Nome Gold Diggings in Alaska in 1889. The case dragged on and all leads faded out.
Suspect Two
James Gillan
Labeled a "professional crook" by the December 4, 1910 Inter Ocean Magazine. Confessed on his deathbed that he, not Tascott, had killed Snell while burglarizing his home. He had an accomplice he would not identify. Some authorities still consider the case unsolved.
The 1890s Began Riotously
Early in May 1890, a group of farmers disguised as Indians attacked the tollgate on Milwaukee Avenue at Fullerton. Angered that the Cook County Board had not taken fast action on their complaint over high fees, the ersatz Indians chased away the toll keeper shortly after midnight and burned his house and the tollgate to the ground.
Shortly after the attack, Cook County purchased the rights to Milwaukee Avenue from Amos Snell's heirs. Although a single tollbooth remained on Milwaukee Avenue as late as 1892, the entire toll-road system was then abolished by the county. Both roads have remained public property ever since.
The Open Question
Did Snell's toll road monopoly — and the resentment it generated — contribute to his murder? The motive was never established. The case was never truly closed. The question remains open to this day.
Primary Source
Skokie Centennial Book — Chapter 3: A Lively Decade. skokiecentennialbook.com