Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series on unsolved mysteries in the Illinois Valley.

GRANVILLE — The sleepy village of Granville in 1955, in many ways, resembled the fictional town of Mayberry. It was a quiet, safe place where everyone knew everyone, where locals gathered to visit on slow days. It also had its share of characters — perhaps none more well-known than “Trader Jack” Redshaw.

Granville’s sense of security was shattered in 1955, when the town learned Redshaw had been shot to death in his downtown business. The murder was never solved. Almost 60 years later, residents are still fascinated by Redshaw and the mystery of his death.

The man

A larger-than-life character, Redshaw wasn’t shy about showing off his possessions — and he had a lot to display. Redshaw had managed to build a global trading empire from a small Illinois town, a place so unknown and rural most of his clients likely couldn’t pinpoint it on a map.

Redshaw’s office was located in what now houses the Granville Library — this location contained a vault, which still remains in the building to this day. The vault served as storage for small, valuable items such as jewelry, according to his great nephew John Redshaw of Hennepin, who was just a few months old at the time of the murder.

“The majority of his inventory, however, was in a warehouse just off of McCoy Street,” John said.

The townsfolk knew of Redshaw’s opulent inventory, mainly because he liked to show off the goods he received.

Darrell Alleman of Granville saw firsthand some of Redshaw’s valuables when he stopped by the business one day with one of his friends.

“He pulled out drawers, and there were diamonds and green emeralds. He’d run his fingers through them,” Alleman said.

Redshaw’s fame had spread well past the boundaries of Putnam County. When newspapers and national magazines called for interviews, Redshaw was happy to oblige, appearing in various publications, including Reader’s Digest and the Chicago Tribune.

“My grandfather described him as flamboyant, shrewd, interesting, both friendly and abrasive, and obviously an incredibly astute businessman who seemingly knew the value of everything,” John said.

Alleman said it seemed Redshaw was always on the lookout for potential trouble coming his way.

Once Redshaw left the lights on in his car. Rather than go outside at night to turn off the lights, he let the battery die, Alleman said.

“He wouldn’t go out at night. As far as I know, he didn’t. He was nervous,” Alleman said.

A prior incident showed Redshaw had reason to be concerned about his personal safety. He was allegedly once kidnapped out of one of his Granville buildings by gunpoint, according to Alleman. He made it through that harrowing event but seemed cautious after that, Alleman said.

Despite any fears he may have been harboring, Redshaw, who was married and had one daughter, still loved to talk to anybody who would listen, Alleman said.

“He was a nice man,” Alleman said. “He had a chair that he sat out in front of his office, and he talked to people walking by.”

The murder

A rainy day is what led Alleman to an experience on Sept. 26, 1955, he has never forgotten.

“I should have been farming, but it rained that morning,” Alleman said.

Instead, Alleman, who was in his mid-20s at the time, went into downtown Granville to hang out at the local snack bar to chat with his friends. Their conversation was soon interrupted.

“Mrs. Redshaw came in crying and screaming and saying she needed a doctor,” Alleman said.

When the group of men ran a few doors over to check on her husband, they found him on the floor by the vault in his Granville shop. He was brought out on a stretcher and taken to a doctor. But that was just a formality — Alleman said it was clear from the moment he looked at Redshaw he was already dead.

Redshaw was wearing a light blue suit, Alleman remembers.

“I could see the powder marks on the blue suit. I knew he was dead,” he said.

Why Redshaw met his demise at age 61 is still a mystery. Some townsfolk believed it was a gang hit, while others surmised it was a robbery attempt — but no one could tell what, if anything, had been taken.

“From what I understand, Jack’s inventory control was done by memory,” John said. “As a result, it was impossible to determine exactly what was stolen from his vault and office. According to several newspaper accounts, there were missing jewels. From what I have heard, the killers panicked and left before cleaning out the vault. In fact, I recall my grandfather saying that jewels had been scattered about as if the killers were in a hurry ... I doubt that murder was the intent and once their plan went awry, they panicked.”

Alleman said the popular sentiment at the time was that Redshaw was killed by gangsters. The scattered jewels didn’t convince some townsfolk the murder was a botched robbery attempt.

“They don’t think it was a robbery, but they think they tried to make it appear as a robbery,” Alleman said.

The notion Redshaw was killed by gangsters may have helped the perpetrator get away with it.

“People saw some strange cars in town, but they were all afraid to go testify or tell the police,” Alleman said. “Everyone was nervous and scared they might come back.

When Redshaw died, so did his trading empire.

“His wife and daughter slowly sold off his fascinating inventory for pennies on the dollar,” John said.

No matter who the culprit was, John believes his great uncle’s fondness for fame contributed to his death.

“I suspect that Jack’s publicity was his undoing. Having been featured in national publications as a wealthy international trader in the sleepy hamlet of Granville, where he was without any significant personal protection, probably proved too enticing for a small group of criminals,” he said.

John believes Redshaw’s murder will never be solved.

“It was nearly 60 years ago, and the science for crime scenes in 1955 was virtually non-existent compared to today’s technology,” he said. “In addition, I doubt the perpetrators are still alive.”

Though many are still fascinated by the mystery of Redshaw’s murder, John finds his life far more interesting than his death.

“What I find most incredible is that Jack Redshaw literally brought the world to his doorstep doing business with people from all over the U.S., as well as Europe, Latin America, southeast Asia and Australia,” John said. “He did this without the benefit of modern technology. Imagine making trades for incredibly valuable merchandise using photos and the mail. Can you imagine what he would have done with the benefit of the Internet?”

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