The Hit and Run Death of Milus Darnall
Written by Justin D. Lamb
Above: Milus Darnall was killed in a hit and run accident in the spring of 1938.
(Photo courtesy of Ruby Travis)
At approximately 1:30 am on Sunday morning, April 10, 1938, a group of men were riding in a truck along the Benton-Murray Highway after returning from the night on the town in Benton. As the driver continued down the road on his way back to Murray, he caught a glimpse of a body lying motionless in the ditch just up the road.
The driver sped up and hurried to check on the man in the ditch. When the truck stopped, all of the men jumped out to help the man, but they soon discovered he was dead. The man’s skull was severely crushed and his leg had been broken and remains of a broken headlight were discovered in in what appeared to be an apparent hit and run accident.
Deputy Sheriff James Allen Rudd was notified of the accident and he contacted County Coroner Fred Filbeck who drove to the scene about 2 miles south of Benton and identified the body as that of Milus Darnall, a 54 year old painter who lived in the South Marshall area of Marshall County.
Filbeck notified the sheriff’s office which immediately began an investigation in the death of Milus Darnall. All surrounding counties were notified of the accident and were told to be on the lookout for an automobile with a broken headlight.
It was learned through the investigation that Darnall had left Benton around 11 pm on April 9 after visiting friends. Before journeying home, Darnall stopped at another friend’s house near the Benton-Murray Highway at midnight and this was the last time he was seen alive. It was concluded he was hit a few yards from his own mailbox just after midnight and that his body had been dragged several feet. Fearing of the consequences, the driver of the automobile then sped off without stopping to help Darnall.
On Monday, April 11, a report came to the sheriff’s office that an automobile with a broken headlight and blood on the fender had been located in Murray the day before at a filling station. The sheriff was later notified that the suspect, who was identified as a road worker from Paducah, had been arrested in McCracken County and released on bond.
The Marshall County sheriff traveled to Paducah to talk with the suspect on Tuesday, April 12. As the next few months went by, the Grand Jury was not convened and no trial date was set for the suspect. The case was never reported again in the newspapers, and suspiciously the suspect was never brought before any jury or judge to answer for his crimes. The case was swept under the rug and to date, no one was ever brought to justice for the death of Milus Darnall.