The Crimes of Edgar J. Watson

Posted: 04.30.2025 | Updated: 04.30.2025

Located deep within the Florida Everglades is Chokoloskee Island, a small community at the edge of the Ten Thousand Islands along the coast of Southwest Florida. This island has a lot to offer tourists, including incredible fishing opportunities and many beautiful places to explore. But this peaceful island location is also home to the sinister secrets of a madman connected to a long list of murders.

If you love to learn about the dark history of our country’s past, the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands communities of Southern Florida are a great place to start. Home to many dark and disturbing legends, this part of the Sunshine State has a bleak darkness that has lingered in the area for over a century, thanks to the dirty deeds of one Mr. Edgar J. Watson.

To learn more about the chilling history of Miami, Florida, and the surrounding areas, schedule a ghost tour with us here at Miami Haunts the next time you are in the area. We look forward to sharing our tales of murder and mayhem with you.

Who Was Edgar J. Watson?

Edgar J. Watson has been described as a professional businessman who had deep blue eyes, fiery red hair, and a fierce temper. The abuse he endured in his childhood had a permanent effect on him, causing him to take out his malice on the lives of many innocent people who were caught in the crossfire between Watson and his tortured past.

The Story of Edgar J. Watson

Edgar J. Watson was born on November 11^th, 1855, in Saluda County, South Carolina. His father, Elijah, was a Civil War veteran who developed a nasty and abusive temper whenever he wasn’t sober.

There are several conflicting tales about Edgar’s youth; however, many of them suggest that he escaped from his abusive father along with his mother and younger sister as they fled South Carolina and headed south.

Unfortunately, the impact of Elijah Watson’s abuse already had a strong effect on Edgar. It seems that while his father was addicted to alcohol, Edgar grew up to become addicted to a habit that was far worse, the act of murdering innocent people in cold blood.

The Crimes of Edgar J. Watson

It’s hard to say exactly when Edgar started on his long list of murders. There is one story that suggests his first murder occurred in Florida when he was just nine years old. According to the tale, Edgar was afraid the man would tattle on him to his father because he didn’t plant peas in the garden the correct way. Edgar was afraid his father would beat him, and he felt his only solution was to kill the man. 

There are few details on exactly how the murder took place. Another version of the story says that Edgar’s first kill involved a relative in South Carolina while he was visiting relatives. And that is the reason why he abruptly moved to Columbia County.

As time goes on, the records of Watson’s kills are much easier to keep track of. It’s been said that while staying in O’Brien, Florida, Edgar was making a long-winded speech, and his cousin asked him to stop talking. Edgar didn’t take kindly to the request, and he retaliated by kicking his cousin in the head, leaving him for dead. 

Edgar fled the town after that, running from authorities until he ended up in either Arkansas or Texas, where he met the infamous female outlaw, Myra Maybelle Shirley, also known as Belle Starr.

The Life and Death of Belle Starr

Known as the Bandit Queen, Myra Maybelle Shirley, more commonly known as Belle Starr, was one of the most infamous female outlaws in Oklahoma. However, her only documented crime was the theft of a horse in 1882.

Belle was born in 1848 to Judge John Shirley and Elizabeth Hatfield Shirley of the Hatfields and McCoys. Belle’s brothers, John A.M. “Bud” and Edwin, were outlaws who were killed by lawmen. Belle carried on with her brother’s outlaw legacy as she continued to associate with notorious bandits and gang members while attending the Carthage Female Academy.

After marrying James C. Reed in 1866, she had two children. Belle then left Reed in 1874 after he was killed while resisting arrest. Following a brief relationship with Bruce Younger, Belle married Sam Starr in 1880. 

The couple settled in a cabin on communal tribal land in the Cherokee Nation, often providing a safe refuge in their home for other outlaws. Belle became a widow after Sam was killed, and not long after that, she crossed paths with Edgar J. Watson.

It is believed that on February 3^rd, 1889, while riding home from a dance, Belle Starr was shot twice in Briartown, Oklahoma. It’s been said that Edgar Watson asked her for a dance, and she refused. 

He became so enraged that he followed Belle on her way home and shot her in the back once. As she lay on the ground, clinging to life, he shot her again to ensure he finalized the deal.

Watson’s Return to Florida

As Edgar returned to Florida around 1891, his list of horrendous crimes followed him, and he continued to add to it along the way. It is believed he was responsible for several grisly murders and deceitful acts of skullduggery while on his journey from Oklahoma into Arkansas. When he stopped in Arcadia, he was arrested for the murder of Quinn Bass. However, the jury in his trial acquitted him.

 He went on to get into a dispute with Sam Toland in Columbia County, who ended up shooting him. He was acquitted once again, but the town sheriff ran him out of town.

Watson Settles Down, But Not For Long

By 1892, it seemed that Edgar was making plans to settle down and put an end to his evil ways. He moved to the Ten Thousand Islands area of Southwest Florida and began raising vegetables, sugarcane, and Buttonwood trees for lumber. He sold produce throughout Key West, Ft. Myers, and Tampa, transporting his goods using his 70’ Schooner.  But his dark past and even darker temper soon caught back up with him.

One day while selling produce, Edgar got into a heated argument with local resident Adolphus Santini. The argument became violent as Edgar’s temper got the best of him and he slit Santini’s throat, but he fortunately survived the attack. Edgar ended up paying Santini off so that he’d drop the charges against him.

Several more murders were linked to Watson, including that of a woman named Hannah Smith. A young boy claimed to have seen Watson kill Hannah and led a group of men to the location where she was buried.

While every murder Watson committed was a tragic loss, there was one criminal event that made this true story of a killer into a legendary tale that the residents of the Everglades still talk about. That is when Edgar killed members of the Tucker family of Chokoloskee Island.

The Tucker Family of Chokoloskee Island

A man by the name of Tucker and his nephew were farmers and well-known throughout the close-knit island community of Chokoloskee Island. They grew crops along the Lostmans River, which bordered land that Watson purchased. 

He and the Tuckers had a feud over who the property belonged to. Edgar warned them to get off his property, and the Tuckers said they would as soon as their crops were ready to harvest. But Watson didn’t have the patience to wait that long.

Farmer Tucker and his nephew were murdered, and their bodies were thrown into the river. The crime was reported to Sheriff Frank Tippins of Fort Myers. However, Tippins refused to investigate, claiming the Chatram River area was not part of his jurisdiction.

The Last Days of Edgar J. Watson

Between the dates of October 9^th and 23^rd, a treacherous hurricane swept through the area, reaching peak winds of 150 mph. On October 24^th, Edgar took his schooner to the Smallville Store on Chokoloskee Island to replenish supplies. 

When he arrived, he was greeted by an angry group of townspeople who were tired of his vicious ways. After words were exchanged between Edgar and the crowd, he pointed his shotgun at them and pulled the trigger. However, the gun misfired. 

Before he had a chance to draw his Smith & Wesson revolver, the crowd opened fire, shooting him multiple times as his body became riddled with bullets. The townsfolk dragged his body to nearby Rabbit Key and buried it in a shallow grave.

Haunted Miami

The Florida Everglades are a beautiful part of our world that has been plagued by many dark secrets. If you would like to learn more about the most haunted or cursed locations in Miami or the surrounding areas, be sure to check out our blog for a host of ghostly tales and true crime stories that will leave you wanting more.

And be sure to schedule your next ghost tour with us here at Miami Haunts for a frighteningly good time as we travel throughout Florida’s most historic and haunted cities.

Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to hear even more dark tales of horror and mystery in haunted locations throughout the country.

Sources:

• https://flsheriffs.org/blog/entry/edgar-j-watson-serial-killer-or-florida-myth/
• https://www.coastalbreezenews.com/opinion/columnists/the-story-of-edgar-j-watson-the-infamous-businessman-serial-killer/article_e53a5f09-ff02-5b4f-9273-a0753cfbf46e.html
• https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-90-fall-2015/the-legend-of-chokoloskee
• https://www.floridatrend.com/article/18034/the-town-that-killed-an-outlaw/
• https://murderousroots.com/episodes/bloody-ed
• https://www.gulfshorebusiness.com/history-mystery-and-murder-in-ten-thousand-islands/
• https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=ST018