Charles receives a distressful letter from Mr. Edwards in Chicago, stating his oldest boy, John Jr., has been killed. Without wasting any time at all, Charles boarded the Friday train to the Windy, rainy city. Together they grieved for the loss of John, such a bright boy with a big future, only to be torn asunder in a street accident. So the next morning, after narrowly being killed by an oncoming wagon, Charles and Edwards go to see Callahan, editor at the newspaper office where John Jr. had gotten himself a part time job. He'd been the one to first inform Edwards of John Jr.'s death, so perhaps there was something else he could tell them. After joining him for a fine lunch of three whiskey shots, Callahan reveals the culprit to be a drunk wagon driver and points them to the brewery. So after arranging John Jr.'s casket to be transported, all paid for by patron saint Callahan, Charles and Edwards go to the brewery to confront Jake Schultz, the culprit. He swore it was an accident and he took him to the hospital immediately after, but it was too late. Downtrodden, Edwards makes a quick stop at a nearby saloon and just as he starts to tie one off, he discovers a watch in the window of a pawn shop, the initials J.S.JR. printed on the inside. John Jr.'s watch! Overcome, Edwards broke in the pawn shop and demanded to know where the clerk got it, but he claimed ignorance. Good thing Charles was there or else somebody else would have been killed, like the pawn broker beaten to death by Edwards, or Edwards getting blasted by the broker's shot gun.
They go back to Callahan, who goes back with them to the pawn broker and gets him to talk, by finding an entry in his ledger regarding the watch sold to him the day John Jr. died. This next lead them to a young man named B.J. Jackson... now, I have just one question here, where are the police in all of this? Not once is it mentioned that it's being investigated, that this may be a homicide, or anything. Chicago had cops in 1885, didn't they? Or were they limited and everybody had to solve their own crimes? In this case, it's up to a grieving father, his partner and a benevolent news editor. They make quite a team. But, being a city man, Callahan wanted to take on the case alone. He ended up in the hospital the next morning, the bejesus had been kicked out of him. He'll be fine, but he's officially off the case. Charles and Edwards seek out Jackson, who wasn't home, and his grandmother was anything but helpful, but she did drop the name Drummond, so it's on to his place. They discover the young culprit, B.J. Jackson, an American Oliver Twist, and had to chase him down. They got him to fess up, he stole the watch from John Jr.'s dead body, found in an alley, and not the street like they were originally told. So, not only was this now a murder investigation, but they were lied to. When Callahan checks himself out of the hospital prematurely, he manages to come up with their next suspect: Drummond. Apparently, John Jr. had been sent on an assignment regarding them and they may have killed him for it. Their contracts were $200,000 annually and they couldn't afford to lose them was their apparent motive. So the three track down the old bastard, who tries to run, only to find himself surrounded. And so, Drummond took the coward's way out. Good riddance. At least John Jr. can rest in peace now, but what a waste. Graft is a bitch.
If you're up for a change of pace, "Chicago" is for you. It isn't the usual Little House fare, it's a murder mystery. The plot has many twists and will keep you guessing right up until the end. Great script by John Hawkins and B.W. Sandefur and great direction by Michael Landon, as well as performance, Victor French was also fantastic, as was M. Emmet Walsh, Gene Ross. Fine ensemble. This episode is part of an unofficial Edwards' Downfall Trilogy, that chronicle his three appearances on the show as a guest star before returning as a regular. In "Return of Mr. Edwards", his daughter nearly dies and he's wounded in the process. Here, John Jr. is murdered and Edwards starts drinking again, and then in "A Promise to Keep", Edwards' family disowns him, he nearly kills Albert, but he manages to quit drinking; "Chicago" will keep you guessing. It's a thriller.
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