Murder at Scheelite Mine

On April 27, 1956 Flora Shover was strangled to death in her trailer home at the Scheelite Mine in Nevada.

Scheelite was a tungsten mining camp in Mineral County, Nevada, near the town of Rawhide. It was a fairly large mining operation located in a remote area. By the time Scheelite was established, Rawhide had already declined and become a ghost town.

The Scheelite Mine operated from 1937 to 1957. Because of its isolated location, many workers lived on-site. A bunkhouse housed single men, while accommodations were available for families, and some residents brought their own travel trailers. The company appeared to make a genuine effort to accommodate both couples and families.

Despite being a mining camp, Scheelite had the feel of a small community. There was a swimming pool, a park for children, and other amenities that helped make life more comfortable for residents. Meals were prepared for the men staying in the bunkhouse, and a supply company delivered provisions to the camp once a week.

If you'd like to see what remains of the site today, Doug Berry has a YouTube episode featuring the Scheelite Mine. Like many mining operations of its era, Scheelite faced its share of hardships, including flash floods, explosions, and fatal accidents.

 Cloyd Shover returned home from his shift at the mine to find that his wife, Flora, had been strangled in their trailer. According to the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, there was no evidence of sexual assault. Flora was 40 years old and had two grown children from a previous marriage.

Reports indicate that Flora had been visiting another couple's trailer earlier that evening, where several people were gathered for a party. Witnesses stated that she was last seen leaving with James Fletcher Davis, a 27-year-old married man whose wife was not living at the camp. Davis told investigators that Flora later went to another resident's trailer while he went to the Mine Club room, where he spent the evening playing cards with other employees.

Investigators found Davis's cigarette lighter in Flora's trailer. Davis claimed he did not know how it came to be there.

Davis was arrested and held in the Mineral County Jail while the case was investigated. A grand jury determined that sufficient evidence existed to bring the case to trial. He subsequently petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus, but the request was denied, and he remained in custody pending trial.

After spending approximately six months in jail, Davis was tried before a jury and found not guilty. He was subsequently released.

 So, who killed Flora? Mineral County Independent News did not have any other articles on the murder or any other arrests  It sounds like there were no other leads.  She was buried in Herber Springs Arkansas.