By 1933, Joseph Jeffers was back in Jonesboro for his third and most disastrous visit. His followers had built him a tabernacle, but his grip on the congregation was slipping. Another preacher, Dale Crowley, had stepped in during Jeffers’ absence—and this time, many sided with Crowley instead of the flamboyant outsider.

Two Preachers, One Pulpit

The feud between Jeffers and Crowley escalated quickly. Both claimed the church as their own. Both refused to back down.

On Sundays, two rival services were held at the same time. Two choirs tried to out-sing each other. Two preachers tried to out-shout each other. The congregation was split down the middle, and the atmosphere was toxic.

It was only a matter of time before fists—and guns—came out.

The Shootout

On October 9, 1933, the courts finally ruled in favor of Crowley, declaring him the rightful pastor. But when he arrived to claim the church, he was met by J.W. McMurdo, a Jeffers loyalist who refused to let him in.

McMurdo pulled a gun and fired. He missed. Crowley drew his own weapon and returned fire. Within seconds, McMurdo lay bleeding on the church floor.

The house of God had become a battleground.

The Attempted Jailhouse Murder

Crowley didn’t flee. He turned himself in, claiming self-defense. But Jeffers’ supporters weren’t finished.

On October 17, 1933, a machine gun barrel was shoved through the bars of the jail where Crowley was being held. Bullets sprayed across the cell. Miraculously, Crowley survived by diving beneath his bunk.

The message was clear: this was more than a church squabble—it was a war.

The Trial

Crowley went to trial for murder in January 1934. The case gripped the community. But noticeably absent was Joseph Jeffers, the man who had incited so much of the violence. While others fought, bled, and stood trial, Jeffers had once again slipped away, leaving chaos in his wake.

After four days, a jury acquitted Crowley, agreeing it was self-defense. He went on to pastor the church for several more years before moving into radio ministry.

Jeffers, meanwhile, walked away untouched.

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👉 Next in the series: Part 5 – Trial, Betrayal & the Vanishing Preacher

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WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars

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By mid-September 1931, Jonesboro was on edge. The National Guard had been called in to keep the peace, but once the troops withdrew, the tension boiled over again. Jeffers’ fiery sermons hadn’t stopped, and neither had the violence.

Tear Gas in the Tabernacle

Just two nights after soldiers left town, someone hurled a tear gas bomb into Jeffers’ tent revival. Women screamed, children cried, and hundreds stampeded for the exits in blind panic.

Who was behind it? Some claimed it was Jeffers’ enemies trying to shut him down. Others whispered it was Jeffers himself, staging a false attack to gain sympathy. Either way, the damage was done—the town was tearing itself apart.

Fire on Holy Ground

On October 25, 1931, disaster struck again. Jeffers’ giant tent went up in flames.

Once again, no one knows who started it. Jeffers insisted it was his enemies. His enemies insisted it was Jeffers, desperate for headlines. Over 90 years later, the truth remains buried.

But one fact is clear: the revival that had promised salvation was now synonymous with violence, fear, and destruction.

A Town Embarrassed

The story made national papers. New Yorkers snickered at reports of fistfights, riots, and arson breaking out in a small Arkansas town—all in the name of religion.

For Jonesboro, it was humiliating. For Jeffers, it was fuel. He continued to gather loyal followers, who worshiped in makeshift buildings until they constructed a crude wooden tabernacle of their own.

But Jeffers wasn’t done with Jonesboro. He would leave for a while, only to return a later—and this time, blood would be spilled.

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👉 Next in the series: Part 4 – Guns in the House of God (1933)

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WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars

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When Joseph Jeffers rolled back into Jonesboro in the summer of 1931, the town should have known trouble was coming. He had left the year before in a storm of controversy, but now he was back with an even bigger tent, bolder sermons, and a prophecy that would terrify thousands.

The Preacher Who Knew the End

Jeffers announced that he possessed a special gift: prophecy. From the pulpit, he declared that the world would end in May of 1932.

The Bible clearly says no man knows the day or hour—but Jeffers claimed he did. For a town already reeling from floods, drought, and the Great Depression, his warnings struck a nerve. People packed the tent by the thousands. Some came seeking salvation, others came for the spectacle.

And Jeffers gave them both.

Accusations from the Pulpit

Jeffers didn’t just preach about the end of days. He began attacking Jonesboro’s leaders from the pulpit. He accused Pastor Dow Heard—the man who had replaced him—of fathering illegitimate children and having affairs. He claimed the mayor himself was corrupt and immoral.

In 1931, those accusations could ruin a man’s life. And that was exactly Jeffers’ goal.

What’s striking in hindsight is that many of the sins Jeffers railed about—gambling, immorality, and hypocrisy—would later be exposed in his own life. But at the time, the town was too divided to see it.

A Town at War with Itself

Jeffers’ fire-and-brimstone sermons split Jonesboro in two. Families stopped speaking to each other. Friends turned into enemies. The faithful were caught between the new pastor and the magnetic outsider who promised judgment day was near.

Things finally boiled over on September 9, 1931.

That night, after another one of Jeffers’ rants against Pastor Heard, a fight broke out between two prominent townsmen. Before long, others joined in, fists flew, and chaos spread through the crowd.

The story was so wild it landed in The New York Times.

From Fistfight to Riot

Within hours, the fight escalated into a riot. Over 500 Jeffers supporters crowded the courthouse lawn, demanding justice for one of their men who had been arrested.

Jeffers himself led a prayer—but instead of calming the crowd, he called on God to strike the mayor dead.

That was the spark. Jeffers’ mob attacked the mayor and the police chief. Panic spread. Violence erupted.

The situation was so dire that the Arkansas Governor called in the National Guard. Soldiers with machine guns marched into Jonesboro to restore order. Captain Harry Eldridge even sent a telegram to the governor warning:

“Thousands of lives are endangered. Declare martial law now, or shoot down 1,000 church members with machine guns.”

A Revival Becomes a Battlefield

It was unprecedented: armed soldiers surrounding a courthouse while church members screamed outside, ready to fight. Tear gas was thrown into Jeffers’ tent meetings. Families fled in terror. Neighbors feared one another.

A revival that was supposed to save souls had turned into open war.

And Joseph Jeffers? He didn’t back down. When ordered to stop his slanderous attacks, he arrogantly declared:

“I take no orders from anyone but God.”

Jonesboro was no longer just a divided town. It was a battleground.

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👉 Next in the series: Part 3 – The Tent Burns & the Town Boils Over
As soldiers withdrew, Jeffers’ followers stayed loyal. Soon, a tear gas attack and a mysterious fire would push the town into even deeper chaos.

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WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars

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This episode is brought to you by BONES COFFEE COMPANY.

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