Villisca Ax Murders

[debbiediablo]

I'm so fickle. Just finished reading about the Villisca Ax Murders. Edgar Epperly taught at Luther College in Decorah which is where I spent my undergrad years. I work one a week in that area...and would so love to have lunch with this guy. Does anyone here have an opinion on who did it? Funny, but it's Iowa's most famous murder and I've never given much thought to it, although the idea of a serial ax mass murderer roaming the heartland in the years before my father was born is totally creepy.

[Bob Gutowski]

I think the idea that murderers are waiting in your house, in the attic, when you return with your family and guests is pretty chilling! I have a good docu on disc and a horrid straight to disc, fictionalized movie which was filmed using the real house.

[twinsrwe]

Bob, welcome back!!!

I agree, it is chilling to even 'think' that murderers could be waiting in your house for you to return. To be confronted with the situation in real life would be absolutely horrifying!

Was the fictionalized movie that you have, which was filmed using the real house, something that was on TV? If so, what was the name of the movie?

[debbiediablo]

I think the idea that murderers are waiting in your house, in the attic, when you return with your family and guests is pretty chilling! I have a good docu on disc and a horrid straight to disc, fictionalized movie which was filmed using the real house.

Is this Villisca: Living With a Mystery?

[Aamartin]

I know people from the town and they are remarkably uninterested in the whole thing.

[debbiediablo]

According to Epperly the closet was piled ceiling high with stuff that hadn't been disturbed, and the door to the attic was in the back of the closet so the murderer did not lurk there waiting for the family. Coming from a small town in Iowa, I can understand the Villiscans preferring that their town be identified with something other than one of the most brutal ax murders in history that took place 104 years ago.

[NancyDrew]

You've got my attention...can you summarize the murders for me? Thanks!!!!

[debbiediablo]

Sometime in the wee hours of June 10, 1912, a killer with an ax owned by the victim gained access to the Josiah B. Moore house, a simple home in Villisca, IA. No electricity but they did have a phone. Using a lamp with the wick turned down he crept up the S-shaped stairs where he found Joe Moore and wife Sara asleep. He bludgeoned their heads with an ax until nothing much was left of Joe, and Sara was equally dead. Joe's blood ran off the bed and into Sara's shoe by the bed.

The killer then went into the next room and bludgeoned the four Moore children to death...all with ax to their heads. The kids were ages 5-11 – Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul. He then came back to the parents' bed and tipped over the shoe so that blood also dripped on the sole. He left the lamp with the wick turned down at the foot of the bed with the chimney under the bed. All the victims' heads were covered with bed linens or clothing. The killer was left-handed and marks are in the ceilings over the beds and even in the middle of room where he seemed to engage in some sort of ax waving orgy of murderous ecstasy.

The murderer then went downstairs and bludgeoned two sisters who were sleeping in a bedroom off the parlor as overnight guests of 9 y/old Katherine Moore. They were Lina Stillinger, age 11, and her sister, Ina, age 8. Again he attacked only their heads. Lina, who was a well-developed young woman, was rotated in the bed so the killer could view her genitalia with another lamp with the wick turned down and the chimney removed. This was left at the foot of bed, too. Their heads were also covered.

He also draped clothing over the mirrors, over the windows in the doors and pulled down all the shades. There is evidence that he made himself a snack and may have cleaned up afterward. A slab of bacon and the ax were found in the downstairs murder room. Experts then and now maintain the bacon was used as an artificial vagina for the killer to masturbate.

There were three major suspects: F.F. Jones who was clearly innocent but had the misfortune to be Moore's business rival and to have a daughter-in-law who was having an affair with Moore; a peculiar "little minister" named Lyn George Jacklyn Kelly who was tried and acquitted, quite possibly in error, as he confessed to the murders and seemed to know a lot about them...he was also a window peeker with a taste for very young girls; and Billy the Axman who appears to have murdered around 30 people using the same MO throughout the Midwest in 1911-1912.

The Villisca Ax Murders were never solved and are, in many ways, more fascinating than Lizzie. Supposedly the house is now haunted. The owner has restored it, gives tours and rents it for the night. Visitors bring their own sleeping bags, etc. The owner says, "Im' NOT a bed and breakfast!"

[Curryong]

Debbie, what is Epperly's theory about the reason for the covered mirrors, which is quite unusual? I take it no suspects were Jewish (mourning customs involving mirrors.)

Also, destruction of the head/facial features of victims can be meaningful. It could point to the murderer trying to remove the victims' identity and persona in some instances and to the victim being known to the murderer ("Hallo Lizzie"!) though probably not in these murders. There seems to have been a further attempt to mask or hide the victims' heads with bedclothes, cloths, etc.

A murderer having issues with images (mirrors) eyes staring (at him) perhaps.

[debbiediablo]

The operating theory is the killer did not want to watch himself interact sexually with 12 year-old Lena Stillinger. (He posed her body and may have digitally penetrated her after death. There's some debate on this.) This would especially hold true if the killer were Rev. Kelly who was a whack job, no pun intended, when it came to his sexuality. This does not explain the other ax murders throughout the Midwest that follow the same pattern where the mirrors were not covered. However, the Stillinger girl was a child yet fully developed which perhaps better fueled the killer's deviant fires. Or the killer was evolving. There's another thread also called Villisca Axe Murders started by leitskev (unbeknownst to me) if you further are further interested in this. An excellent documentary Villisca: Living With a Mystery is available here for $1.99 USD. It's well worth the money. Epperly is a retired professor from my undergrad school...

http://vimeo.com/ondemand/villisca/68731201

[Curryong]

Thanks, debbie. I've just purchased Taylor's 'Murdered in Their Beds' on Kindle and am thoroughly, well I don't know whether 'enjoying' it is the operative word, but I'm certainly finding it fascinating!

PS From what I have read so far there seems to be some sort of ritualistic element to removing the chimneys of the oil lamps used in each home.

[Franz]

Killing 8 people in that small house without waking up none of them (except one of the guests girls), it's for me something of unimaginable.

[Curryong]

Even stranger Franz, the killer murdered four children in their sleep in the one room and not one of them woke up!

[Curryong]

I was surfing the Internet tonight, as I do frequently, and came across a discussion about the Keddie murders and the massacre in Cabin 28. In a weird sort of way it has its resemblances to Villisca (as well as many differences.) Have you heard of these murders? I think they happened in 1981.

[debbiediablo]

Yes, in some ways, and also resembles the Borden murders in that the police failed to do their jobs.

[Fargo]

Maybe the Villisca victims were drugged somehow so they didn't wake up during the crime. I think taking the electric power from the house is going too far with the restoration. The Lizzie house has electricity and that crime was 20 years earlier. I can just see the disgruntled guests staying overnight with. No juice. Can't watch tv. Can't charge up ur phone etc. I think you even have to use the out house

[stargazer]

The reverend stayed in a house in town, but the owners slept in a tent out back. He could easily have slipped out, and even admitted ? to taking a walk. Maybe he copycatted to throw suspicion away from himself. He was obsessed with the investigation afterward, and has a truly demented look to himself. As for his being small, and not strong enough to chop wood, or kill people with an ax, well, jockeys are small, and they can hold back a huge animal with little strong arms. It's a very upsetting tale at any rate.

[Curryong]

It's been a while since I read about these murders but several other suspects were discussed. (I don't believe it was anyone local.) Whether it was the travelling preacher, a serial killer or whoever, I think he was just passing through.

I wouldn't mind going to stay at the house (in a group) so long as you could take a couple of lanterns. People usually just chat on these occasions anyway. Anyone for a few ghost stories!

[debbiediablo]

A ghosthunter stabbed himself in the northwest bedroom of Villisca Axe Murder House. This would be Josiah and Sara Moore's bedroom if he were upstairs or where the Stillinger sisters slept if he were downstairs. What little I find online says the man brought along a knife to be used as a trigger object. A slab of bacon would've been more appropriate and less dangerous....

http://www.vice.com/read/why-did-a-ghos ... house-1118

[twinsrwe]

That is quite an article, Debbie! The guy, paid $428/night and ended up stabbing himself in the chest. There had to be some kind of malevolent spirit involved since he called for help, before (I assume) stabbing himself.

Here is a follow-up article on the guy from Rhinelander, WI.:

Jodi Hoatson, a spokeswoman for CHI Health, declined to provide an update on Laursen’s condition Friday morning. Sampson said Laursen was in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said it doesn’t expect to file charges because there is no indication of foul play. Sampson said an investigation showed no indication the stab wound was caused by an accident or fall.

The sheriff added that there’s never been a report of a similar situation at the restored home at 508 E. Second St., which is on the National Register of Historic Places, despite its international renown among those seeking evidence of paranormal activity.

“We’ve never had an incident there,” he said.

http://tinyurl.com/m7wveem

For those who are interested, here is a video of the Villisca Axe Murder House:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLxUu_1Uwf4

The following is sort of hard to read since it is all one paragraph, but I found it interesting.

A summary of my personal experiences at The Villisca Axe Murder House by Pat Bussen of Waukesha, Wisconsin. My first visit to The Villisca Axe Murder House was in June of 2009. It was a simple day tour of the house and the cemetery, but since that very day I have been hooked. Since that time I have spent many overnight visits at the house and not one time have I had any regrets. As far as paranormal activity goes, this house comes through loud and proud. Over the past few years I have accumulated many EVP's from this house, both live and residual. I have also called out the names of the Moore children and Lena and Ina Stillinger, who were all victims on that fateful night, to turn my flashlight on and off when asked and they did just that! These impressive paranormal incidents occurred in The Blue Room, where Lena and Ina were murdered and the upstairs bedroom where the four Moore children were murdered. I have also felt cold spots in this house that I cannot offer an explanation for but were there. Based on my personal experiences and EVP captures along with my own gut feeling, I believe the spirits of all eight victims still dwell within that house. The burning question is, “Why?” Is it due to fear and trauma as a result of the incident itself or is it because that house is the last place they knew? Or all of the above? Or none of the above? A couple of years back, I became a member of a paranormal investigation team called International Ghost Research Society (IGRS) and we have spent a few overnights at the house, gathering plenty of audio and video evidence to convince even the most hardcore skeptic that The Villisca Axe Murder House is most definitely haunted. This house has a mystique all of its own and will rival any other allegedly haunted location. An overnight visit to this house will make most skeptics believers come sunrise the next morning! What happened in that house in June of 1912 was terrible and tragic. It was something that never should have happened. I believe there are many secrets embedded within the town of Villisca concerning the axe murders that may never be revealed. In closing, I am glad I discovered The Villisca Axe Murder House as a paranormal investigation hot spot and a place to remember the victims as well. I look forward to many more memorable visits to this house.

http://www.villiscaiowa.com/news.php

[debbiediablo]

My understanding is the $428 per night is for 1-6 people with additional guests at $74.90 per person. Somewhere online there's a quote from the current owner: "This is NOT a bed and breakfast!"

Supposedly there were no documented concerns about paranormal activity from former residents of the house, but suddenly the place becomes active once it's opened to the public. I can entertain a theory that restoring the house and grounds to 1912 condition and then hosting hundreds of mass murder aficionados who view and discuss the crime over and over and over, show up with trigger objects and Ouija boards, special cameras, EVP recorders, etc. might open a previously closed or little used channel (for lack of a more precise descriptor).

Thanks for the video, Twins!

[twinsrwe]

Yes, Debbie, you are correct about the $428 per night cost to stay there. Sorry about that.

http://www.villiscaiowa.com/

I recall reading that the current owner stated, "This is NOT a bed and breakfast!", but I know recall what web site I read it from.

I also read that there are no documentation about paranormal activity from former residents of the house, but suddenly the place becomes active once it's opened to the public. Pretty weird, huh?

[twinsrwe]

... Thanks for the video, Twins!

You're welcome, Debbie. There was one scene in that video that brought back several warm childhood memories for me; the Warm Morning Cast Iron Stove located in the pallor (See photo below). That stove looks very much like the one my parents had in their kitchen.

IAVILmurder_5310ks.jpg

[debbiediablo]

I have long ago (c. 1953) memories of my mother cooking on a wood stove. On cold winter days I'd crawl into a corner between the stove and the wall and play in the warmth of wood heat. To this day I love a roaring blaze in the fireplace. For me it's both physically and emotionally comforting.

[twinsrwe]

My memories are also both physically and emotionally comforting. Our Warm Morning stove burned both wood and coal. I remember in the winter time, after breakfast, my sister and I would crawl into the seat of an antique slider rocker, which sat in a corner of the kitchen beside the stove, while the rest of the family gathered around the stove sitting on the chairs from the dinner table, and then my mother would conduct our daily family Bible study sessions. I love the smell of freshly cut wood. Once it is dried out enough to burn, it throws off a scent that is very warm and comforting to me.

[Curryong]

Do both of you have wood fires today? They aren't very usual in Australia at all, though wood stoves in the kitchen are reasonably common here in Victoria. Most have air conditioning, which is really necessary because of the heat, and gas heaters in living quarters.

When I was young, many moons ago, in England everyone had a roaring open fire in their sitting rooms (heated by coal). Most still do in areas where it's allowed. The Clean Air Act stopped most open fires in London and other urban areas followed, but councils do allow open fires with special fuel.

We didn't have a wood stove, (though we knew people who did) but we had the usual blazing fire roaring up the chimney during the colder months. I'm with deb. There is nothing nicer, or more comforting, than that lovely orange glow in the fireplace on a cold night. Our cat used to get as close as he possibly could and close his eyes in ecstasy!

Foreigners used to roll their eyes at this British habit, because of course wood burning stoves are a much more efficient way of heating a house. Central heating was regarded as an American thing and few people had it, even in hotels!

[debbiediablo]

We do, yes. Our house is all electric including radiant zone heat which is nice -- we can adjust temperature in each room. But we also have wood burning fireplaces on two floors and an outdoor wood burning furnace that serves as our primary central heating system until we get sick of going outside to fire it or are gone for more than 12 hours. Outdoor systems that connect underground are relatively common in this area as fallen timber is readily available. We have a woodcutter who fells and chops dead hardwood trees on a 50/50 arrangement. This works well for him and for us as my husband has too much other work and isn't as spry at 67 as he was even ten years ago. (I will deny saying this!) Our heat bill for one winter is about $125 for 3,616 square feet. This is in NE Iowa where 40 below is not unheard of. For the most part it's having the best of both worlds.

[Curryong]

That sounds marvellous, Debbie. It's very cheap, and good that most of your neighbours have the same sort of arrangement. I suppose it's an area where people have lived for generation after generation? With those sort of temperatures you'd need efficient forms of heating. It's just you and your husband now, I guess, but you'll remain, in spite of all those stairs? In another couple of decades you could get a couple of those electric chair-lift arrangement that fix onto the banisters!

Burning wood in huge amounts like that wouldn't do in most areas in Australia as our forests are mostly eucalypts (gum trees), and although gum does burn, I wouldn't call it a great firewood. On really hot days here or in bush fires the trees have a strange habit of occasionally losing a bough unexpectedly. On rare occasions it lands on top of someone, a naive camper and so forth. It's the eucalypt expanding and bursting, I suppose!

[August Pears]

I can read about the Borden murders and others like Jack the Ripper for hours on end. Ah. The danse macabre. But something about the Villasca murder horrifies me. It's true evil.

[twinsrwe]

I agree, August. The Villasca Axe Murders are just about as evil as they get!

[debbiediablo]

It's 5:41 AM, and this book just came to my attention about three minutes ago, just long enough to one-click purchase from Kindle. Ah such bliss...to read about yet another series of bloody unsolved axe murders.

Axes of Evil: The True Story of the Ax-Man Murders
by Todd C. Elliott

The ax-man murders of 1912 in Louisiana and Texas leave a bloody trail of evidence that points to the largest, unsolved serial killing in history of the United States. It’s a tale of ritual murder, voodoo mayhem, and wholesale killings that leads the reader on a shocking train ride across two states and into the chapters of a real American horror story. The fiendish slayings of 10 sleeping families nestled in their beds is only the beginning of the terrifying account of a true crime that remains unsolved. Axes of Evil sheds light on an unwritten part of American history and uncovers the American “Jack the Ripper.”

http://www.amazon.com/Axes-Evil-Story-A ... es+of+evil

[MysteryReader]

Wow! Looks like something I'll be poking around in. I'm not sure I want to read the book.

[August Pears]

Just when I fess up I'm a coward and too scared of Villasca, it's linked to a possible serial killer!? I may have to drag my security blanket out of the back closet and give this thing a read. Thanks Debbie...gulp...I think.

[debbiediablo]

Just when I fess up I'm a coward and too scared of Villasca, it's linked to a possible serial killer!? I may have to drag my security blanket out of the back closet and give this thing a read. Thanks Debbie...gulp...I think.

The best book about Villisca is Murdered in Their Beds by Troy Taylor, that is until Ed Epperly publishes his, hopefully this year. Taylor does a great job with the facts right up 'til the end where he presents his theory of whodunnit. Otherwise it's a riveting story. Available on Kindle. The film Villisca: Living With a Mystery is a available on Vimeo, $2.00 for a 48 hour rental and well worth it. A superb, fact-based documentary that relies on the straight facts which stand-alone sensational. I'm not sure about this new book - the victims were black, and authorities were caught up in voodoo explanations - but thus far the MO for the Texas and Louisiana crimes is dead-on with Villisca. Bad pun.