Table Of Content
The murders were described in the episode Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders? YouTubers Sam and Colby published a paranormal investigation video of the murders. The murders and purported paranormal activity was described in Episode 21 of the podcast And That's Why We Drink. Police obtained a confession from him; however, it followed many hours of interrogation and Kelly later recanted. Naturally, a house with such a dark and mysterious past quickly attracted rumors of a haunting.
Villisca Axe Murder House at Center of New Netflix Movie - WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather
Villisca Axe Murder House at Center of New Netflix Movie.
Posted: Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Life Without Light: Creatures in the Dark With Sarah McAnulty
One of the townspeople even took a fragment of Joe’s skull as a keepsake. Everyone in the house was dead, all eight of them bludgeoned beyond recognition. The next morning, the neighbors became suspicious, noticing that the usually rambunctious home was dead quiet. What he saw after letting himself in with his own key was enough to make him sick. The Travel Channel's television show Destination Fear filmed at the location for the eighth episode of their third season.
Responses to Villisca Axe Murders
The police also discovered a plate of food and a bowl of bloodied water on the kitchen table. The water might have been what the killer used in washing his hands. Occasionally interrupted by the trains that passed through the town, Villisca was also known for having the National Guard Armory —an armory funded entirely by the local people of Villisca.
Whispers from the Shadows: Exploring the Villisca Axe Murder House
The killer had attempted to clean the blade, however, blood could still be seen on it. The perpetrator also ransacked the drawers and found several clothes that he used to conceal various surfaces in the house, including mirrors and glass panels in the doors. The most bizarre evidence was the four-pound bacon slab the killer left in the Stillinger girls’ room. Finally, he took the house keys, locking the doors behind him as he left. The death of the Moore family and the Stillinger girls quickly spread across the small community.
The Moore family was popular throughout the town and had made a name for themselves through their generosity and kindness. The townspeople knew them to be devout Christians who maintained good relationships with many in the community and beyond. However, Josiah had a few people who opposed his style of living, both personally and professionally. The Villisca house is now an attraction, a spectacle for the morbidly curious tourists.
Reverend acquitted by jury for family's murder
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, however, this town was a booming community that attracted developing businesses and tycoons that sought to capitalize on a steadily growing population. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. It wasn’t until 1917 that a Grand Jury indicted Kelly for the murder of Lena Stillinger. In August of that year, Kelly confessed to the murder, saying that God had whispered “suffer the children to come unto me” in his ear. He was a successful businessman in Villisca, excelling at everything he lent his hand to. After he amassed reasonable wealth during his thirties, he later went on to marry and have four children with his wife, Sarah.
Henry Lee Moore
His wife, Sarah, when not looking after four children, was active in the local church. The entire Moore family and two friends who were staying at the house. Following the murder, many Villisca residents believed Iowa State Senator Frank F. Jones was the culprit. "Everybody loved them," said Johnny Houser, a tour guide at the Villisca Ax Murder House. "Think of that family from your small hometown that everyone loves, everyone respects, nobody has a problem with." There were many resemblances between his previous killings and the slain Moore family, causing him to be suspected of the Villisca Murder.
Why Did a Ghost Hunter Stab Himself Inside a Famous Ax-Murder House? - VICE
Why Did a Ghost Hunter Stab Himself Inside a Famous Ax-Murder House?.
Posted: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 08:00:00 GMT [source]
As for the perpetrator of the Villisca Axe Murders, the police had shockingly few leads. A few half-hearted efforts to search the town and surrounding countryside were made, though most officials believed that with the roughly five-hour head start that the killer had had, he would be long gone. Bloodhounds were brought in, but with no success, as the crime scene had been fully demolished by the townspeople. The police determined that the Moore parents had been murdered first, and with obvious force.
Strange occurrences abound at the Villisca Ax Murder House more than a century after the infamous, unsolved crime
The 1912 Iowa Touring Atlas proclaimed it as “one of the finest towns in the state.” The brochure described it as a perfectly picturesque small town, populated with lovely Victorian homes on its tree-lined streets. The jury deadlocked 11 to one for acquittal, according to Iowa Cold Cases. Kelly signed a confession months later saying God had whispered to him to "suffer the children to come unto me." On June 10, 2012, a number of Iowa newspapers covered the 100-year anniversary of Iowa’s most highly profiled crime. KCRG-TV9’s piece featured an additional video with a tour inside the notorious home. The documentary, now available on DVD, features Dr. Edgar Epperly, the historian considered the foremost authority on the Villisca murders.
Notice both porches are closed in and the chimney stack between the windows is missing. The Ax Murder suspects – Frank Jones, William Mansfield, Rev Kelly, Henry Moore. Traveling minister, Reverend Lyn George Kelly was one of the main suspects. The attic in which the killer(s) are thought to have waited in for the Moore family to fall asleep. Brave souls can tour the Villisca Ax Murder House and even stay overnight, if they dare.
Moore was rumored to have had a sexual affair with Jones’ daughter-in-law, though no evidence supports this. Linn and Sampson say that Laursen has recovered from his injuries, but will not comment any further out of respect for the family. The town has drawn a lot of attention since the Laursen episode, however, and both Sampson and Linn, the caretaker, say they have been inundated with media inquiries, which they hope will end soon. In the 1990s, the home was painstakingly restored by historians Martha and Gavin Linn into a sort of living museum, recreating the home as it was on the night of the crime, right down to the lack of electricity and plumbing. If you want to visit the Villisca Ax Murder House, but simply can’t make it to Iowa, then there is one other option.
At the time of the murder, every stranger in town and unaccounted for was a suspect in the murder case. Doctor Williams also ascertained that an axe had struck each of the victims between times, leaving each body bloody and almost unrecognizable. When Ross came around 8 am, he walked into the house through the front door.
After two separate trials, he was acquitted, and the Viscilla Ax murders remained unsolved. That evening, nobody heard any kind of disturbance coming from the Moore house. However, the next morning, neighbor Mary Peckham noticed the family hadn’t come outside to do any of their usual chores. Mary knocked on the door of the house, but nobody answered and it was locked. After letting their chickens out, she rang Ross Moore, the brother of Josiah. On the night of June 10th, the Moore family spent the evening at the Presbyterian church where they took part in the Children’s Day Program.
No comments:
Post a Comment