Gruesome Anniversary

History 5 Minutes

Today, June 12th, is the 111th anniversary of gruesome murders in Iowa.  Eight people, including 6 children were bludgeoned with an axe.  Worse yet, the murders remain unsolved. I found this article on allthatsinteresting.com website.

The Gruesome Story Of The Unsolved Villisca Axe Murders

By Katie Serena | Edited By John Kuroski

Updated September 29, 2022

On June 10, 1912, all eight people inside the Moore family’s house in Villisca, Iowa — including two adults and six children — were murdered by an axe-wielding assailant.

At the end of a quiet street in Villisca, Iowa, there sits an old white frame house. Up the street, there are a group of churches, and a few blocks away is a park that faces a middle school. The old white house looks like many of the others that fill the neighborhood, but unlike them, it lies abandoned. The house emits no light or sound, and upon closer inspection, the doors are found to be tightly boarded up. A small sign out front reads: “Villisca Axe Murder House.”

Despite its ominous air, the little white house was once filled with life, life that was harshly stamped out one warm summer’s night in 1912, when a mysterious stranger broke in, and viciously bludgeoned its eight sleeping inhabitants to death. The event would come to be known as the Villisca Axe Murders and it would baffle law enforcement for over a century.

The Brutal Story Of How The Villisca Axe Murders Unfolded

On June 10, 1912, the Moore family was sleeping peacefully in their beds. Joe and Sarah Moore were asleep upstairs, while their four children were resting in a room down the hall. In a guest room on the first floor were two girls, the Stillinger sisters, who had come for a sleepover.

Shortly after midnight, a stranger entered through the unlocked door (not an uncommon sight in what was considered a small, safe, friendly town), and plucked an oil lamp from a nearby table, rigging it to burn so low it supplied light for barely one person. On one hand, the stranger held the lamp, lighting the way through the house.

In his other, he held an axe.

Ignoring the sleeping girls downstairs, the stranger made his way up the stairs, guided by the lamp, and a seemingly unerring knowledge of the home’s layout. He crept past the room with the children, and into Mr. and Mrs. Moore’s bedroom. Then he made his way to the children’s room, and finally back down to the bedroom downstairs. In each room, he committed some of the grisliest murders in American history.

Then, as quickly and silently as he had arrived, the stranger left, taking keys from the home, and locking the door behind him. The Villisca Axe Murders may have been quick, but as the world was about to discover, they were unimaginably horrifying.

The Horrors Of The Villisca Murders Come To Light

The next morning, the neighbors became suspicious, noticing that the usually rambunctious home was dead quiet. They alerted Joe’s brother, who arrived to take a look. What he saw after letting himself in with his own key was enough to make him sick.

Everyone in the house was dead, all eight of them bludgeoned beyond recognition.

The police determined that the Moore parents had been murdered first, and with obvious force. The axe that had been used to kill them had been swung so high above the murderer’s head that it gouged the ceiling above the bed. Joe alone had been hit with the axe at least 30 times. The faces of both parents, as well as the children, had been reduced to nothing but a bloody pulp.

The state of the bodies wasn’t the most concerning part, however, once the police had searched the home.

After murdering the Moores, the killer had apparently set up some kind of ritual. He had covered the Moore parent’s heads with sheets, and the Moore children’s faces with clothing. He then went through each room in the house, covering all of the mirrors and windows with cloths and towels. At some point, he took a two-pound piece of uncooked bacon from the fridge and placed it in the living room, along with a keychain.

A bowl of water was found in the home, spirals of blood swirling through it. Police believed that the murderer had washed his hands in it before leaving.

By the time the police, the coroner, a minister, and several doctors had thoroughly perused the crime scene, word of the vicious crime had spread, and the crowd outside the home had grown. Officials cautioned the townspeople against going inside, but as soon as the premises was clear at least 100 townspeople gave in to their gross fascinations and traipsed through the blood-spattered home.

One of the townspeople even took a fragment of Joe’s skull as a keepsake.

Who Committed The Villisca Axe Murders?

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.

A few suspects were named over time though none of them panned out. The first was Frank Jones, a local businessman who had been in competition with Joe Moore. Moore had worked for Jones for seven years in the farm equipment sales business before leaving and starting his own rival business.

There was also a rumor that Joe was having an affair with Jones’ daughter-in-law, though the reports were unfounded. The townspeople insist, however, that the Moores and the Joneses harbored a deep hatred for each other, though no one admits it was bad enough to spark murder.

The second suspect seemed far more likely and even confessed to the murders – though he later recanted claiming police brutality.

Lyn George Jacklin Kelly was an English immigrant, who had a history of sexual deviancy and mental problems. He even admitted to being in town the night of the Villisca Axe Murders and admitted that he had left early in the morning. Though his small stature and meek personality led some to doubt his involvement, there were certain factors police believed made him the perfect candidate.

Kelly was left-handed, which police determined from blood spatters that the killer must be. He also had a history with the Moore family, as many had seen him watching them while at church and out and about in town. A dry cleaner in a nearby town had received bloody clothing from Kelly a few days after the murders. He reportedly also asked police for access to the home after the crime while posing as a Scotland Yard officer.

At one point, after a long interrogation, he eventually signed a confession detailing the crime. However he almost immediately recanted, and a jury refused to indict him.

The Case Goes Cold And The Villisca Axe Murders House Becomes A Tourist Attraction

For years, police looked into every possible scenario that could have culminated in the Villisca Axe Murders. Was it a single attack, or part of a larger string of murders? Was it likelier to be a local perpetrator, or a traveling killer, simply passing through town and taking an opportunity?

Soon, reports of similar enough crimes happening throughout the country began to pop up. Though the crimes were not quite as gruesome, there were two common threads – the use of an axe as the murder weapon, and the presence of an oil lamp, set to burn extremely low, at the scene.

Despite the commonalities, however, no actual connections could be made. The case eventually ran cold, and the house was boarded up. No sale was ever attempted, and no changes were made to the original layout. Now, the house has become a tourist attraction and sits at the end of the quiet street as it always has, while life goes on around it, undeterred by the horrors that were once committed within.

SOURCE: allthatsinteresting.com

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Published by pat frederick

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193 thoughts on “Gruesome Anniversary”

              1. LOL – you should see my trim work! Oh, it’s bad….REALLY bad!!! But, hey – it’s my fricking house! If I don’t care, what do I care if anyone else does or not?!?! ROFL

                Liked by 1 person

              3. I did all of my own interior painting…I got to the point that I was soooo fricking sick and tired of painting…I got to my bedroom and said f-it! Then HB died and I had to make room for the dresser and hutch/china closet but I needed to paint that wall first. They would be much harder to move than the cheap book shelves I had there before. I managed to get the gray primer on that wall and part of the front wall…and that’s as far as I got….still not painted and that was in 2015! LOL

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  12. Liked by 1 person

  14. Jeff Clark
    @JeffClarkUS
    I’m beginning to read the indictment against Trump. But even three pages in, it’s clear that the leaks that preceded the indictment are far too close to what is actually being pleaded by DOJ to be a coincidence.

    For example, in paragraph 6a on page 3, we hear about the recording of the Bedminster call, which the MSNBC’s of the world have been beating a dead horse about for quite a while based on such leaks.

    This means that Trump lawyers could not possibly be the source of the leaks.

    Ergo, the leaks are coming from DOJ. They must be investigated and punished.

    Also, this is grounds for granting a motion highlighting jury pool poisoning and dismissing the indictment before it reaches even its one-month birthday.

    All of this is so outrageous; it shocks the conscience. It’s fundamentally anti-American.

    Trump Witch Hunt Number … what?

    I’ve lost count. Let’s call it Trump Witch Hunt #99.

    Indictment available here. Read it for yourself.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Hmmm….I’m toying with the idea of going out and working on my mailbox….it is tipping backwards more and more every day. When I was watching the mail-lady try to reach it to get the letter I was sending out and pull the flag down (she had to use some kind of extension since the mailbox is on her right), I realized how bad it’s gotten. And I need to do something before she complains too many times and I get a notice that I HAVE to do something….know what I mean???

    Liked by 1 person

        1. I hear ya’….saw a family at WM yesterday – a 2-3 mo. old in a stroller, with stair-step kids for a total of 6 and their Mom….Hispanic. I look around in Norfolk and the majority of the people around me are these days. WM is advertising for help – they always seem to be short. Starting at $16/hr, which is pretty good money for this area; of course, it’s less here and in all the smaller towns. The last time, when I lost my list, the woman I was talking to mainly worked at the Columbus store but was working there for a short period – short handed, I guess. I know Ricketts brought 3 Afghan families to Norfolk but I’ve not seen any of them.

          Liked by 1 person

  18. unabomber is found dead in his cell. he was 81

    FTA
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died Saturday. He was 81.

    Branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI, Kaczynski died at the federal prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina, Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told The Associated Press. He was found unresponsive in his cell early Saturday morning and was pronounced dead around 8 a.m., she said. A cause of death was not immediately known.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-unabomber-165836331.html

    Liked by 1 person

        1. It depends on his health status – look at my Mom – 93 in July…Oran and Lois across the street, both in the 80’s…a lot of people. I would assume that all prisoners were required to get it anyway.

          Liked by 1 person

            1. Every individual is different. Longevity does run in my birth family – Mom had several uncles and aunts who lived well into their 100’s. But her Mom died in her 80’s. You never know.

              Liked by 1 person

  20. Dear Patriots,

    “Last night I was on Twitter reading comments about the left’s latest attack on America: their newest indictment of Trump. One of the posts I read was from a man who claimed that his father was never political- but that his father had had enough of the insanity of Trump supporters and decided to speak out. His father’s sentiment, in a nutshell, was this: “Trump supporters distrust everybody except Donald Trump- therefore, how is it not obvious to them that they’re crazy?”

    I had to think about this for a minute. That’s a very compelling argument. Having to defend the position that you put your trust in a man who is savagely attacked relentlessly for being a “criminal”, a “lunatic”, a “dangerous despot”- while basically acknowledging that we have no trust in any of the leaders of our institutions… it’s hard to do that without sounding like you’re in a cult (which of course, is what they want people to believe about MAGA).

    I almost decided to keep scrolling because dealing with it seemed too difficult. Then I remembered that the message I have always sent to all of you is to ALWAYS speak up. Become #UNSILENT. Fight back. And so I wrote…

    “Here’s the deal. We’ve watched you all on the left go insane for 7 years. There is literally no bridge you wouldn’t jump off in the name of Trump hatred. Hell, I was right there with you at first. But the thing is – I got out of it and you guys didn’t. And it festered and festered and grew and grew and metastasized in all of you for 7 years until it robbed you of all ability to see the world around you rationally, logically, and soundly.

    And then, sadly, you all lost your humanity and your compassion to this irrational hatred of Donald Trump and his supporters. We’ve seen with our own eyes time and time again that there is nothing you wouldn’t do to try to destroy this man. And you lost your souls in this pursuit. So, yes – we can recognize how insane it sounds to say, “We trust Donald Trump… and we don’t trust any of you.”

    But we don’t trust any of you because we’ve watched your emotional stability and your ability to reason unravel before our eyes. We’ve watched your hate devour you like a cancer and destroy any kindness and good judgment you once possessed. We watched a man lead our country better than anybody else has in our lifetimes, and stand up and fight against the establishment for all of us – and we watched you lie about everything he did, and tear our country apart.

    We watched your anger and bitterness and acrimony spread like a virus everywhere – into our school systems, our courts, our law enforcement agencies, our election systems… your malignant rage and malevolence was airborne. It went everywhere and knew no boundaries.

    No. We don’t trust you. Because you’re not worthy of trust. You’ve behaved reprehensibly for 7 years. You’ve treated good people like trash. You’ve harmed our nation in ways we will likely never recover from. You have lied. And yes, you have cheated. And you have stolen. No. We don’t trust you. And I doubt we ever will.”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Ya’ know…I LOVE Publisher’s Clearing House! I know, I know…people say it’s a scam and yes, you have to be VERY discerning about things they advertise. They are definitely a “must read the fine print” source, especially when it comes to the size of the object they are advertising. Having said that, they have some of the coolest and handiest things I’ve ever seen! For instance, in today’s package is a flyer for plastic dough presses to make dumplings, fruit turnovers, calzones, ravioli, etc. They shape the dough and flute the edges, all at one time! A set of 5 is $15. Doesn’t seem too bad a price to me.

    They have a silicone fold-over omelet maker for less than $12! No oils, no pan, MW and ready to go – as often as I eat omelets, it would be super handy for me.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh, my, no! They sell all kinds of things, from clothes to tools to solar lights to towels, sheets, bedding…you name it! Never really big stuff. Very few magazines, actually.

        Liked by 1 person

  24. in between helping hubby and sewing, i am checking in at wolf’s…there’s some running commentary about the rally. he gave joe a new nickname…Joe Bribem

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Well, Mom just called: “What the hell is going on with the Belmont???” Shit, I don’t know – I’ve got the race set to record – I’ll ff to the race itself and just watch that. I do not keep up on this stuff at all. Apparently, they have shortened the distance to 1 mile instead of 1.5 mile, which is what it has always been – THAT is what made it the toughest race of all of them and what determined a true champion! Second, it was always restricted to 2 and 3 year olds – nothing older. Now she says they are also allowing older horses in the race. They are in the process of completely destroying ANY value of the Triple Crown!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I have no idea, Pat – I don’t follow it at all. I record the races, watch just the race, and that’s it. The changes would be under the purview of the Racing Stewards at Belmont Park, I would guess. There is some big, high falutin’ group that runs these things. Again, I know next to nothing about that aspect. Even after working on the racetrack, I STILL don’t understand the betting process, except a few basics. My knowledge is in the barns with the horses themselves.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hang on….I just now realized something – the actual Belmont hasn’t run yet….I’ll bet $$$ she was seeing them talking about one of the races that come BEFORE the Belmont….that’s it. I need to call her…..

        Liked by 1 person

      3. See? I do that waaay too much….automatically jump when if I’d stop and think for a minute….SMH – I thought about her saying “they’re going into the gate now…” and looked at the guide again, then saw that it hadn’t even started yet – the actual race won’t be run here until close to 5:30 our time!!!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. For being such a germ freak, he is outstanding at meeting and greeting people in places like that – the common, little people! And it means soooo much to them! He is so thoughtful of others and knows the value of showing appreciation.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. hmmmmmmmm

    Liked by 1 person

  28. “The fact that millions of sheeple would vote to re-elect this corrupt, incompetent, senile grifter, is a sad reflection on how many moral & mental defectives there are among us…”

    NF: That’s GEICO for you! This happened in Davenport, IA.

    “Insurance company refusing to honor rental insurance for survivor of Davenport collapse — According to resident Linnea Hoover, her insurance company won’t cover anything and is denying her claim.”
    DAVENPORT, Iowa — One resident of the collapsed Davenport apartment building says her insurance company is denying her rental insurance claim because the collapse is “on the building owner.”

    Former WQAD photojournalist Linnea Hoover was inside the building taking a nap when it collapsed. She says she contacted her insurance company the night the tragedy happened. “You contact your insurance company because they can help reimburse you for when something like this happens, or that’s what should happen,” Hoover said.

    GEICO told her they won’t honor her rental coverage, which only covers $5,000 of personal expenses. “We’re not helping you with hotel, we’re not helping you with clothing, we’re not helping you with anything, and we’re denying your claim because it’s on the building owner,” Hoover said. This information is hard for her to comprehend.

    “At this point, I’m basically like, what’s insurance for,” Hoover expressed. “Like, why do you purchase expensive insurance, especially as a renter, when something like this happens, and they’re not going to do anything? I just don’t understand it.” Hoover has taken her claim to the Iowa Insurance Division which will evaluate her insurance contract and determine if the decision and process made by GEICO is correct.

    “If the insurance company made a mistake we will re-engage them on that error,” said Iowa Insurance Division Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jared Kirby. “However, if they’re accurate, we would share with the consumer ‘Hey, look at this section of your insurance policy, here’s what it specifically says.'”

    The Iowa Insurance Division is a governmental agency. Their services are completely free. “

    Liked by 1 person

  29. “Julian Assange ‘dangerously close’ to US extradition after losing latest legal appeal”

    EXCERPT: “Julian Assange is “dangerously close” to being extradited to the US after losing his latest legal appeal, his family and observers of his long-running legal challenge say. His lawyers say they will appeal again to the same court, amid growing fears he could spend the rest of his life in prison for publishing thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents.

    In a three-page judgment handed down on Tuesday, UK high court judge Justice Jonathan Swift rejected all eight grounds of Assange’s appeal against the US’s extradition order, signed by then UK home secretary Priti Patel in June last year.

    But Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, said her husband would make a “renewed application for appeal to the high court” next week. The matter would then be heard before two new judges in a public hearing, Stella Assange said. “And we remain optimistic that we will prevail and that Julian will not be extradited to the United States where he faces charges that could result in him spending the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for publishing true information that revealed war crimes committed by the US government.”

    Assange’s father, John Shipton, said his son’s grounds for a further hearing were “clear, firm and just”. “Julian’s family watch on, horrified, and all fair-minded people the world over watch with profound disquiet and alarm,” he said.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/09/julian-assange-dangerously-close-to-us-extradition-after-losing-latest-legal-appeal

    Liked by 1 person

  30. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

  38. Furever friends! Shelter dogs are adopted together after adorable video showed one jumping over kennel wall so she could spend time with her furry best pal
    Video from the Minneapolis Animal Care and Control showed the bond between Brenda and Linda, who came into the shelter together and are now inseparable
    It revealed a cement wall was far from enough to keep apart the precocious pair of pups – with Brenda seen easily traversing it to hang out with her pal next-door
    Only a few days later, after the heartwarming footage was shared with the public, the duo are set to spend the rest of their days together at a new home

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12179841/Shelter-dogs-adopted-video-showed-one-jumping-kennel-spend-time-other.html

    Liked by 1 person

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