Villisca, Iowa and the Axe-Murder Man
In the heart of southwestern Iowa, nestled amidst rolling hills, lies the town of Villisca. Today, it’s a quiet agricultural community with a population of around 1,300, a far cry from its bustling past. But Villisca harbors a dark secret, a chilling tale etched into the very fabric of its history: the unsolved axe murders of 1912.
The story unfolds on a seemingly ordinary residential street, where a pristine white house stands as a silent witness to a horrific tragedy. Within its walls, on the night of June 10, 1912, a brutal crime unfolded, claiming the lives of eight individuals – the entire Josiah Moore family and two young overnight guests. The weapon of choice? A simple axe, wielded with unimaginable ferocity.
In the early 1900s, Villisca was a thriving railroad town, boasting a population of approximately 2,500. The town bustled with activity as over two dozen passenger and freight trains stopped daily at its depot. Hotels, restaurants, stores, theaters, and manufacturers lined the streets, painting a picture of prosperity and growth. Among the town’s prominent figures was Josiah B. Moore, a respected businessman who owned and operated the Moore Implement Company, a successful John Deere franchise.
Josiah, affectionately known as "J.B.," and his wife, Sarah Montgomery Moore, were well-regarded members of the community. They were active in the Presbyterian Church and known for their friendly and helpful nature. They had four children: Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul. On Sunday, June 9, 1912, the Moores, along with the Stillinger family, attended church services. Sarah had coordinated the annual "Children’s Day Program," a significant event in the town. After the program, nine-year-old Katherine invited her friends, 12-year-old Lena Stillinger and her seven-year-old sister, Ina May, for a sleepover. The girls eagerly accepted, and the Moore family and the Stillinger sisters walked home from the church, arriving between 9:45 and 10:00 p.m.
The following morning, the unsettling stillness of the Moore residence raised concerns. Mary Peckham, a neighbor, noticed the absence of the family’s usual morning activities and the unusual quiet emanating from the house. She knocked on the door between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., but received no response. Finding the door locked, she alerted Josiah’s brother, Ross Moore. Upon arriving, Ross also knocked and shouted, attempting to rouse someone inside. Finding the curtains drawn and windows covered, he used his keys to enter the house. What he discovered within compelled him to immediately summon the sheriff.
The scene that awaited law enforcement was gruesome beyond comprehension. Josiah Moore, 43, and Sarah Moore, 39, were found bludgeoned to death in their upstairs master bedroom, their bedclothes soaked in blood. In the adjacent bedrooms, their children – Herman, 11; Katherine, 10; Boyd, 7; and Paul, 5 – suffered the same fate. On the main floor, in the guest room, lay the bodies of Lena Stillinger, 12, and Ina May Stillinger, 8, also brutally murdered. An axe, believed to be the murder weapon, lay discarded in the guest room.
News of the massacre spread like wildfire through Villisca, drawing a crowd of onlookers and neighbors. Law enforcement struggled to maintain control of the crime scene, and it is believed that dozens of people inadvertently contaminated the area before the Villisca National Guard arrived around noon to secure the premises.
The investigation revealed the horrific timeline: the eight victims were murdered shortly after midnight, with the exception of Lena Stillinger, who appeared to have fought back against her attacker, sustaining a defensive wound on her arm. The ferocity of the attack was evident in the gouge marks on the ceilings of the bedrooms, caused by the upswing of the axe.
The axe, which belonged to Josiah Moore, was found bloody but wiped clean. All of the curtains in the house had been drawn, and windows lacking curtains were covered with clothing. The faces of all the victims were covered with bed linens or clothing. A pan of bloody water and a plate of uneaten food were discovered on the kitchen table.
In the immediate aftermath, the residents of Villisca were gripped by fear and suspicion. The initial assumption was that a deranged tramp was responsible. Posses were formed to scour the area, searching alleys, barns, and outbuildings for the killer, but their efforts proved futile. As darkness descended, fear intensified, with families barricading themselves in their homes and neighbors watching each other with suspicion. The town’s lock supply quickly dwindled, and residents openly carried weapons.
The murders attracted the attention of newspaper reporters and private detectives, and bloodhounds were brought in to aid the investigation. Law enforcement agencies from neighboring counties and states joined the effort. The Villisca axe murders irrevocably altered the lives of the town’s residents, fostering distrust and division that would linger for years to come.
One of the initial theories explored by investigators was the possibility of a serial killer. In the year preceding the Villisca murders, a series of similar family massacres had occurred in the Midwest. However, this line of inquiry eventually faded and was largely dismissed.
Suspicion also fell upon various strangers and transients passing through the town. One such individual was Andy Sawyer, a transient railroad worker who aroused suspicion due to his intense interest in the murder news and his unusual behavior. However, Sawyer was eventually cleared when it was discovered that he had been arrested for vagrancy in another town on the night of the murders.
As the investigation progressed, attention shifted to local residents, leading to a climate of suspicion and fractured relationships within the community. Sarah’s brother-in-law, Lee Van Gilder, a man with a history of violence and a strained relationship with the family, was briefly considered a suspect but later cleared.
The authorities also focused on Frank F. Jones, a prominent businessman and Iowa State Senator. Josiah Moore had previously worked for Jones as a top salesman before starting his own competing business, taking the coveted John Deere franchise with him. The rivalry between the two men had grown increasingly bitter, but Jones was never charged with any crime.
Investigators then turned their attention to William Mansfield, whom they suspected Jones may have hired to commit the murders. Mansfield was arrested and brought before a grand jury, but the jury refused to indict him due to his alibi.
Another suspect who emerged was Reverend George Kelly, a traveling minister who had been teaching at the Children’s Day services attended by the Moore family on the day before the murders. Kelly’s nervous demeanor and the fact that he had left Villisca early on the day of the murders raised suspicions. However, it was his obsessive interest in the case that ultimately drew the attention of law enforcement.
Kelly sent a series of rambling letters to investigators and relatives of the victims. He also arranged to visit the murder house shortly after the crime. His disturbing behavior, including instances of peeking into women’s bedrooms and requesting nude poses from young women, led to his arrest in 1917.
Kelly eventually dictated a confession, claiming that he had heard the voice of God commanding him to "suffer the children to come unto me." However, the jury deadlocked in his first trial, and he was acquitted in a second trial.
Another suspect was Henry Lee Moore (no relation to Josiah Moore), who was thought to be a serial killer. Several months after the Villisca murder, Henry was convicted of the murder of his mother and grandmother with an axe. He was also suspected of the killings in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ellsworth and Paola, Kansas. The cases were similar enough that the same person committed all; however, this was never proven.
Despite the numerous suspects and extensive investigations, the Villisca axe murders remained unsolved. In 1917, the police and investigators gave up. The killer was never brought to justice. The victims’ remains rest in the Villisca Cemetery, while the "Murder House" stands as a haunting reminder of the tragedy.
After the murders, the house passed through the hands of eight different owners before being purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Darwin Linn in 1994. The Linns painstakingly restored the dilapidated house to its original condition, and in 1998, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the house is open for tours and overnight stays, and it has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted locations in America.
Over the years, the house has been the site of numerous reports of paranormal activity, including sightings of a shadowy figure wielding an axe, images of bloody shoes, and unexplained sounds and movements. Paranormal investigations have allegedly captured audio, video, and photographic evidence of paranormal phenomena. The Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures Crew even claimed to have recorded a voice saying, "I killed six kids."
While many believe the house is genuinely haunted, others remain skeptical. Regardless of one’s beliefs, the Villisca axe murder house continues to fascinate and terrify visitors, serving as a chilling reminder of the unsolved mystery that forever changed the town of Villisca.