Six children. Two adults. One heavy axe.
On a quiet summer night in 1912, the Moore family and two guests were bludgeoned to death in their beds. It happened in Villisca, Iowa. It’s a tiny place. Even today, only about 1,100 people live there. Back then, it was a prosperous rail town, the kind of place where nobody locked their doors until they absolutely had to. June 10 changed that forever.
The Villisca Axe Murders didn't just end eight lives; they shattered the sense of security that defined the American Midwest at the turn of the century. You’ve probably heard of Lizzie Borden. Everyone has. But the Moore house murders were arguably more brutal, more mysterious, and—honestly—way more haunting because the killer was never caught. The case remains a dark stain on Iowa’s history.
What Actually Happened on East Second Street?
Josiah Moore and his wife Sarah were well-liked. Joe was a successful businessman who had recently opened his own implement store. They had four kids: Herman, Mary, Arthur, and Paul. On the night of June 9, the family attended a Children's Day service at the Presbyterian church. Two neighborhood friends, Lena and Ina Stillinger, joined them for a sleepover.
They walked home. They ate some milk and cookies. They went to sleep.
Somewhere between midnight and 5:00 AM, someone entered the house. They used Joe Moore's own axe. Every person in the house was struck in the head with the blunt side of the tool. Most were killed instantly, likely while sleeping, though Lena Stillinger’s body was found in a position that suggested she might have been awake or tried to fight back.
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The scene was gruesome. But it was also weird. The killer covered the mirrors with cloths. They covered the windows. They left a piece of uneaten bacon on the kitchen table. Why? Nobody knows. Criminologists still debate whether these were the rituals of a serial killer or the panicked actions of someone the family knew.
The Suspects: From State Senators to Drifting Preachers
Usually, when a whole family is wiped out, the police look at the people closest to them. In the Villisca Axe Murders, that meant Frank Jones.
Jones was a powerful Iowa State Senator. He and Joe Moore had a massive falling out over the implement business. People in town whispered that Jones hired a hitman. It sounds like a movie plot, but the rivalry was real. Joe had basically "stolen" a John Deere franchise from under Jones’s nose. In a small town, that’s enough to start a war. However, no physical evidence ever linked Jones to the crime.
Then there was Reverend George Kelly.
Kelly was... odd. He was a traveling preacher who had been at the church service that night. He left town on a morning train right after the murders. Later, he actually confessed to the killings in a typed letter, claiming God told him to "slay utterly." He was tried twice. The first ended in a hung jury, and the second ended in an acquittal. Many historians believe Kelly was mentally ill and his "confession" was coerced or the result of a breakdown rather than actual guilt.
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The Serial Killer Theory
Henry Lee Moore (no relation) is a name that pops up in modern cold case circles. He was a serial killer active around the same time who killed his own mother and grandmother with an axe.
The "Man from the Train" theory, popularized by true crime author Bill James, suggests a lone wanderer committed dozens of similar axe murders across the U.S. and Canada between 1898 and 1912. The patterns are eerily similar:
- The use of the blunt side of an axe.
- Murders occurring near railroad tracks.
- The covering of the victims' faces or mirrors.
If you look at the 1911 murders in Colorado Springs or the 1912 killings in Paola, Kansas, the similarities to the Villisca Axe Murders are hard to ignore. It suggests the Moores weren't targeted for a personal grudge, but were simply the victims of a monster passing through on the rails.
Why Villisca Still Feels Different
If you visit Villisca today, the house is still there. It’s been restored to its 1912 appearance. No electricity. No running water. Just a chilling silence.
People call it one of the most haunted places in America. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the atmosphere is heavy. It’s a "dark tourism" staple. But for the locals, it’s complicated. For decades, the town didn't want to talk about it. It was a source of shame. How could this happen here? How could the killer just vanish?
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The investigation was a mess. Hundreds of people walked through the crime scene before it was secured. They touched things. They took "souvenirs." Fingerprinting was in its infancy. DNA didn't exist. The failure to solve the Villisca Axe Murders wasn't just a lack of effort; it was a lack of science.
Analyzing the Evidence 114 Years Later
We have to be honest about the limitations of the case. Most of the physical evidence is gone. The axe is in a museum. The original autopsy reports are basic at best.
Modern profilers often look at the "overkill" in the Moore bedroom. Joe Moore was hit significantly more times than anyone else. In profiling, that usually indicates a personal grievance. This points back to the Frank Jones theory. However, the bizarre behavior—the bacon, the covered mirrors—feels much more like the work of a disorganized or ritualistic serial offender.
There is also the "attic theory." Someone found a cigarette butt in the attic. They found indentations in the dust where someone had been sitting, watching, and waiting. Imagine that. Someone sitting in the dark, listening to a family go to sleep, knowing what they were about to do.
Investigating the Mystery Yourself
If you're fascinated by the Villisca Axe Murders, don't just rely on sensationalized TV shows. Look at the primary sources.
- Visit the Villisca Axe Murder House: They offer day tours and overnight stays. It’s a somber experience, but it gives you a sense of the house's cramped layout that you can't get from photos.
- Read the Grand Jury Testimony: Much of the 1917 grand jury testimony is available through historical archives. It reveals the deep-seated political tensions in the town.
- Study the "Man from the Train" Theory: Compare the Villisca details with the 1911 Colorado Springs murders. The "Blunt Side of the Axe" signature is a specific forensic link used by modern researchers to tie these cases together.
- Research the Pinkertons: The Moore family hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency to solve the case when the local police failed. Their reports offer a more professional, albeit still frustrated, look at the suspects.
The reality of the Villisca Axe Murders is that we will likely never have a name. No "smoking gun" is going to appear. But the case serves as a grim reminder of a time when the world was becoming more connected by the railroad, bringing both progress and a new kind of mobile predator that small-town America wasn't prepared for.
To truly understand what happened, start by looking at the map of the 1911-1912 rail lines. You’ll see a path of blood that leads directly to that small house on East Second Street. It wasn't just a murder; it was a turning point in how we understand crime in the heartland.