The 1912 Villisca Axe Murders Blog

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AXMAN won Best Short Documentary!
View it online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8llB4AVh8jM

Purchase Villisca Living with a Mystery on an extra-feature-packed DVD here: http://fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm

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Rundles' AXMAN Wins Award at Landlocked Film Festival

Rundles’ AXMAN Wins Top Award at Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival

Poster art of the award-winning documentary short AXMAN.

Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films marked the 100 year anniversary of the 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders by producing a new short documentary about the man who has studied the still-unsolved mystery for nearly six decades.  Their film, “AXMAN,” won “Best Professional Documentary” at the 13^th annual Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival on April 6, 2013.

In 1955 a college student named Edgar Epperly began researching the details behind the brutal axe murder of eight people in a small Southwest Iowa town.  Now, nearly 60 years later, the retired college professor is still actively searching for a solution to the crime.  Exclusive interviews with Epperly and others close to his unique work reveal the secret reason behind his dogged devotion to America's greatest unsolved mystery.

“We were thrilled that “AXMAN” was an Official Selection in the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival,” said producer Tammy Rundle.  “This is our first documentary short film, and we are very pleased with the reception it has received from audiences and film festivals.”

“AXMAN” previewed at the Villisca Axe Murder Commemoration in Red Oak, Iowa on June 10, 2012, and it premiered at the 2012 Landlocked Film Festival where it won Best Documentary Short. 

Each of the Rundles’ previous feature-length documentaries, “Country School: One Room – One Nation”; “Lost Nation: The Ioway”; and “Villisca: Living with a Mystery” won ‘Best Documentary Film’ at previous Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festivals.

"Villisca: Living with a Mystery" can be purchased at villiscamovie.com.  For more information about the history of Villisca visit www.villiscahistory.org.

AXMAN Official Selection at Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival

Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle's award-winning short documentary AXMAN is an Official Selection at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  It will screen at the Collins Road Theatre, 1462 Twixt Town Road NE, Marion, Iowa in Theatre 4 on Friday, April 5, 2013 at 7:15 p.m. and on Saturday, April 6 at 8:21 p.m.

Sometime during the night of Sunday, June 9, 1912, a person or persons unknown entered a tiny house in Villisca, Iowa and used the victims’ own axe to bludgeon to death Josiah B. Moore, his wife Sara, and their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul and overnight guests Lena and Ina Stillinger.  The crime, known thereafter as the Villisca axe murders, is the most notorious crime in Iowa history. The tragedy spawned numerous official investigations and three sensational trials.  The case made and broke political careers and led to the establishment of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.  The murders also split residents of the small community of Villisca, Iowa over the guilt or innocence of a local suspect, Iowa State Senator Frank Fernando Jones.

In 1955, a college student named Edgar Epperly began interviewing people close to the investigation and the victims.  He has subsequently criss-crossed the nation in his quest for the truth.  Now, nearly 60 years later, the retired college professor is still searching for a solution to the crime.  Exclusive interviews with Epperly and others close to his unique work reveal the secret reason behind his dogged devotion to America's greatest unsolved mystery.

AXMAN won Best Short Documentary at the Landlocked Film Festival in 2012.  

Nearly sixty films were submitted for consideration at the CRIFF. A panel of judges awarded 42 with Official Selection status. These films will go on to compete for Gold and Silver Eddy Awards and the Audience Choice and Iowa Connection Eddys, which will be presented at a Saturday night ceremony.

“It’s another fine crop of films this year. We are proud to showcase some great Iowa filmmakers,” said festival founder and director Scott Chrisman. 

For Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival ticket information and the program schedule visit:  http://www.crifm.org/index.html

"Villisca" Filmmakers Premiere New Documentaries on Ioway Indians Feb. 23 in Iowa City

Delegations from the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska will return to their ancestral homeland of Iowa to attend the world premiere of Lost Nation: The Ioway 2 & 3 at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, 17 N. Clinton St., Macbride Hall Auditorium in Iowa City on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, producers of the Emmy® nominated documentary Country School: One Room-One Nation and the award-winning Lost Nation: The Ioway 1will join the Ioway and other film participants for Q&A following the screenings.

When the Ioway were forcibly removed from their ancestral homeland of Iowa in 1837 to a reservation on the border of Nebraska and Northeast Kansas, Ioway leader White Cloud (The Younger) believed his people must relocate to survive. But intermarriage, broken treaties and the end of communal living led to a split in 1878 and the establishment of a second Ioway tribe in Oklahoma. Both tribes endured hardship and challenges to their traditions and culture to achieve successful land claims and self-determination in the 1970s. Lost Nation: The Ioway 2 & 3 brings the dramatic Ioway story full circle.

“I believe all the tribes had their trail of tears, said Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Tribal Elder Joyce Big Soldier-Miller. “They all suffered--all those Indians who made those treks away from their former homelands.”

“It’s always good to look at the past and remember that it does affect the future,” said Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska tribal member Reuben Ironhorse-Kent. “The ancestors did the best they could with what they had.”

Ioway Elders and tribal members join other Native scholars, historians, archaeologists and anthropologists to tell the dramatic and true story of the small tribe that once claimed the territory between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from Pipestone, Minnesota to St. Louis. The state of Iowa takes its name from the Ioway Tribe.

In addition to the premiere, the public is welcome to visit the new Ioway exhibit at the Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center in Toddville, Iowa (40 minutes north of Iowa City), a special Ioway display and premiere reception in the Iowa Hall at the Museum of Natural History from 5:30pm until 6:30pm.

Quad City screenings include a free public screening at Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island on Saturday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. and that Putnam Museum Giant Screen in Davenport on Sunday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. (Tickets $7 at the box office.)

The world premiere of Lost Nation: The Ioway 2&3 is hosted by the Museum of Natural History, University of Iowa, 17 N. Clinton, Macbride Hall Auditorium, Iowa City, Iowa and will take place on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. The films contain mature themes and historical images that may be disturbing to young children.   

The documentaries will continue screening throughout the U.S. and will be released on a single full-featured DVD in April 2013. An alternative soundtrack in the nearly extinct Ioway language will be offered on the DVD. Broadcasts on Midwestern PBS stations are slated for 2013.

Lost Nation: The Ioway 2&3 was partially funded by grants from Humanities Iowa and Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, as well as humanities councils in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and South Dakota, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Rundles produced the award-winning documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" about the unsolved 1912 axe murders of the Josiah Moore family of six and two overnight guests.  Their documentary short AXMAN was a winner at the Landlocked Film Festival last year.  The documentary focuses on Dr. Edgar V. Epperly, the foremost authority on Iowa's worst mass homicide.

The Villisca Axe Murders and Halloween

Although there is no significant historical connection between the 1912 Villisca Axe Murder story and Halloween, we soon found out that it was, and is, a popular time to view our documentary film Villisca: Living with a Mystery.  This photo was taken at the sold-out showing of Villisca at the State Historical Building in Des Moines on Halloween night 2006.

Villisca DVDs and Books Make Great Gifts!

Villisca: Living with a Mystery is the only true crime historical documentary film that tells the story of the 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murder mystery and its lasting impact on a small rural community.

During the upcoming gift-giving season, remember that Villisca books and videos make great gifts for the unsolved mystery fans in your life.  The historical film also presents a vivid portrayal of American life in the early 1900s.

Villisca has received good reviews from viewers and critics alike.

Before it was released on DVD Villisca enjoyed a 14-month theatrical release in 60 cities across the country including Los Angeles where it qualified for the Academy Award competition.

The bonus feature-packed DVD includes the 2-hour award-winning documentary, filmmaker commentary, commentary with expert Dr. Edgar Epperly, extended scenes and interviews, and much more!

Order Villisca: Living with a Mystery for just $20.00 with FREE SHIPPING!  Want your DVD signed by the filmmakers?  Just request it when you order!  You can also request our FREE holiday gift wrap!  

Click here to order: Villisca: Living with a Mystery on DVD and Villisca books, plus other award-winning documentaries from the Fourth Wall Films catalog, including the Native American saga Lost Nation: The Ioway, and Emmy nominated Country School: One Room - One Nation, the perfect gift for unsolved mystery aficionados! 

Other Villisca axe murder titles we offer include:

• Exploring the Villisca Axe Murder House/Slay & Slay Utterly: Reverend Kelly's Confession (DVD)

• Villisca, Iowa's 1912 Axe Murders (both titles feature historian Dr. Edgar V. Epperly) (DVD)

Books include:

• Coroner's Inquest
• Detective Wilkerson's "Dope Sheet"
• Grand Jury Signed Statements
• June 1912 Villisca Review reprint newspaper

Enjoy the holiday season!

Rundles' AXMAN Wins Award at Landlocked Film Festival

Dr. Edgar V. Epperly holds the Villisca axe.
 

Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films in Moline marked the 100 year anniversary of Iowa's worst mass homicide by producing a new short documentary about the man who has studied the 1912 Villisca axe murders for nearly sixty years.  AXMAN, premiered at the 6th Annual Landlocked Film Festival and received the award for “Best Documentary Short”.

“We were very pleased that AXMAN was an Official Selection at the Landlocked Film Festival,” said producer Tammy Rundle.  “This is our first documentary short, and its first festival entry.  We were honored to receive the top award in our category.”

“AXMAN is a meditation on a man and a mystery,” said director Kelly Rundle.  “We wanted to explore what motivates someone to devote their entire adult life to an unconventional pursuit.”

In 1955 a college student named Edgar Epperly began researching the details behind the axe murders of eight people in Southwest Iowa.  Now, six decades later, the retired college professor is still actively searching for a solution to the puzzling crime.  Exclusive interviews with Epperly and others close to his unique work reveal the secret reason behind his dogged devotion to America's greatest unsolved mystery.

Dr. Epperly, who is considered the foremost historical authority on the still-unsolved crime, appeared with his family at the Landlocked Film Festival and joined the husband and wife filmmaking team for Q&A following the presentation of the documentary short.

Each of the Rundles’ previous feature-length documentaries (Country School: One Room – One Nation; Lost Nation: The Ioway; Villisca: Living with a Mystery) were Official Selections at previous Landlocked Film Festivals.

 

To order the award-winning Villisca: Living with a Mystery, click here!

AXMAN can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/makeadoc. 

AXMAN Documentary to Screen at Landlocked Film Festival in Englert Theater

Dr. Edgar Epperly is considered the foremost expert on the 1912 Villisca axe murder case--Iowa's worst mass homicide.

Historian Dr. Epperly to appear following documentary’s Englert Theatre Premiere during Iowa City’s Landlocked Film Festival

2012 marks the 100 year anniversary of Iowa's worst mass murder, and the man who has studied the still-unsolved crime for nearly sixty years is the subject of AXMAN, a new short documentary premiering at the Englert Theater on Saturday, October 27 during the Landlocked Film Festival.  Dr. Edgar V. Epperly, the foremost historical authority on the 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders will join Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle for Q&A following a screening of the film.  The Rundles previously produced the award-winning Villisca: Living with a Mystery documentary feature film.

Sometime during the night of Sunday, June 9, 1912, a person or persons unknown entered a tiny house in Villisca, Iowa and used the victims’ own axe to bludgeon to death Josiah B. Moore, his wife Sara, and their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul and overnight guests Lena and Ina Stillinger.  The crime, known thereafter as the Villisca axe murders, is the most notorious crime in Iowa history. The tragedy spawned numerous official investigations and three sensational trials.  The case made and broke political careers and led to the establishment of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.  The murders also split residents of the small community of Villisca, Iowa over the guilt or innocence of a local suspect, Iowa State Senator Frank Fernando Jones.

In 1955, a college student named Edgar Epperly began interviewing people close to the investigation and the victims.  He has subsequently criss-crossed the nation in his quest for the truth.  Now, nearly 60 years later, the retired college professor is still searching for a solution to the crime.  Exclusive interviews with Epperly and others close to his unique work reveal the secret reason behind his dogged devotion to America's greatest unsolved mystery.

AXMAN will premiere at the Landlocked Film Festival in the Englert Theater, 221 East Washington Street, Iowa City on Saturday, October 27 at 1:30 p.m during the historical documentary program.  Filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films (Villisca: Living with a Mystery, Country School: One Room – One Nation, Lost Nation: The Ioway) and Dr. Epperly will take part in Q&A following AXMAN.   For more information, visit www.llff.org/.

Click HERE to purchase Villisca on a full-featured DVD.

http://fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm

Award-winning “Villisca” Film and Expert on Iowa’s Worst Mass Murder Showcased at Orpheum Theater October 18th

The Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown, Iowa will feature expert Dr. Edgar Epperly and the award-winning film Villisca: Living with a Mystery.

The award-winning documentary film Villisca: Living with a Mystery, about Iowa’s worst mass homicide, will be showcased at the Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.  Expert Dr. Ed Epperly, considered the foremost historical authority on the 1912 Villisca axe murders, will appear for Q&A following the screening.  2012 marks the 100th year anniversary of the still-unsolved crime.

Sometime during the night of Sunday, June 9, 1912, a person or persons unknown entered a modest house in Villisca, Iowa and bludgeoned to death Josiah B. Moore, his wife Sara, and their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul and overnight guests Lena and Ina Stillinger.  The crime, known thereafter as the “Villisca axe murders”, is the most notorious mystery in Iowa history. The tragedy spawned nearly ten years of grand jury investigations and three sensational trials all centered around the Montgomery County Court House in Red Oak.  The case made and broke political careers and led to the establishment of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.  The murders also split residents of the small community of Villisca, Iowa over the guilt or innocence of a local suspect, Iowa State Senator Frank Fernando Jones.

The Josiah Moore family home in Villisca, Iowa where 8 people
were brutally murdered with an axe in 1912.

One hundred years later, the tragic unsolved murder now attracts visitors and tourists to the privately-owned Villisca Ax Murder House.  The mystery has generated books, a play, paranormal investigations, television programs, a fictional film and feature-length documentary.

Dr. Edgar Epperly, a retired professor of education at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, began researching the Villisca crime in 1955.  He interviewed hundreds of key figures connected to the case and has given numerous lectures and presentations on the subject.  He has appeared on national television and radio, and was the primary historical consultant on Kelly and Tammy Rundle’s Villisca: Living with a Mystery.  The documentary film premiered in 2004, enjoyed a limited theatrical release in over 60 cities including Los Angeles where it qualified for the 2005 Academy Award® competition.  Villisca continues to be broadcast on PBS and is available nationally on DVD.  Epperly is co-writing a book on the Villisca case with the Emmy®-nominated Rundles, which will be released in 2013.

Interviewing Villisca axe murder expert Dr. Edgar Epperly in 1994 for the documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery.

The two-hour Villisca: Living with a Mystery will screen on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 7pm at the Orpheum Theater Center, 200 East Main Street, Marshalltown, Iowa.  The special presentation includes Q&A with expert Dr. Epperly following the film.  Tickets are $7 at the Orpheum Welcome Center or by calling 641-844-5919.

Click HERE to purchase Villisca on a full-featured DVD.

http://fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm

 

Villisca Axe Murder Programs and Screenings bring Expert to the Forefront

Epperly (center) with Kelly and Tammy Rundle in Red Oak, Iowa.

Renewed interest in the unsolved mass murders of the six-member Josiah Moore family and overnight guests Lena and Ina Stillinger has peaked for the 100th anniversary year since the tragedy was discovered in the small village of Villisca, Iowa.  A young student did not realize that his research into the crime for a college paper would result in over 50 years of serious study and exploration.  But for Dr. Edgar V. Epperly that is exactly what has happened.  He is considered the foremost expert on Iowa's worst mass murder and is regularly sought after for appearances and presentations.

True crime fans and unsolved mystery aficionados will get their chance to meet Dr. Epperly and ask questions during two special presentations this fall.

The Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa presents "The Villisca Axe Murders, 100 Years Later" on Thursday, September 13, 2012 from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.  The program is free and features Dr. Epperly and Emmy-nominated filmmakers Tammy and Kelly Rundle who will discuss the infamous axe murder case and share clips from their award-winning documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery.  Epperly served as the primary historical consultant on the film and is co-authoring a book with the Rundles on the notorious, unsolved murders.

On Saturday, October 18, 2012 The Orpheum Theater Center, 220 E. Main, Marshalltown, Iowa, will host a special showing of Villisca: Living with a Mystery, followed by Q&A with Dr. Epperly. The presentation is 7:00pm-9:30pm and tickets are $5/pp.

To order the award-winning documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery visit http://villiscamovie.com/dvd.htm.  The DVD is packed for 2-hours of bonus features including commentary by Dr. Epperly.

Click HERE to purchase Villisca on a full-featured DVD.

http://fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm

 

Epperly, Rundles Present 'Villisca Axe Murders: 100 Years Later' at the Bettendorf Public Library Sept. 13

100 years later, the 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders of the six-member Josiah Moore family and two overnight guests, Lena and Ina Stillinger, still mystifies amateur sleuths. Copyright Fourth Wall Films, all rights reserved.

 

In this 100th anniversary year of the horrendous and still unsolved 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders, Emmy-nominated documentary filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle (Country School: One Room - One Nation, Lost Nation: The Ioway, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg), of Fourth Wall Films, will give a special presentation on what is considered Iowa's worst mass homicide, and the making of their award-winning Villisca: Living with a Mystery.  Joining the Rundles during the program is Villisca axe murder expert/writer Dr. Edgar Epperly who will share details from his 60 years of research.  Epperly was the primary consultant on the Villisca documentary.

This special presentation will be held at the Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa on Thursday, September 13, 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.  It is free and open to the public.

 

The program will include film clips from Villisca: Living with a Mystery and a new short documentary entitled AXMAN.  The full-length documentary will be available for purchase on DVD.  Refreshments will be provided after the program.  This event is also a special Senior Day program and is supported by the Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library.

Click HERE to purchase Villisca on a full-featured DVD.

http://fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm