Henry "Hank" Horton: Unprepared for Murder
By Dr. Edgar V. Epperly
When Hank Horton accepted a skeleton key from Ross Moore on the steps of Joe Moore’s front porch, he was the tip of the law enforcement spear for Villisca, Montgomery County and the state of Iowa.
As the day marshal he headed Villisca’s two-man police force, and now stood just seconds away from exploring Iowa’s most heinous crime scene. There was nothing in Hank’s background to prepare him for this moment.
Born in 1861 he had farmed and worked as a carpenter until 1905, when he accepted the position of night marshal for the town of Villisca. In 1911 he was promoted to day marshal.
Hank Horton (Villisca Review photo)
Iowa in 1905 was not a wild frontier. More settlers arrived by train than ever came by covered wagon. Small town Iowa police officers were very distant cousins to the storied lawmen of the West. They bore little resemblance to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the others who dueled with gamblers and wild drovers on the lawless frontier.
Hank, rattled doors in the evening to make sure local merchants hadn’t forgotten to lock up for the night. He collared rowdies and drunks, of which there weren’t many since Montgomery County was legally dry in those years just before national prohibition. Hank also kept a watchful eye on strangers and shooed tramps and hobos out of town. Crime in Villisca was rare and murder unheard of--that is until June 10, 1912.
Josiah B. Moore house on June 10, 1912.
As Hank contemplated the sight of two victims in the grisly scene in the downstairs bedroom, he must have wondered how life had led him to such a place. He continued his lonely inspection.
No one knows what Hank thought as he slowly mounted the creaky stairs to Joe and Sara Moore’s bedroom. Perhaps he feared a maniacal killer awaited him, or even Joe himself driven to bloody murder by inner demons. What he found were six more pathetic victims, murdered as they slept.
Stepping out onto the front porch, he announced to Ross Moore and the world, “My God, Ross, there is someone murdered in every bed.” Thus far Marshal Horton had done his duty. He had explored the house insuring all victims were beyond help and that no killer remained. He had been content with a visual inspection of the carnage within, leaving the scene untouched.
During the next two hours Hank would not perform so well. Locking the murder house he headed uptown both to fetch a doctor and to telephone for aid.
During the doctor’s subsequent investigation, Hank acting somewhat as a tour guide, moved objects within the house, thus commencing the contamination that was to pollute the murder scene. Later that morning, with night marshal “Mike” Overman in charge, police control broke down completely. Dozens if not hundreds of curiosity seekers pushed in through the house's three doors.
Villisca, Iowa c.1910
Today such lax control of a crime scene seems unbelievable, but it should be remembered that in 1912 there wasn’t an inch of yellow crime scene tape in the nation, let alone in a small village like Villisca. Hank had no formal education in police science, and none was required in those days.
It was also true that forensic science was nonexistant. Only the most obvious forms of physical evidence were collected by police. Blood typing was still in the future. Fingerprinting was very new and depended on the skills of an imported specialist who arrived later in the week. Hair and fiber analysis was also unheard of in 1912 Iowa. If the criminal failed to drop a cap or step in a mud puddle, Hank and his ilk had little physical evidence to guide them.
By 10:00 a.m. that Monday, the biggest event in Hank’s police career was largely over. The county coroner had arrived and taken jurisdiction of the eight victims. George Whitmore, sheriff of neighboring Page County arrived at midmorning. Observing the crowd invading the murder house Whitmore took control of the scene.
Later that afternoon as the sensation seekers poured into town, it became obvious Hank and his one deputy could do little to control the crowd if a suspect was caught. Consequently, Company F of the state militia, based in Villisca, was called out and martial law superceded Hank’s authority.
Hank Horton (far left) poses with other investigators and newspapermen.
Although Hank played a minor role after he discovered the crime he remained a bit player throughout its investigation and trials. Every outside detective, and there were many, began their search by interviewing Hank. The grand jury investigations, slander suit and Kelly trials also called Hank as a witness.
In the years after the murder he met and talked with hundreds of local citizens who told him “incriminating” stories, wild rumors, and tortured theories as to motive and killer.
Horton testified to the 1917 grand jury that indicted Reverend Lyn George Jacklin Kelly and in September of 1917 he testified at the preacher’s trial. As he had over the years, he retold the story of opening the Moore house and discovering the murder victims. He continued in his role as town marshal until 1920.
After leaving that post, he lived in Villisca as he had for all of his life. Hank died in February 1923.
Henry Horton 1861-1923
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Posted by: Michelle | January 29, 2009 at 05:34 PM