Ask Ed: How did the Villisca Axe Murderer Light His Way?

The Villisca murder ax and a lamp taken from the crime scene on June 10, 1912 as evidence.  This is the only Villisca "crime scene" photo known to exist.

We recently received the following query via VilliscaMovie.com for Villisca axe murder historian Dr. Edgar V. Epperly.  We have our own thoughts regarding the theory/questions below, and we will share those in a future post. --Kelly Rundle, Director, Villisca: Living with a Mystery

Dr. Epperly:

 

I am new to the [1912 Villisca axe murder] case but have already got a few questions for you.

 

First off, is it plausible that the killer's way was lighted, not by his own hand, but by Mrs. Moore? It may be that she left lights burning at the foot of the beds so that the children, if need be, could use the chamber pot without doing so in the dark. The killer may have blown the lamps out when the deed was done, in the process of leaving the dark bedroom upstairs, kicked the glass chimney causing it to roll under the dresser.

 

Secondly, do you believe the killer closed all the windows after the fact, or the Moores?  Why would the windows be closed by the family, being June, would it not have been too hot for the windows to be closed?  And why would the killer close the windows after the killings?  It seems the fear of being heard or discovered would have passed by then.  It seems rather odd that he closed the windows after the killings.

 

Next, I am curious as to why the body of Mrs. Moore was not examined for signs of sexual assault, or was it? It would seem that she would have been the intended target of such an assault rather than the Stillinger child, if indeed such an assault was premeditated at all.

 

Do you believe the murderer even knew the two Stillinger girls were downstairs at the instant of the attacks upstairs?

 

In my line of thinking, it would seem that the killer had chosen this house at random. He would have been a drifter, unable to maintain a steady job, thus traveling much. He would have watched the house from an outbuilding, and probably thought there was only the Moore family to contend with. He observed them leave for the Church function, and made his way into the house to find food, not to murder.

 

He would have taken the ax for protection in case he was discovered. He would have made a plate of food, and prepared to eat, when, he heard the children coming up the steps on the porch. He would have dashed upstairs to the attic to hide.

 

The Moores never even saw the plate of food sitting out. He heard them settle in for the night, then crept out and killed in order to not be caught or killed for the burglary.  He made his way back to the kitchen, where he thought it too risky to eat the plate of food, and decided to grab a slab of bacon on his way out.

 

The eldest guest had heard the event upstairs, and heard the killer come down to the kitchen.  She got out of bed to investigate, and startled the intruder in the kitchen.  He swung the ax hitting her arm, and she ran back to the bed, where he caught her as she tried to slide down under the covers, and dashed her.

 

He returned to grab his food, and became curious as to whether this victim was an adult or child, returned to the room with the bacon and ax, then examined her genitals.  He wiped the ax, not to remove prints, but because it had become slick from blood, and nearly came out of his hands during the initial mayhem.

 

Once it was wiped down, he returned to each victim to ensure he wouldn't be startled again, bashing again and again. This being done, he merely wiped the ax off in case he needed it again.  He was in the home when he heard the neighbor tussling about preparing to do her wash.

 

In a hurry, he left through the door once he thought it safe.  He entered the Moore house to scavenge for food, and left empty handed, empty bellied, and having committed eight killings just to keep from going to prison again.

 

Please let me know your thoughts on this sir.

 

Thank You,

Troy

 

 

Dr. Epperly's response:

 

Troy:

 

Officials first on the scene in Villisca, reported a lamp in the downstairs bedroom and another upstairs in Joe and Sara's room.  Downstairs the lamp, whose chimney had been removed, was sitting on the floor at the foot of the Stillinger girls bed.  Upstairs the lamp was also unlit and most observers reported it was on a lamp stand, although at least one person remembered it being on the floor.

 

I am very doubtful the Moore's would have left a burning lamp on the floor.  Newspapers of that day were full of tragic stories of death, injuries, and fires resulting from mishandled lamps.  I do suspect the family might have left a burning lamp on a table in another room, to reassure the young girls sleeping downstairs.

 

Consequently, I believe the killer placed the lamp on the floor, after the Stillinger girls had been killer.  It was to conceal this light that the murderer went to such pains to cover all windows, including the glass in the front doors.  It was also from this light that he was able to gaze at the semi-nude Lena Stillinger in her final repose.

 

All of this is of course speculation, but I am quite sure the killer needed some light to move through the house on what was a very dark night in Villisca.  If the parents hadn't left a lamp burning I am confident the killer found and lit one before he struck.

 

Turning to your question regarding who closed the windows?  I suspect the windows were closed by the family when they went to bed, if they had been open that day.  It was quite cool that night and there was a threat of rain.

 

Reports from the U.S. weather station in Corning Iowa, some 20 miles east of Villisca reported a high of 64 degrees and a low of 52 with a trace of rain on June 9,1912.  The Moore's also did not have screens on their windows.  Therefore I suspect it was only the hottest weather that caused them to open their windows to the insects outside.

 

If they had not closed their windows to the chill the killer did so when he was drawing the shades.  We know that all but two windows were locked when the murder was discovered.  We also know that neither of these two unlocked windows could have been used by the killer for entrance or exit.  One had an intact spider web that would have been broken had the window been opened.  The other was blocked by a sewing machine.

 

Thank you for the interesting questions.  I hope this information helps.

 

Ed Epperly

Comments

[Werejaguar]

The killer probably hid in one of the closets.
Also, he was probably hired by Mr. Moore's
business competition.
The killing of the rest of the family, including the 2 Stillingers was not originally planned.

[Werejaguar]

The killer was probably in the same church the Moore family was attending, and was aware of the time. A few minutes before the mass ended, he would have left and went to the Moore house, where he entered and hid in the closet, waiting for the Moore family to return home.
Also, the murder weapon, an ax, would have just been found in the Moore premises, the killer picked it up either before hiding in the closet or after exiting the closet to kill the Moores and the 2 Stillingers.

[Kelly Rundle]

Grand jury testimony indicates that the closets in the tiny Josiah B. Moore house were filled with clothing and other items owned by the six members of the Moore family. There was no room for someone to hide in any of the closets, or indeed to get in and out of the attic entrance in one of the closets upstairs. The murder axe was identified by victim Josiah B. Moore's brother as belonging to Josiah, so there is no question about its origin. The killer may have attended church with the victims, but there is no evidence to support that theory.

www.VilliscaMovie.com

[JUDIE DELANO]

Hi,What happened to all the personal effects from the house? Thanks, Judie Delano, Va.

[Xenon HID]

It's fear!The killer was probably in the same church the Moore family was attending, and was aware of the time.

[katl]

It was probably a neighbor or someone they knew.

[Kimberly]

I have a question. If the Stillinger girls were the last to be killed then wouldn't they have heard the Moore family's screams? and there for have time to run out of the house? Why would they just stay in their room an wait to be murdered? Im sure they were probably scared to move, but if it were me I would have made a run for it.

[charles]

These men,I say this cause I believe there where 2 men that commited the murders and that there responsible for the other murders in other states at that time, were commited for simple needs of food and shelter.The victims may have been random true but location and means of fast escape were thought out.
I believe this is a serial crime in that others in Kansas and Colorado where done by same people. The crime myself speaks too one the men holding the two girls quite downstairs while partner dispatched others upstairs that's why they died last. Windows were covered for privacy and much needed time to find things in house they needed. Yes im saying the killed the people , then ate with intentions of being there awhile but we're distrubed by neighbor next morning, two hobo s were seen boarding morning train. And allI those cities were connected by railroad.That's my theory.

[Michelle Kopp]

the family was asleep when they were killed it seems from the wounds that the killer knew exactly where to strike to kill them before they screamed. from the original reports it seems no one but the youngest Stillinger girl woke up. accourding to the family it seemed that Ina was a very light sleeper and woke while her sister was being murdered next to her. hence th reason why the investigaters found her lower in the bed.

[Kyle]

From what i understand, The killer(s) had no way to exit from any of the windows in the house. correct? All were found locked except for two. And all of the Doors in the house were found locked as well. That leaves me kinda baffled?
Just exactly how did the killer(s) leave?

If the two windows that weren't locked couldn't be the entrance or exit?
HOW DID THEY LEAVE? They didn't go through the chimney like santa? did they?
Did they lock the doors when they left with the moore's own keys? and if so why?

[Dottie K. Johnson]

Mr. Epperly,

I just finished reading Roy Marshall's book 'Villisca'. I would like to know if you have read it, and if so your opinion of its accuracy. As well, have you written a book? After studying so much of the evidence, have you arrived at any conclusion regarding the guilt or innocence of Senator Jones, or Mr. Kelly.

[Dottie K. Johnson]

Mr. Epperly,

A few more questions if you please:

Do you know what the three farm boys who overheard conversation between A. Jones and M. Moore heard?

Do you know who first told F. Jones about the murders, and what Senator Jones initial reaction was to the news?

Do you know what suggestions Senator Jones made to Marshall Horton when he was in Horton's office following the murders?

Were fingerprints lifted from the icebox from where the bacon was taken?

Does any of this evidence remain which could be placed under the microscope of todays technology.

Dottie K. Johnson

[Dottie K. Johnson]

Mr. Epperly,

Would you spend the night in the Moore house?

[Kylie Pacovsky]

The Moore's had eaten milk and cookies when they had come home from church, so they definitely would've noticed a plate of food sitting out. Nice Try

[Paula]

To answer an earlier question on here, the killer(s) left through one of the main front doors, locking it behind them as they left and taking the key with them. It's hard to say if either of the Stillinger girls woke up or heard noises upstairs. Dr.Epperly had stated before that young children sleep very heavily and soundly and based on the timeframe of when they all went to bed (a bit after 10 PM) and the approximate time of the murders (between midnight and 2AM), it was within the first 3 to 4 hours of sleep, during which you have your heaviest and deepest REM sleep. If the Stillinger girls did wake up, it might have been just seconds before they were struck and therefore barely had time to react.

[Ed Epperly]

Dottie: Sorry I failed to respond to your questions, I had not checked the Blog and missed them.
I have read Mr. Marshall's book. He is a serious student of the murder and his book closely follows the records in the Iowa State Archives. I have not published a book but have one nearly finished. Perhaps before I die.
I have never met a ghost but I have no interest in staying overnight in the Moore house. I would hear every creak and groan the old house makes and at the witching hour all the victims and their killer would rise up in my mind even if the house was still as death.
The three boys saw Albert and Joe talking over the back fence before church but they could not hear what was said. They didn't believe an argument was taking place. F.F. heard of the murder up town on the street. He walk down to the murder scene as soon as he heard of the event.
No evidence remains that I know of. Jones, Horton and other town leaders met shortly after the murder was discovered. They discussed whether or not to send for bloodhounds.
No finger prints were found at the scene.

[Ed Epperly]

Judie: Sorry I missed your question. The Moore's personal property was divided among Joe's brothers and sisters and John Montgomery, Sara's father. John got the piano I know. Joe's brother Ross was the executor of the estate. The two families agreed Joe and Sara died simultaneously thereby avoiding a court fight over the inheritance.

[Ed Epperly]

Kyle: All the windows but two were locked from the inside. One unlocked window was blocked by a sewing machine and the other had a unbroken spider web showing it hadn't been opened. The back door screen was hooked from the inside. Both front doors were locked but the front door key was missing. Therefore it is assumed the killer left by the front door, locking it and taking the key with him.