Inside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Red Oak, Iowa 1917 during the Villisca axe murder trial of Reverend Lyn George Jacklin Kelly. (Courtesy Fourth Wall Films.)
Red Oak, Iowa, the county seat of Montgomery County, where dozens of litigations including three sensational trials concerning the Villisca Axe Murders took place at the historic courthouse located in the center of the town square. Dr. Edgar Epperly, author of the new true crime book “Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Iowa Axe Murders of 1912”, returns to Red Oak on Wednesday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. for a special presentation and book signing at the Red Oak Public Library, 400 North 2nd Street.
Red Oak Public Libary hosts author Dr. Epperly April 27th.
Considered the foremost authority on the Villisca axe murders, Epperly's 60 years of research, interviewing eyewitnesses and key figures in the Villisca murder case, examining historical records connected to the crime, and uncovering new information about suspects of the crime, has been distilled in a comprehensive 416-page historical non-fiction book illustrated with over 190 rare images.
“Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Iowa Axe Murders of 1912” takes the reader back to the dark early morning of June 10, 1912, when a person or persons unknown bludgeoned to death Josiah B. Moore, his wife Sara, their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul, and two overnight guests, Lena and Ina Stillinger. The sensational crime led to nearly ten years of investigations and trials. The small southwest Iowa town of Villisca split over the guilt or innocence of a local businessman and State Senator. A traveling minister from England with a history of window peeping was charged and tried. Investigators and reporters across the country speculated that the brutal crime was the work of an early serial killer. Similar crimes had been committed in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Ellsworth, Kansas; and Monmouth, Illinois.
Epperly was the key consultant and interview in the award-winning documentary feature film “Villisca: Living with a Mystery” by Emmy award-winning Fourth Wall Films.
To schedule an appearance or book-signing with Dr. Epperly, write to: [email protected]
The book is available to purchase on Amazon.com. It is also available at the following independent bookstores in Iowa (more to come):
Needful Things, 320. S. 3rd Avenue, Villisca, 402.540.8525 https://www.facebook.com/Needful-Things-in-Villisca-996817610707559/
Dragonfly Books, 112 W. Water Street, Decorah, 563.382.4275 https://www.dragonflybooks.com/
Luther College Bookstore, 700 College Drive, Decorah, 563.387.1036 https://www.lutherbookshop.com/
The Book Vine, 204 W. Main St., Cherokee, 712.225.2445 https://www.thebookvine.com/
The Pudgy Pumpkin Patch Gift Shop, 512 N. 4th St., Red Oak 712.623.8111 https://pudgypumpkin.com/
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