The 1912 Villisca Axe Murders Blog

Villisca Axe Murder documentary airs on WQPT-PBS October 29 for Halloween

When an entire family is wiped out by an axe-wielding killer on a June evening in 1912, a small Iowa town spirals into chaos and division...

Just in time for Halloween! The award-winning true crime documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery, produced by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will air on WQPT-Quad Cities PBS on Thursay, October 29th at 8:00 p.m.

The Presbyterian Church in Villisca, Iowa where the Moore children and Lena and Ina Stillinger performed in the Children's Day Service on the evening of June 9, 1912. They were never seen alive again.

Villisca: Living with a Mystery tells the epic true story of the June 9, 1912 Villisca, Iowa Children's Day axe murders. Following just two months after the sinking of the Titanic, America's greatest unsolved mystery built and ruined political careers, created a lasting community split over the guilt or innocence of a local man--a state Senator--and produced dozens of litigations including three sensational trials. The documentary also explores the possibility that the Villisca crime, and similar axe murders in Monmouth, Illinois; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Ellsworth, Kansas, may have been the work of one of America's first serial killers. Filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle have combined rare period photographs, startling computer animation, original art, limited re-enactments, and fascinating interviews with historians, eye-witnesses, town residents, and forensic experts to shed light on the spellbinding mystery and to dramatically reveal the face of a new suspect.

The documentary features interviews with Villisca case expert Dr. Edgar Epperly, Dr. Bruce Stillians, and the late Robert K. Ressler, a former FBI agent, forensic profiler and the author of “Whoever Fights Monsters”.

The award-winning "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" can now be streamed via Vimeo Video-on-Demand at:

https://www.vimeo.com/ondemand/villisca/http://www.vimeo.com/ondemand/villisca/

To purchase Villisca Living with a Mystery on an extra-feature-packed DVD click here:  https://fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm.

"Villisca" Featured at Pipestone County Museum’s Pipestone Paranormal Weekend fundraiser Oct. 13-14

James E. Risden, Second Chief of Iowa's Bureau of Crimimal Investigation (now the DCI) holds the Villisca axe
used to slay Josiah Moore's entire family and two visiting guests on June 10, 1912 in Villisca, Iowa.
The award-winning documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" screens at the Pipestone County Museum October 14th.

The Pipestone County Museum is hosting its 4th Annual Pipestone Paranormal Weekend fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14. The weekend event will include a variety of activities both paranormal and historical in nature. The award-winning documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" is included in the line-up.

The weekend events will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13 with the Calumet by Candlelight and Bedtime Stories. Attendees will gather in the historic Calumet Inn’s dining room to hear stories of paranormal encounters experienced by the hotel staff and share their own stories. Following the telling of stories, a candlelight tour of the historic inn will be given and attendees can try out their ghost hunting applications and equipment.

Saturday’s events begin with a free tour of the Pipestone County Museum, 113 S Hiawatha Ave, Pipestone, MN, and a meet and greet at 8:30 a.m.

While some of the events are on every year’s schedule there are a few new events this year, such as a presentation by Dave Rambow entitled, “A Ghostly Image: Spirit Photography of the Late 1800’s.” Rambow will discuss “trickery” used in early historic photographs and teach attendees how to spot it and how it was done.

Another new event this year will be the free showing of a documentary film at the Pipestone County Museum.  “Villisca: Living With a Mystery,” will be featured from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The award-winning documentary by Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films focuses on the 1912 ax murders of eight people in Villisca, Iowa, a crime that remains unsolved.

Returning events include a psychic gallery reading by psychic Susie Otto, a ghost walk of historic downtown Pipestone, a ghost hunt, old time photography personal portraits by Dave Rambo and a “Tales from the Grave,” cemetery tour.

 

For a list of events that will take place over the weekend, as well as times and costs, go to www.pipestonestar.com and click on our Events Calendar.

Contact the Pipestone County Museum to make reservations and purchase event tickets at 507-825-2563.

To order a copy of "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" on DVD, click HERE!

"Villisca" Halloween Late Night Screenings at Orpheum Theater Fairfield Oct 25-26

The gravesite of the entire Josiah Moore family in Villisca, Iowa.

The newly restored Orpheum Theatre in Fairfield, Iowa will feature two late night Halloween showings of the award-winning documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery by Emmy nominated Quad City filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle.  Screenings are Friday, October 25, 2013 at 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 at 10:00 p.m.  The Orpheum Theatre is located at 121 W. Broadway in Fairfield, Iowa. Tickets are $5/pp.  For more information, call (641) 209-5008.

Sometime during the night of Sunday, June 9, 1912, a person or persons unknown entered a modest white house in Villisca, Iowa and bludgeoned to death the eight people sleeping there.   These killings, known thereafter as the “Villisca Axe Murders," is easily the most notorious true crime in Iowa history.  The murder spawned nearly ten years of investigations, repeated grand jury hearings, a spectacular slander suit, and murder trial, and numerous minor litigations and trials.  It made and broke political careers.   Legislation was written in response to the murder, including the establishment of the current State Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s predecessor.  In addition, the murder proved an unmitigated tragedy for Villisca.

The film features Dr. Edgar Epperly, the foremost authority on the famous unsolved crime.  Epperly has now researched this singular event in American history for over 55 years.  It is considered America's greatest unsolved mystery.

Villisca: Living with a Mystery has since been shown in numerous film festivals, screened in theaters in over 65 cities throughout the U.S., qualified for the Academy Awards competition in the documentary feature category, was released nationally on DVD, and has aired on PBS stations throughout the Midwest.

In addition to Villisca, Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films previously produced the Emmy-nominated Country School: One Room - One Nation, and the award-winning documentaries Lost Nation: The Ioway 1, 2 & 3. They have partnered with Garry McGee (McMarr, Ltd.) to produce Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg which will have its World Premiere in Seberg's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa on November 15, 2013 at the Orpheum Theater Center where her first film Saint Joan had its U.S. premiere in 1957.  The are also in production on the documentaries River to River: Iowa's Highway 6, and Hero Street, and the docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

To order the award-winning feature-length documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery click HERE!  The film also features former FBI Special Agent and forensic profiler Robert K. Ressler, and eye-witnesses.

Special Halloween Screening of "Villisca" in Sutherland, Iowa Oct. 24

Bloodhounds took the scent of the axe handle, lept off of the
porch of the Moore home and followed the trail of a mass murderer.

Just in time for the Halloween season!  A special free showing of the award-winning documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery will be held on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the General N.B. Baker Library, 315 Ash Street in Sutherland, Iowa.  For more information call (712) 446-3839.

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.

Over 100 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.

To order the award-winning feature-length documentary Villisca: Living with a Mystery by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, click HERE!  The film features Villisca axe murder expert and hisorian Edgar V. Epperly, former FBI Special Agent and forensic profiler Robert K. Ressler, and eye-witnesses.

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.

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

100 Year Anniversary of Villisca Axe Murders to be Commemorated in Town where Trials were held

Dr. Edgar V. Epperly holding the Moore/Stillinger murder axe. Photo courtesy
Des Moines Register.

Infamous Villisca axe will be displayed

Program includes sneak preview of “AXMAN” short documentary and Award-winning “Villisca: Living with a Mystery”

Filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle and expert Dr. Edgar V. Epperly to appear

The centennial anniversary of Iowa's worst mass murder will be commemorated June 9-10, 2012 in Red Oak, Iowa.  Organized by Director David McFarland of the Montgomery County History Center, and co-sponsored by the Villisca Historical Society, the special event will include a sneak preview of AXMAN, a new short documentary by filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, and an encore showing of their award-winning film Villisca: Living with a Mystery.  Dr. Edgar Epperly, the foremost historical authority on the still-unsolved crime, will join the Rundles for Q&A following the film presentations.  An accompanying historical display will include the actual murder weapon, a long-handled axe removed from the crime scene by authorities on June 10, 1912.

In addition, the History Center will exhibit a collection of materials and photographs donated by historian Dr. Bruce Stillians.  Stillians, a former resident of Villisca with family ties to the axe murder story, researched the case for decades and amassed a huge collection of resources and photographs related to the 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.

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. Kelly and Tammy Rundle’s Villisca: Living with a Mystery premiered in 2004, enjoyed a limited theatrical release in over 60 cities including Los Angeles where it qualified for the 2005 Academy Award® competition.  The film screened in Red Oak in 2004 in the courtroom where the 1916 and 1917 axe murder trials took place.  Villisca is still available nationally on DVD from online and conventional retailers and it can be rented from Netflix and Family Video.  Broadcasts continue on IPTV, WQPT and other PBS stations this anniversary year.

The critically-acclaimed documentary tells the epic true story of the Children's Day axe murders and the chaos and division that followed. The Rundles combined rare period photographs, computer animation, original art, limited re-enactments, and fascinating interviews with historians, eye-witnesses, town residents, and forensic experts to shed light on the spellbinding mystery and to dramatically reveal the face of a new suspect.

The Rundles are also offering a sneak preview of their 25-minute documentary AXMAN.  In 1955, a college student named Edgar Epperly began researching the details behind Iowa's worst mass homicide, the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders.  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.

AXMAN and Villisca: Living with a Mystery will screen 2-5 p.m. Sunday, June 10, 2012 at the Montgomery County History Center, 2700 North 4th Street, Red Oak, Iowa.  The program includes Q&A with the filmmakers and Dr. Epperly.  The axe, on loan from the Villisca Historical Society and the State Historical Society of Iowa, will be included in a special historical display created by the History Center.  Tickets for the Commemorative Program and History Center exhibits are $5 per person and may be purchased in advance at the History Center, or by visiting www.villiscamovie.com/.  Seating is very limited.  This special commemoration event is sponsored by The Montgomery County History Center and the Villisca Historical Society.  Call (712) 623-2289 for ticket information.

The Rundles' award-winning feature-length documentary, Country School: One Room - One Nation will also screen at the History Center on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 2 p.m.  The film features the Pittsburg School in Red Oak, the Cramer School in Stanton, and the Goldenrod school in Clarinda.

"Villisca: Living with a Mystery" Featured in DeWitt Operahouse Halloween Event

Filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle.

DEWITT, IOWA-The award-winning documentary feature film "Villisca: Living with a Mystery", by filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, returns to the screen at the Operahouse Theatre in DeWitt, Iowa on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 2:00 pm for one performance only.

The event also includes a lobby display of historical artifacts, including a replica of the murder axe, and a Q & A with the filmmakers and researcher Dr. Edgar V. Epperly.  Epperly is the film's primary on-camera storyteller and the foremost historical authority on America's greatest unsolved mystery.


Edgar V. Epperly

"Villisca" explores the 1912 late night axe murders of the entire Josiah Moore family of six, and two young overnight guests, and the affect the crime had on Villisca, a small Southwest Iowa town.  The still-unsolved axe murder created a lasting community split over the guilt or innocence of a local State Senator, and produced three sensational trials.

"Villisca" spent 14 months in theaters in the Midwest and qualified for the 2005 Academy Award® competition in the documentary feature category.  It also won several awards and was an audience favorite in several film festivals.  The movie was also a hit with critics.

"Four Stars. Outstanding…impressive…a fascinating tale well told." - Quad City Times

"A respectful approach to Iowa's most notorious crime." - Des Moines Register

"A beautifully researched and effectively unsettling true-crime thriller." - River Cities Reader

"Best movie ever made in the true-crime genre." - Clews True Crime Blog

The Rundles are the filmmakers behind "Country School: One Room - One Nation" (2010) and "Lost Nation: The Ioway" (2007).  Their Fourth Wall Films, is an independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  They are currently in production on "Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg" with Emmy® nominated filmmaker Garry McGee.  Visit VilliscaMovie.com for more information.