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Stuff You Should Know

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?

Published September 26, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

The hosts recount the 1912 Villisca axe murders in Iowa, describing the Moore family and Stillinger girls, the killer's methodical actions inside the house, and the chaotic discovery that destroyed much of the crime scene evidence. They examine early suspects including state senator Frank F. Jones and traveling preacher George Kelly, then lay out the modern theory that the crime was likely part of a series of connected Midwestern axe murders committed by an unidentified serial killer using the railroad. The episode closes with a listener email about how their earlier hookworm episode helped a listener's cousin finally receive an accurate medical diagnosis.

Topics Covered

True crime Forensic investigation Police work and detective work Small-town life Serial killers Murder trials Train travel Crime history

Disclaimer: We provide independent summaries of podcasts and are not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by any podcast or creator. All podcast names and content are the property of their respective owners. The views and opinions expressed within the podcasts belong solely to the original hosts and guests and do not reflect the views or positions of Summapod.

Quick Takeaways

  • The 1912 Villisca axe murders claimed eight lives, including six children, and remain one of the most brutal unsolved crimes in American history.
  • The killer likely used the family's own axe as a "weapon of convenience," entered at night, and methodically killed the parents, their children, and the visiting Stillinger sisters while they slept.
  • Crime scene preservation was virtually nonexistent: over a hundred townspeople and officials walked through the house, some even taking skull fragments as souvenirs, destroying potential evidence.
  • Early investigations focused on local suspects like state senator Frank F. Jones and English preacher George Kelly, but both were ultimately cleared in court.
  • Modern researchers see strong patterns linking Villisca to several other 1911-1912 Midwestern axe murders, suggesting a single unidentified serial killer traveling by train.
  • Distinctive details across multiple crimes-like removed lamp chimneys, bent wicks, covered mirrors, and sexualized staging of young female victims-strengthen the serial killer theory.
  • Another contemporary axe murderer, Henry Lee Moore, likely killed for financial gain and is now considered a poor fit for the broader serial murder pattern.
  • A listener email describes how SYSK's hookworm episode helped someone recognize symptoms in a relative and push for proper treatment after years of misdiagnosis.

Podcast Notes

Playlist introduction and framing of the Villisca case

Narrator sets up the episode within a fall true crime playlist

Describes the Villisca case as a horrific multiple axe murder in Iowa in 1912[1:10]
• Notes that some see it as a random act by a stranger, while others think it was someone who knew the victims, including the murdered children
Emphasizes the case as harrowing, interesting, and bizarre[1:29]

Show introduction and hosts' setup

Hosts introduce themselves and the show

Josh introduces himself, Chuck, and producer Jerry and frames the episode as "Stuff You Should Know" plus mystery and mayhem[1:55]
They joke about the episode involving "one axe"[1:03]

Previous axe murder episodes and idea of an axe-murder spinoff

They list prior axe-murder-related episodes: Lizzie Borden and Hinterkaifeck[2:03]
Josh mentions Wikipedia listed about 30 axe murders, leading him to briefly consider a spinoff show just on axe murders[2:11]
They note that even within the Villisca article, many other axe murders are mentioned[2:24]

Pronunciation of Villisca and its notoriety

Josh explains they called the Villisca town hall to confirm the pronunciation of "Villisca"[2:40]
• Chuck jokes that Josh lied, framing the call as a bet about how to say the town name
They thank the person who answered at Villisca Town Hall and joke that the caller spoke to an internet celebrity[2:59]
Josh says Villisca is on the map primarily because of this murder[3:19]
• They note that searching for "Villisca" mostly brings up results about the axe murder
They mention a site called VilliscaIowa.com, entirely dedicated to the axe murder[3:29]
• Josh jokes that the whole town website copy is written in the outline of an axe and includes morbid humor about population references

Background on discovering the case and content warning

How the hosts came to cover Villisca

Chuck recalls that after their Hinterkaifeck episode, listeners from Iowa emailed suggesting they cover the 1912 Villisca murders[3:40]
They agree that listeners were right and that the case is very intense[4:25]

Graphic nature disclaimer

They explicitly warn the audience that the episode will detail a horrific, grisly crime involving children[4:30]
They note that "axe murder" in the title should already indicate the content level but reiterate the warning to cover themselves[4:38]
Josh calls this one of the most brutal crimes in American history that many people don't know about[4:43]

Sources and initial observations about 1912 investigations

Primary research sources for the episode

Josh cites an article by Mike Dash in Smithsonian Magazine as a key source[4:59]
They mention researcher Ed Epperly, who runs an "Ask Ed" site devoted to the murder and has studied the case for decades[5:08]
• Josh calls Epperly widely known as the expert on the Villisca axe murder and recommends his site to true crime fans

Comment on how easy it was to get away with murder in 1912

Chuck observes that researching the case highlighted how much easier it was to get away with murder in 1912[5:40]
Josh notes that wearing gloves could defeat the main available detection methods at the time, aside from eyewitnesses[5:59]
They say many agree that if the murder happened today, the killer would likely have been caught quickly[5:53]

Setting: Villisca, Iowa and the Moore and Stillinger families

Description of the town and location of the house

The murders took place June 9-10, 1912, at 508 East 2nd Street in Villisca, Iowa, in Montgomery County[6:23]
Josh notes the town is small and in southeast Iowa, and Chuck remarks it is closer geographically than he thought after looking at a map[6:39]
Chuck admits he previously visualized Iowa as almost in Canada and is surprised it is in the middle of the country[6:39]

People in the house that night

There were eight people sleeping in the house: parents Joe and Sarah Moore and their four children, plus two visiting Stillinger sisters[7:03]
• The Moore children are named as Herman, Catherine, Boyd, and Paul
Downstairs were Lena and Ina Stillinger, two sisters having a sleepover[7:31]

Activities earlier that day

The families were Presbyterian and had attended a special Children's Day service at church on Sunday[7:44]
Sarah Moore helped organize the event and the Moore children participated[7:48]
At the event, Catherine asked her friends Lena and Ina to spend the night, and they went home with the Moores after the service[8:01]
By about 10-10:30 p.m., everyone was home, the lights were out, and the house was quiet[8:12]
Chuck comments that the twist-of-fate nature of a casual sleepover leading to tragedy is particularly disturbing to him[8:28]

Details of the murders inside the Moore house

Killer's entry and preparation

Around or after midnight, an intruder entered the house through the back; whether the door was locked is disputed, but he entered without raising suspicion[8:46]
The killer took an oil lamp from a dresser, removed the glass chimney, bent the wick in half to reduce the flame, lit it, and turned it down very low[10:19]
He carried the lamp without its chimney and Joe Moore's own axe as he moved through the house[10:35]

Sequence of killings

The killer passed the downstairs room with the Stillinger girls, went upstairs past the children's bedroom, and entered Joe and Sarah's room opposite the landing[10:49]
He set the lamp at the foot of the bed, raised the axe, and struck Joe in the head with the flat (blunt) side of the axe[10:58]
• The blow was so forceful it gouged the ceiling, and Joe, lying on his back, likely died instantly from the first hit
Sarah appeared not to have awakened; she was killed in the same way, and both she and Joe were later found in natural sleeping positions without signs of struggle[11:37]
The killer then went next door and killed all four Moore children in their beds, apparently without waking them[12:05]
Evidence suggests that by the time he killed the Stillinger girls downstairs, at least the older sister, Lena, may have awakened[12:09]
He killed both Stillinger sisters in a similar manner with the blunt end of the axe[12:09]

Post-mortem mutilation and bizarre actions

After killing them all, the murderer flipped the axe to use the sharp side and went back around the house, brutally bashing in each victim's head and face[11:13]
• Joe Moore was struck as many as 30 times in the head with the blade, completely caving in his skull
The killer covered windows and mirrors throughout the house with sheets and other coverings[13:23]
He covered the faces of the victims with sheets, pillowcases, or in some cases by pulling their dresses over their faces[11:47]
They remark on the pattern, noting similar behavior in other crimes where killers do not want victims "looking at them" even after death[12:35]
He took a two-pound slab of bacon, wrapped it in a dish towel, and left it on the floor of a bedroom; Josh notes some reports mention another bacon slab in the house[13:23]
A bowl of bloody water was later found; he apparently washed himself and the axe before leaving the weapon behind[13:09]
The killer appears to have lingered in the house for a while before leaving sometime before 5 a.m.[13:48]

Discovery of the crime and destruction of the crime scene

Neighbor's observations and initial alarm

Around 5 a.m., neighbor Mary Peckham noticed the Moore house was still dark, which became increasingly eerie by 7 a.m. on a Monday[13:35]
She let the Moores' chickens out and called Joe Moore's store, learning from an employee that Joe had not come in[15:08]
Either Peckham or the employee contacted Joe's brother, Ross Moore, who came to the house[14:39]
Ross unlocked the front door, went inside, and quickly rushed back out, telling them to call the local marshal[14:36]

Officials enter the house

Marshal Hank Horton arrived with two doctors, J. Clark Cooper and Edgar Huff, and minister Wesley Ewing[14:49]
They tried not to disturb the scene excessively and called coroner L.A. Lindquist, who attempted to take notes on the crime scene[15:41]
Dr. F.S. (or F.S.) Williams examined the bodies and later provided the most detailed testimony at the inquest about positions and conditions[14:50]
Williams reportedly emerged shaken and warned others, "Don't go in there, boys, or you'll regret it to your last day"[15:33]

Crowd contamination of the scene

Despite the warning, townspeople flocked to the scene, and more than a hundred people reportedly walked through the house within hours[16:46]
Josh says any chance of preserving the crime scene, already slim in 1912 small-town Iowa, was destroyed by this influx[16:34]
They recount that the town drunk supposedly took fragments of Joe Moore's skull as souvenirs[15:41]
The local druggist came with a camera to document the scene, but Ross, not understanding the value, threw him out, assuming he was being ghoulish[17:20]
Chuck emphasizes that doctors, coroners, investigators, and ordinary townspeople all tramped through the house, effectively destroying forensic evidence[16:51]

Initial manhunt and context as a train town

Search efforts and realization of escape

Villisca was a small town of under 2,000 people, and the community quickly realized the scale of the crime[16:34]
Authorities released bloodhounds and searched the countryside extensively, but found no suspect[16:57]

Importance of Villisca as a railroad hub

Chuck notes Villisca was a train town with about 30 trains passing through each day[16:51]
By the time the murders were discovered and the search began, the killer may have already hopped a train and left town[16:24]
As night fell with no arrest, the town was terrified at the prospect of an unknown axe murderer on the loose[18:04]

Suspect 1: State Senator Frank F. (F.F.) Jones and alleged hitman William "Blackie" Mansfield

Who was Frank Jones and why suspicion fell on him

Frank Jones was a state senator, respected local businessman, and prominent Methodist in the community[22:43]
The town was sharply divided between Methodists and Presbyterians, and denominations influenced how people viewed Jones's potential guilt[22:55]
Methodists defended him as a fine, upstanding church member, while Presbyterians were more likely to suspect him[23:15]
Joe Moore had worked for Jones for seven years as one of his best farm equipment salesmen before leaving in 1907 over long hours (16-hour days, six days a week)[23:30]
Moore started a rival business and took the lucrative John Deere account with him, fueling a strong business rivalry[23:50]
It was widely rumored, and Josh says understood as true, that Joe Moore had an affair with Jones's daughter-in-law, who had multiple affairs and arranged liaisons by phone despite a switchboard operator listening in[24:24]
Moore and Jones reportedly disliked each other so much they would cross the street to avoid encounters[24:24]

Hitman theory and investigation of William "Blackie" Mansfield

Because Jones was 57, wealthy, and powerful, many thought he would hire rather than personally commit a massacre[24:24]
Detective James Wilkerson of the Burns Detective Agency embraced this theory, focusing on William "Blackie" Mansfield as the alleged hired killer[24:17]
Mansfield later was convicted of killing his wife, her parents, and their child with an axe, which strengthened suspicions about him in Villisca[24:30]
However, Mansfield had an airtight alibi for the Villisca night: he was in Illinois hundreds of miles away, corroborated by his foreman and payroll records[24:43]
He was exonerated legally, though many townspeople continued to believe he was involved[25:54]
Wilkerson remained convinced and made it his personal mission to take down Jones, damaging Jones's political career and costing him re-election to the state senate[25:06]
A grand jury ultimately exonerated Jones, but figures like the Stillinger girls' father and Joe's brother Ross continued to suspect him[25:17]

Suspect 2: Reverend Lynn George Jacqueline (George) Kelly

Profile of George Kelly

Kelly was an Englishman and a traveling preacher, which made him somewhat unusual in small-town Iowa at the time[25:27]
The Smithsonian article they cite describes him as a "known sexual deviant" with mental health problems[25:17]
He was physically small at 5'2" and 119 pounds, raising doubts about his ability to swing an axe with such force, though they acknowledge small people can still be strong[25:27]
Coroner Lindquist believed, based on blood spatter patterns, that the killer was left-handed; Kelly was left-handed, which tied him in circumstantially[25:35]

Sexual behavior and obscene letter incident

Kelly placed an ad in the Omaha World-Herald seeking a stenographer willing to pose as a model[26:20]
When applicant Jessamine Hodgson replied, he sent a letter so obscene that a court declared it criminally lewd, lascivious, and too filthy to place on the official record[26:54]
• One specific demand mentioned was that she type in the nude, which the court used as evidence of obscenity in that era

Kelly's connection to Villisca and the Moores

Kelly and his wife were in Villisca on the day of the murders and attended the same Children's Day service as the Moores and Stillinger girls[26:54]
One theory held that, as a sexual deviant, he saw the children at the service, then later spied on the Moore house and camped in their barn[27:13]
Supporters of this theory pointed to hay bales in the barn with depressions as if someone had been lying there, and a peephole through which the house was visible[26:38]
Josh and Chuck characterize this physical evidence as flimsy and not strongly incriminating[27:16]

Post-crime behavior: return to the house and confession

About a week after the murders, Kelly returned to Villisca and posed as a Scotland Yard detective to secure a tour of the house[27:54]
They note that returning to the scene of the crime and lying for access can seem incriminating, but also that many people wanted to see the house and "posing" could have been minimal[27:49]
Kelly signed a confession stating he killed the children upstairs first, then downstairs, claiming "God wanted me to do it this way" and that the phrase "slay utterly" came to mind as he took up the axe[28:25]
However, he later recanted the confession, and Josh notes he essentially said the detailed account wasn't true[28:18]
Kelly was tried twice, specifically for the murder of Lena Stillinger; the first jury voted 11-1 for acquittal, and the second trial ended in a full acquittal[28:31]
He remains the only person ever brought to trial for the Villisca murders[28:39]

Shift from local suspects to serial killer theory

Limitations of the local vendetta and "pervert" theories

Josh summarizes that townspeople first looked for tramps, then for the person who hated Joe Moore most (Jones), then for the weirdest pervert in town (Kelly), but none panned out in court[28:31]
Many residents died without knowing who committed the murders, and the case remains officially unsolved[28:54]

Emergence of the serial killer perspective

With modern forensic thinking and decades of historical research (notably by Ed Epperly), a clearer picture has emerged suggesting a serial killer[29:19]
Between 1911 and 1912 there were numerous axe murders in the Midwest-at least 10 in some counts-many sharing similar traits with Villisca[29:38]
Epperly narrows the likely connected cases to five: Colorado Springs (1911), Monmouth, Illinois, Ellsworth, Kansas, Paola, Kansas, and Villisca, Iowa[29:54]
He argues these crimes are unlikely to be unrelated local vendettas or farm disputes because they share distinctive, repeated behaviors typical of a psychopathic serial offender[30:03]

Red herring: Henry Lee Moore and the Columbia, Missouri murders

Overview of the Columbia case

In December 1912, in Columbia, Missouri, a woman named Mary Wilson and her daughter Georgia Moore (Henry's mother and, apparently, relative) were murdered with an axe[30:32]
Some theorists linked these to the Midwestern axe murders and proposed Henry Lee Moore as the serial killer behind all the crimes[30:06]
The timing lined up superficially: the series of murders began after he was released from a Kansas prison and ended after he was caught in Columbia[31:34]

Why Henry Lee Moore is considered an unlikely serial killer for the broader series

Chuck notes that Henry allegedly killed his own family to gain deeds to the family house, indicating a financial, greed-based motive rather than a psychopathic sexual pattern[30:40]
Josh points out it would be unusual for a serial killer to commit a series of murders and then "finish up" by killing his own family; usually family killings come first if they occur[31:54]
Because of these differences and the motive evidence, Epperly and others see Henry Lee Moore as a red herring rather than the serial killer behind the 1911-1912 spree[32:01]
Josh notes that once people eliminated Moore, some dismissed the serial killer hypothesis entirely, but Epperly argues the pattern of the five main cases still strongly suggests a serial killer[31:57]

Common patterns among the suspected serial axe murders

Weapon and lamp behaviors

In four of the five key cases, the killer used an axe found at the scene, reinforcing the idea of axes as "weapons of convenience" in an era when every household kept one[31:54]
In one case (Monmouth, Illinois), a pipe was used-another convenient household object-suggesting the killer adjusted to what was available rather than bringing a signature weapon[31:50]
Several crimes involved oil lamps where the glass chimney had been removed, set aside, and the wick bent to produce low light, mirroring the setup at Villisca[31:34]

Covering faces, mirrors, windows, and even telephones

In multiple cases, the killer covered victims' faces with cloth or bedclothes, a behavior also seen in Villisca[31:34]
Mirrors and windows were covered in several crime scenes, including Villisca, which the hosts interpret as the killer not wanting to "be seen," even symbolically[31:34]
In at least one crime, a telephone mounted on the wall was covered; Josh explains that such box phones resembled a face, and the killer may have reacted to it as another "watching" presence[33:20]

Sexualized staging of young female victims

In Monmouth, Illinois, a young female victim was found with her nightgown hiked up and undergarments removed, similar to how Lena Stillinger was found in Villisca[33:23]
In Villisca, Lena's nightclothes were reportedly pulled above her waist, her undergarments removed and placed under the bed, and her legs positioned to expose her genital area post-mortem[33:23]
These staged elements added a sexual dimension after death, aligning with a psychopathic or sexually deviant killer profile rather than a simple revenge or financial motive[33:15]

Attempted second attacks and near misses

In Colorado Springs, after one family was killed, the killer went into a neighboring house with an adjacent backyard and murdered another family, indicating a spree-like escalation[32:42]
In Paola, Kansas, a second family, the Longmires, were awakened around midnight by breaking glass, saw a man in their dining room who had broken an oil lamp chimney, and he fled out a window[32:42]
• Josh highlights the chilling implication that they likely saw the man who was about to kill them all with an axe before he escaped
In Villisca, the telephone operator, who slept in the switchboard office, reported hearing someone come to her door and try the doorknob about two hours after the Moore family murders, then walk away[35:02]
Although Josh calls this doorknob report "a little shaky," he presents it as another possible attempt by the killer to strike again nearby[33:55]

Use of trains to move between towns

All the key towns-Colorado Springs, Monmouth, Ellsworth, Paola, and Villisca-were train towns with regular services[35:08]
Josh and Chuck describe the likely scenario of a "train-going serial killer" moving from town to town in the Midwest over a couple of years, killing families and leaving on trains[35:08]
They emphasize that such a killer was never identified or caught, which they find particularly disturbing[34:23]

Reflections on unsolved nature and future forensic possibilities

Consideration of whether we will "never know"

Josh notes how often people say "we'll never know" who committed such historical crimes and wonders what future technology might reveal[35:28]
He speculates that future advances might one day allow identification of the killer in cases like Villisca, though nothing specific is proposed[35:02]

Mention of other potential true crime topics

Josh suggests they should do an episode on Ed Gein, calling it one of the major cases they haven't yet covered[35:27]
They briefly reference doing multiple creepy episodes in October in past years, including Hinterkaifeck[35:27]

Recommendations for further reading on Villisca

Resources for listeners

Josh reiterates the recommendation to look up Ed Epperly's work and site for in-depth Villisca research[35:08]
They mention the Smithsonian article "The Axe Murderer Who Got Away" as another excellent resource[35:27]
Josh notes there were many other articles they relied on and expresses appreciation for them[35:27]

Listener Mail: Hookworm episode helps diagnose a cousin

Summary of the listener's story

Chuck reads an email from James in St. Pete, Florida, about his cousin in a rural Southern area with long-standing gastrointestinal issues[50:10]
The cousin had been repeatedly misdiagnosed with various conditions (like Crohn's and IBS) without improvement, experiencing low energy and lost work time[49:57]
James says his cousin developed iron-deficiency anemia, and the doctors did not connect it to other symptoms[50:17]
On the day James learned about the anemia, he happened to be listening to the SYSK episode on hookworm, which discussed aggressive iron-deficiency anemia as a key symptom[50:35]
James looked up hookworm symptoms, saw his cousin had every one, and urged him to bring it to his doctor, leading to a hookworm diagnosis and treatment[50:39]
His cousin began deworming medication and immediately noticed improvements in mood and energy[50:52]

Hosts' reaction

Josh expresses amazement that the cousin had hookworm and that so many doctors missed the cause[51:07]
They praise James for connecting the dots and say his cousin owes him a token of thanks like food or drinks[51:17]

Closing remarks

Standard sign-off and contact info

Josh invites listeners to contact them via Twitter, Facebook, and email, and mentions their website and its search bar[51:32]

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Preserving evidence and maintaining clear processes in the early stages of a crisis are crucial, because once initial conditions are contaminated, some answers may be lost forever.

Reflection Questions:

  • • When I face a problem at work or in life, how often do I rush in and "tramp through the scene" before I've taken time to observe carefully?
  • • How could I create a simple checklist or protocol for myself or my team to follow during emergencies so we don't destroy valuable information in the scramble to act?
  • • What is one important process in my world right now that needs clearer rules about who gets access and when, to prevent confusion and contamination of outcomes?
2

Patterns across seemingly separate events can reveal deeper truths that individual cases hide, but only if you deliberately zoom out and compare details over time.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in my life or business am I treating recurring issues as isolated incidents instead of looking for the underlying pattern?
  • • How might systematically documenting and reviewing similar events (projects, failures, successes) change my understanding of what's really going on?
  • • What is one area this month where I could step back, gather several examples, and look for common factors instead of continuing to react case by case?
3

Respectability, status, or oddness are poor shortcuts for judging guilt or responsibility; rigorous evidence and clear reasoning are better guides than gut feelings about people.

Reflection Questions:

  • • When have I recently assumed someone was trustworthy or untrustworthy mainly because of how they appeared, their role, or their reputation?
  • • How can I build habits of asking, "What concrete evidence do we have?" before forming strong opinions about a situation or a person?
  • • In a current conflict or decision, what would change if I set aside my initial impressions of the people involved and focused only on verifiable facts?
4

Specialized knowledge becomes powerful when it is shared clearly and widely; even a podcast episode or article can equip non-experts to spot critical issues that professionals have missed.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What expertise or experience do I have that, if explained simply, could help others notice and solve problems in their own lives?
  • • How might I change the way I communicate what I know so that friends, colleagues, or customers can actually apply it when it matters?
  • • What is one piece of knowledge I've picked up recently that I could share with someone this week who might benefit from it, the way James shared hookworm information with his cousin?
5

Long, patient inquiry into a hard problem-like a cold case or a stubborn business issue-can surface insights that quick, surface-level analysis will never uncover.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which tough question in my work or personal life have I been treating as unsolvable instead of something worth sustained investigation?
  • • How could I carve out regular time (even an hour a week) to dig deeper into one important issue, collecting data and refining my understanding over months, not days?
  • • What is one problem I'm currently facing that deserves to be treated more like a long-term research project than a fire to be put out quickly?

Episode Summary - Notes by Micah

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?
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