OT: Talking Unsolved Legends / Events Wednesday. Villisca Axe Murders
Happy Hump Day everyone. Go Blue Tonight! Bring home the championship.
For this week I picked the Villisca Axe Murders. I picked this because it is interesting and Unsolved, but also because it happened only about an hour away from Omaha. For those in Omaha who are looking for something to do today. Take a 1 hour drive east and go tour the famous house.
In 1912 8 people were killed with an axe in a house while they slept in this small town. The axe murderer was never caught. Many suspects, but no one was ever convicted. Villisca was a train town so the killer probably beat it out of town before everyone knew what happened. The killer most likely sexually assaulted one of the young girls and also did many other things at the site that were odd. Covering everyone in sheets and covering the mirrors for example.
I believe it was a traveling serial killer of the time because there were so many other axe murders that were unsolved in about 20 year period that this fell into it. What does everyone here think about this crime and who was the axe murderer?
Hopefully Kauffmann is unsolvable for Vandy tonight. Go Blue!
Why oh why couldn't it have been the Vanilla Ice murder?
Something, grabs a hold of me tightly, El Jeffe axing me out, daily and nightly. Will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know. Turn off the lights and I’ll know, to the extreme I dodge an axe like a vandal, light up the room and throw hands he can’t handle.
Word to your mutha
So very white, white baby.
Just curious why one would want to tour the house? What is the draw?
“And here honey was where Audrey was sexually assaulted before being mauled by an axe. Quick, snap a picture”.
Easy one word answer for me.... HISTORY
Your view of humanity is charmingly optimistic. Because we're definitely the species that does this:
I assume these clowns are at a concentration camp.
I believe that’s Auschwitz, which was a straight up death camp.
Yes, that is Auschwitz but the same wording is on the gates at Dachau as well (and perhaps other camps). For those that don't know, the translation is: "Work Makes You Free". Why anyone would want a selfie with that gate is beyond me. A picture, sure, a selfie? SMH.
And he's smiling on top of it
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka were the six extermination/death camps.
I can't imagine taking a selfie given the circumstances.
I just want to never stop punching that kid in the face
They look like a couple of Vanderbilt fans.
I wish I could downvote this more.
Oh, no! He's offended! Down vote this instead, Nancy.
Not sure why the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth MN - which is owned by the University of Minnesota, is such a draw either. It is famous for a murder and they host weddings, etc.
I've been there. It's a magnificent structure with a majestic view of Lake Superior. The violent history seemed secondary to the story. As I recall, even the tour doesn't belabor the point.
The Molly Hatchet tune “Flirtin’ with disaster” (playing in the background on low) turned off some on the tour. Others called it eclectic.
Yep. The history is part of the draw, but nowhere near all of it.
2 for 2 so far on these stories. Thank you!
No problem. This is actually the third, I did one on D.B. Cooper on 6/12. The idea started when I posted on the legend of Bigfoot at the beginning of June. I will try to hit on different things each week and then probably stop once football season starts. It helps us all get through long boring days at the office. Today is my last day in the office for a couple weeks as I head out to San Diego for work, but I will still try to start this thread next week.
Appreciate the info. Enjoy SD, hopefully the now infamous Marine layer clears out.
Yeah, I got big time sucked into the Yuba story, then subsequently the "original" (Dyatlov Pass) and finally the "Lost Girls of Panama" one.
The Bedtime Stories YouTube channel discusses a ton of interesting tales of mystery, including all three of these. Easy to get sucked in and completely lose track of time.
I think my favorite part of these threads isnt the subject matter the OP intended but rather these types of rabbit holes offered up by others.
I just sent myself the link to that channel.- thanks!
I'll give you another one, Small Town Murder podcast. I know of this because my current home town was episode #108.
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/crime-in-sports/small-town-murder/e/59043364?autoplay=true
We were also featured in the season premier of Buried in the Backyard on Oxygen, for a different murder story unfortunately. I don't normally watch Oxygen, but some friends have a media company that did the local drone footage for the episode so I had to watch ;)
https://www.oxygen.com/buried-in-the-backyard/season-2/guilt-or-innocence
Whoops - initially read it wrong - thought this took place in your actual home and backyard...
The story of Deanie Peters is one that has always weighed heavy being so close to home.
You really have to wonder if this would have ever happened had Iowa had strong axe control laws in place.
Lol. Serious note though, almost everyone in this era owned an axe, which is why they were so prominently used during murders at the time.
But everyone owned a gun!
Was it a single swing blade axe or double sided? I know early efforts at axe control focused on reducing the opportunity for mass killings by outlawing the double-bladed axe but heavy opposition by the well funded National Axe Association (NAA) prevented any real changes in the law from being passed.
Their motto "When axes are outlawed only outlaws will own axes" struck a chord with the settlers that's for sure.
This is when conceal and carry hatchet laws became a thing.
Lol. Serious note, this killer used the back side of axe blade on all except the dad.
Bad Axe, Michigan was named by the explorers who found an old worn out axe.
They have the toughest axe controls in the country and have never had a single axe murder or a single TSA agent born there.
I bet they had custom cotton covers for their axes, not the tri-blend synthetic garbage.
Was it an axe or a hatchet?
Or tomahawk? Wes Studi was great in The Last of the Mohicans...
LFG!!!!!!
So I Married an Axe Murderer is a good movie.
Head! Paper! Now!
Harriet, Har-i-et, you hard-hearted harbinger of haggis.
Are axe murders still a thing? Feels like they don't exist much anymore, another thing lost to technology.
Well, don't sound so disappointed.
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
OP, have you read Popular Crime by Bill James? It had dozens of stories like this and is an excellent read, one of my favorite books. It looks like Bill wrote a separate book on the story you mentioned that is not included in Popular Crime called The Man From the Train.
Yes, I know. Fugitive, murder, etc.
I have not. I will check it out though, thanks.
I’ve been there. I also think it was the serial killer dude. For a while I thought it was the rival business owner in town, but not anymore. It is such a short walk to the train tracks. It would have been so easy to slip away. I believe most of the other axe murders were close to train stops as well.
I’m sure the people in town axed a lot of questions about this.