Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912

by Edgar V. Epperly

Sometime during the night of June 10, 1912, 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 in Villisca, Iowa led to nearly 10 years of investigations and trials.

The small Southwest Iowa town 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 axe murders were the work of an early serial killer. Similar crimes had been committed in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Ellsworth, Kansas; and Monmouth, Illinois. This book represents the definitive written account of American's greatest unsolved mystery.

Illustrated with 190 photographs and diagrams.

Fiend Incarnate is a companion to the award-winning documentary feature film Villisca: Living With a Mystery.

Author Dr. Edgar V. Epperly has been researching the 1912 Villisca axe murders for over 60 years. He has written dozens of articles and blog entries, and appeared on CourtTV and other radio and television programs. He is a popular guest speaker at colleges, universities, historical societies, museums, libraries, and book stores. He resides in Decorah, Iowa. Epperly's research journey was the subject of the award-winning short documentary film AXMAN.

Genres: True Crime

406 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author did an extensive research on the subject and wrote in great detail about the case, its suspects, and other persons involved. At the end is an interesting chapter telling about the fates of some of the remaining family members, suspects and their family members, and the detective.

[Jessica Weinreich · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a thorough book, considering the limited knowledge of the topic in existence.

The first things strong, and then it gets bogged down with the trials. It is repetitive and, I’m sorry to say, a bit boring, at this point. Its repetitive nature made it confusing, but I had no interest or patience to reread, like I normally would.

The last chapter picks up, speculating on the possible options for the true killer. Personally, I would have preferred an expanded version of that instead of all the Wilkerson and trial stuff.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been to Villisca, Iowa, and going through the house where the murders took place made this book come alive in my mind. Well-researched and well-written, the book leads the reader through what happened and gives ideas and support as to who the murder may have been. The author came to my local library and I enjoyed listening to him talk about Villisca, the town, and the murders.

[Jeni O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This case has haunted me since first hearing of it moving from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest. A turn of the century unsolved murder mystery. All taking place in a small Iowa town. This case rocked Midwest rural life as they knew it than. Everyone wanted answers. None were to be found. Rumors and gossip ruled the day. Fast forward in time and this small town is known for celebrating such a horrific event with the annual Vallisca Ax Murder Days. Making one see how a turn of the century crime scene could become contaminated by hoards of people wanting to see a family hacked up in their beds. WHAT? My mind freezes at what was considered entertainment in those days. This being said, I am an enthusiast of all things Paranormal. Such an event left behind an imprint of horrific energy and this location has now been covered by every Paranormal team of the day Is it haunted? How could it not be? It's haunted me for decades. So I'm passionate about this book and case and all those who want to know what really happened. Since it hasn't been solved you can add up the clues as you go along. And it's a great read written by a man that has went over the facts and evidence of this case since he too was bitten by its allure.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve heard a lot about this murder and when I saw there was a book like this, I wanted to read it. See if there is anything mentioned that I didn’t know which I did find interesting and how the murder is still a mystery. Happened on June 9, 1912. Which is just a day before my birthday, June 10. And that was also one reason why I am interested in it and I’ve been getting more interest into books like these and the true crime stuff. This is still one of the most unsolved murders out there, and I’m only 3 hours from the place it happened where I live in Iowa. So I have many reasons on why I got interested in this murder.

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild murder with wild trials to follow. Made even crazier by the possibility of serial murder. Similar murders happening in multiple states within 2 years, entire families bludgeoned to death in their beds at night, with similar weapons of circumstance, and left with their faces covered and the house shut up like nothing was out of the ordinary. Reverend Kelly would have been 100% charged in Villisca, if half the town didn't have tunnel vision on F.F. Jones as the culprit.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! The research on this book was incredible. The murders happened more than 100 years ago, but Epperley had many first hand accounts of words spoken, actions and thoughts. His 60+ years of research including interviews, documents, libraries, archives, etc. provided for an intriguing non-fiction mystery.

[Cynthia ChadekWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative but I could not finish it. I wanted to know what happened, and it explains the murders, murder investigation and every single suspect and I guess I wasn't into knowing THAT much. I didn't want to give it less than 3 stars because there was obviously a lot of research, but it was more than I wanted to know.

[debbie lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good glad I read it

My mother in law gold about the book, she lives in Iowa. I was intrigued and glad I read this book. It is nice that it does allow for your own conclusion while the writer expresses his own. Thank you for the read.

[Anna Hackbarth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edgar Epperly is a well of knowledge on the subject, and his writing style is ok! He goes into a lot of social setting and aftermath of the killings before presenting the leading theories. A slow read, but it was alright.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Iowan, I loved this glimpse into our history. A fine read by an author who has done his research.

[Jenn Barritt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The retelling of events seemed to jump around. I was also not a fan of how the author writes. All of the evidence was presented, and the author took somewhat of a neutral stance which I appreciated.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The retelling of events seemed to jump around. I was also not a fan of how the author writes. All of the evidence was presented, and the author took somewhat of a neutral stance which I appreciated.

[Dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish - Narrative is replete with fine details and the brief acknowledgement of a 'cast of thousands': the story's purported end is essentially revealed in reviews and synopses.