On June 10th, 1912, the small, sleepy town of Villisca, Iowa was shaken by an unspeakable crime. A well-respected family of two parents, four children, and two other children who were spending the night were all slaughtered in their sleep with an axe.
The victims were:
The father, Josiah Moore.
The mother, Sarah Moore.
Four Moore children, Herman (11), Katherine (10), Boyd (7), and Paul (5).
Two overnight guests, Lena (12), and Ina (8), Stillinger.
On the evening of June 9th, 1912, the Moore family went to a church function at about 8:00 pm. They returned home with Lena and Ina Stillinger, who were Katherine’s guests, at about 10:00 pm. During the time that they were at church, it is now believed that one or more people entered the house and hid in the attic.
Sometime during the night, estimated around midnight, the entire household was bludgeoned with an axe. Only Lena Stillinger showed any signs of having fought back or resisting, hinting that the rest of the house remained asleep during the whole ordeal.
At about 5:00 am, the next door neighbor, Mary Peckham, woke up and started her chores and noticed the Moore’s were not yet up, she also noticed that the house seemed unusually still. Many believe that Mary Peckham saw or heard something that night because she died of a nervous breakdown less than a year later. At about 8:00, she went to the house and tried knocking on the door and still received no response. She then called Josiah Moore’s brother, who then came over and found the bodies.
Before the police could get there, the townsfolk had raided the home in order to see the crime scene and collect souvenirs. Due to this, there was hardly any usable, conclusive evidence, as it had all been tampered with. The only thing that was found at the scene was the axe, or one of the axes, that was used. Also at the crime scene, all of the mirrors in the house were covered.
To this day, there is no real answer as to who did it, as nobody was ever convicted for it. One main suspect who was arrested and eventually placed on trial was the Reverend Kelly. Rev. Kelly had earned a reputation in the community as a peeping-tom and made others uncomfortable. After he was arrested, he confessed. He claimed that he was awoken in the middle of the night and saw a “shadow man”, he followed the shadow man and it led him to the Moore home. He claims that he went to the shed and retrieved an axe (the axe used did in fact belong to Josiah Moore), and entered the house. Upon entering the house, he heard a voice say “Slay them all.” And he went on a killing rampage.
He was charged and went to trial but he withdrew his confession and ended up with a hung jury, and after a retrial, he was eventually acquitted. There were a few other suspects who were questioned, but no other arrests made.
To this day nobody really knows what happened to the Moore family. The house is open to the pubic during the day as a museum, and can be reserved for overnight investigations. There are numerous reports of paranormal activity within the home and signs of demonic activity as well.
I personally have been to the house twice. I didn’t experience anything in particular, but there is a VERY noticeable eeriness and unsettling feeling all throughout the house.
By: gloriouslymacabre
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