Sometime between the evening of June 9, 1912 and the morning of June 10, 1912, eight people were murdered with an axe in the Moore family’s home.
There were several suspects, but no one was ever charged.
Here is a 1917 article about the trial of Rev. Lyn G.J. Kelly.
History of Ax Murder Case at Villisca in Which Lives of 8 Persons were Snuffed Out
The Villisca ax murder for which Rev. Lyn G.J. Kelly was tried occurred Sunday night, June 9, 1912, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Moore. The victims were: Mr. and Mrs. Moore, their children, Herman, Boyd, Paul, and Katherine, 11, 7, 5, and 10 years of age, respectively; and Lena and Ina Stillinger, 11 and 6 years old, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Stillinger.
The Stillinger sisters had attended children’s day exercises in the Presbyterian church at Villisca and accompanied the Moores home for the night as guests. Herman Moore spoke a piece about “God Watching Over the Sparrows,” and Lena Stillinger also took part in the program.
The crime was discovered at 8:30 o’clock Monday morning, when Ed Selley, clerk in the Joe Moore store, became anxious because Moore failed to appear at his place of business at the usual hour. Ross Moore, brother of Joe moore, with Marshal Horton, went to the Joe More home and discovered the eight victims of the murderer’s ax.
Find Bloody Ax
The gruesome weapon was found near the bed of the Stillinger sisters, who occupied a downstairs bedroom. The bodies of the Moore family were found in two rooms upstairs.
Many detectives worked on the case, foremost among them being J. N. Wilkerson, former Burns operative. During July, 1916, Wilkerson went to Kansas City and arrested “Bill” Mansfield, a packing house employee, and brought him back to Red Oak, where a grand jury investigated the charges against him. The vote of the grand jury was four to indict and three against. It required four to indict.
Last April Attorney General Hayner brought before the grand jury sufficient evidence to indict Rev. Lyn G.J. Kelly. The little minister was brought to Red Oak May 14 by Attorneys A.L. Sutton and J.A. McKenzie from the Alta Pass, Ill., where Kelly had been preaching. According to the contention of Sutton, he had to urge Sheriff Dunn at Red Oak to take the minister into custody.
Tried for One Murder
The trial of Kelly was on a first degree murder charge of killing Lena Stillinger, although the trial in fact covered the slaying of eight victims. Particular reference was made to Lena Stillinger on account of the condition in which witnesses said her body was found and the further fact that a witness for the prosecution testified that in one of his conversations on the murder at Macedomia on the day after the crime, Kelly said one of the girls was aroused and the murderer had more trouble killing her.
The trial started Tuesday morning, September 4. Much time was taken up selecting a jury from 140 men examined. The extent of the feud which has been engendered was demonstrated in the examination of veniremen. Many of them declared they had contributed toward the Kelly defense fund.
The defense called 46 witnesses and the prosecution 85. The state sought to prove that Kelly related details of the crime before it had been discovered at Villisca; that he sent a bloody shirt to a Council Bluffs laundry; that he made various confessions before signing the Logan confession, and that he sent obscene letters to the girls.
Wore Same Clothing
The defense placed stress on the contention that Kelly was a paranoiac; that he was susceptible to suggestions; that in his state of mind he accepted accusation of detectives and others as realities; that the Logan confession was obtained by third degree methods; that the state was trying to protect others, and offered testimony to impeach prosecution’s witnesses regarding the time Kelly was alleged to have related details of the crime at Macedonia.
The defense further contended that Kelly occupied the bed at the Ewing home, where he was a guest on the night of the crime; that he did not know the Moores and Stillingers, who were murdered; that his first day in Villisca was the Sunday of the night of the crime; that he returned to Macedonia the following Monday morning wearing the same clothes and personal effects which he took when he left home; that he was home with his wife in Macedonia during the hours of Monday when Macedonia witnesses testified he talked to them of the ax murder.
Starts County Feud
One of the outstanding features of the case is the marked division of public sentiment in Montgomery County. As soon as Detective Wilkerson returned from Illinois last May, at the time Kelly returned with Sutton and McKenzie, he entered upon a vigorous campaign in behalf of Kelly. Aligned with him were relatives of the ax murder victims.
Among these were Joseph Stillinger, John Montgomery, father of Mrs. Joe Moore; Mr. and Mrs. Ross Moore, and many others. Wilkerson was enjoined from holding public meetings, under an act of the last Iowa legislature, known as the Thompson Bill and otherwise referred to as the anti-Wilkerson Bill.
The operation of that law was suspended and Wilkerson held 35 meetings after arrival of Kelly in Red Oak last May. One of the meetings was held in the Boyd theater, Omaha. Thousands of dollars were contributed toward the legal and personal expenses of Kelly. At each meeting a committee solicited funds after Wilkerson spoke.
Stillinger is President
This Kelly defense organization was headed by Joseph Stillinger as president; C.I. Miller, secretary; C.E. Peterson, treasurer; Harvey Williet, fourth member of executive committee. It is stated 2,000 members have joined the organization, which is now known as the “Iowa Protective Association.”
On the first day of the Kelly trial 18 members of this organization, including relatives of the murder victims, offered their personal bond in the sum of $50,000 for release of Kelly on bail.
Running into the fabric of the case is the Jones-Wilkerson slander suit which consumed thirty days last fall at Red Oak. When the grand jury last year failed to indict “Bill” Mansfield, Wilkerson went to such lengths in his accusations against former State Senator F.F. Jones of Villisca, that Jones brought suit for $60,000 damages. The senator lost the suit. Wilkerson claimed to have evidence sufficient to warrant his accusations against Jones. Many of the witnesses in the suit appeared in the Kelly trial. In the slander suit Ed Landers, now of Shenandoah, testified that on the Sunday night of the crime he saw Albert Jones, son of Senator Jones, enter the Moore home, and at the Kelly trial he gave similar testimony.
Witnesses Shut Out
The defense was unable to bring into the Kelly trial the Jones-Mansfield feature of the case, as planned, further than the testimony of Ed Landers, partially corroborated by his wife.
The defense has planned to call Alice Willard, Vina Tompkins, and others on this phase of the case. They submitted typewritten copies to the judge of testimony which 16 witnesses would offer, but the court ruled that testimony out on objections by prosecution, which maintained proper foundation had not been laid. After R.H. Thorpe of Jefferson, Ia., testified to having met “Bill” Mansfield on the train on the Monday morning after the crime, the court ordered his testimony stricken out on motion of the prosecution.
Havner to Face Trial
The Montgomery County “feud” however, is not over. C.E. Peterson, treasurer of the “Iowa Protective Association,” stated that he commands $100,000 which will be used to “bring the guilty persons to justice.” Citizens of Montgomery County know what he means. Others are hoping that the ax murders will be perpetually disposed of.
Another feature of the case was the indictment of Attorney General Havner by the grand jury at Red Oak. Havner’s case will be called for trial about October 15. The attorney general was indicted upon an affidavit by Alice Willard, who stated that she was intimidated when serving as a witness before the grand jury that indicted Kelly last April.
In the slander suit last fall Mrs. Willard testified that on the evening before the night of the murder she overheard Senator F.F. Jones, “Bill” Mansfield, Bert McGaull, Harry Whipple, and another man in conversation. She was to have been one of the star witnesses for the defense in the Kelly trial if the Jones-Mansfield feature had been admitted.
Detective Wilkerson is now under charges of conspiracy to enter the Jones store at Villisca. That case is pending at Corning, Ia.
Kelly’s Life Story
Rev. Lyn G.J. Kelly is 38 years of age, was born in Kent, England, and came to this country in 1904. He started his ministerial work in North Dakota. His history during the last five years was completely covered during the trial. On Saturday, June 8, 1912, he went to Villisca to preach at Pilot Grove and Arlington churches, near Villisca. He was driven from Villisca depot by Lou Ennarson to the home of Henry Ennarson, where he passed Saturday night. He preached at Pilot Grove and Arlington on Sunday and late in the afternoon was driven to the home of Rev. W.J. Ewing at Villisca.
Sunday evening he accompanied the Ewing family to the Presbyterian church and attended the Christian Endeavor meeting and children’s day exercises. He returned to the Ewing about 9:30 and was directed to an upstairs room, while the Ewing family slept in a tent in the yard. Early next morning he returned to Macedonia, which had been his home.
Returned to Villisca
Two weeks later he returned to Villisca and preached a sermon in the Presbyterian church. During the latter part of 1912 and the early part of 1913 he attended the Presbyterian Theological seminary in Omaha and to one witness of the trial he presented a letter from Dr. Marshall of that institution. He was pastor of a church at Carroll, Ia., during part of 1913 and advertised for members of a shorthand class in that town.
During 1913 he went to Winner, S.D., where he engaged in church and stenographic work.
While at Winner he was indicted at Sioux Falls on a charge of writing obscene letters to girls, and committed to the federal insane hospital at Washington D.C.
From the federal hospital he went to Sioux City, where he worked for a short time as a stenographer in a grocery house and opened a stenographic office. He was assisted at Sioux City by Horace Houghton.
For a year and a half (1915 – 16) he filled the Congregational church pulpit at Sutton, Neb., and had his name on the church door. His last church work before going to Red Oak last May was at Alta Pass, Ill.
The trial disclosed that during his varied existence over a period of five years he declared himself to be Christ, the son of God, and the grandson of God, and President Wilson.
Source: Omaha daily bee. (Omaha, Neb.), 27 Sept. 1917.
