Night Marauder

Serial Killer

The Night Marauder: East Tennessee's Unidentified Serial Killer

Introduction

The Night Marauder was the name given to an unidentified intruder who terrorized communities in East Tennessee during a prolonged series of nighttime break-ins, sexual assaults, shootings and murders between 1919 and 1926. His attacks were concentrated in Knoxville, Alcoa and Maryville, where residents began sleeping with weapons nearby, organizing neighborhood patrols and watching every unfamiliar person with suspicion. Historical research has connected him to dozens of home invasions, numerous assaults and as many as eight deaths, although the incomplete records and contradictory newspaper accounts of the period make it difficult to determine exactly which crimes were committed by the same person. The offender entered modest homes during the darkest hours of the night, often taking advantage of unlocked doors or open windows during warm weather. Many of the houses he selected lacked electricity, leaving their occupants dependent upon oil lamps and matches. Once inside, he reportedly removed or concealed nearby matches, approached sleeping women and awakened them by touching their legs or bodies. He commonly carried a flashlight and pistol, using the light to blind and frighten victims while issuing threats. When husbands, relatives or other occupants attempted to intervene, he sometimes opened fire without warning.

Victims and Fatal Attacks

• Bertie Lindsey August 30, 1919 Knoxville, Tennessee: Lindsey was attacked in her home between approximately 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning. An intruder entered the residence, shot and killed her, threatened her cousin and escaped into the darkness. The crime was later recognized as closely resembling the Night Marauder's subsequent attacks. Maurice Mays was arrested and convicted of Lindsey's murder, but the weak and racially charged case against him has remained deeply disputed. Similar attacks continued while Mays was incarcerated, creating substantial doubt that he was the Night Marauder.
• Luther Wells September 20, 1924 Maryville, Tennessee: Wells was shot while attempting to protect his wife, Ada Wells, during a nighttime invasion of their home. The intruder had entered while the couple slept and turned his weapon on them when resistance developed. Luther survived the immediate attack but remained seriously disabled and suffered recurring medical problems from the gunshot wounds. He died on September 20, 1924, approximately nine months after the shooting, and contemporary newspapers described his death as the delayed result of the Marauder's attack.
• Clyde Poe December 17, 1924 Alcoa, Tennessee: Twenty-one-year-old Clyde Poe was shot when an armed intruder entered the home he shared with his wife, Lora, and their infant son. The attacker's primary interest appeared to be Lora, while Clyde was treated as an obstacle. After being shot, Clyde remained wounded on the cold floor while assistance was sought. He developed pneumonia but initially appeared likely to survive. On December 17, surgeons attempted to remove the bullet lodged near his spine. Clyde died during the operation, making the attack one of the most notorious crimes attributed to the Night Marauder.
• Sarah Mason July 9, 1926 Maryville, Tennessee: Sarah Mason, a 60-year-old widow, was killed after an intruder entered the home she shared with her recently divorced daughter at approximately 2:30 in the morning. The attack occurred after the principal suspect in earlier Night Marauder crimes had been acquitted and released. Mason's death was widely reported as another appearance of the same nocturnal killer and renewed the fear that had gripped Maryville for years.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Unidentified woman in Knoxville , Date of Death: 1919

Maryville College class revisits unsolved 'Night Marauder' murders