Billy The Axeman

Serial Killer

Billy the Axeman: The Unidentified Killer Behind a Series of Early American Family Murders

Who Was Billy the Axeman?

Billy the Axeman, sometimes called the Ax-Man or the Midwest Axeman, is the name given to an unidentified killer who has been linked to a disturbing series of household murders committed across the United States during 1911 and 1912. The name does not identify a known individual. Instead, it developed as newspapers and investigators began noticing similarities between several seemingly inexplicable attacks in which entire families were killed inside their homes during the night. The strongest version of the theory connects five separate crime scenes in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas and Iowa between September 1911 and June 1912. Those crimes resulted in the deaths of 24 people. Two earlier attacks in Oregon and Washington, involving six additional victims, have frequently been included in discussions of the same killer, although the connection is considerably more disputed. No court ever established that all of these murders were committed by one person. The theory of a traveling serial murderer developed because the crimes shared unusual characteristics. Victims were generally attacked while sleeping. Entire households were targeted instead of a single individual. Axes or other heavy blunt instruments were commonly used, yet robbery usually appeared to be absent as a motive. In several homes the killer covered windows, mirrors, telephones or the victims themselves. Lamps were manipulated in an unusually similar way, and several crime scenes were located close to railroad tracks.

Victims in the Suspected Billy the Axeman Series

The following victims belong either to the principal Midwestern series historically associated with Billy the Axeman or to the two earlier Northwestern crimes frequently discussed as possible parts of the same series. Because the identity of Billy the Axeman was never established, these should be regarded as linked or suspected victims rather than legally proven victims of one serial killer.

• June 9, 1911 – Ardenwald, Oregon: William Hill, Ruth Cowing Hill, Philip Rintoul and Dorothy Rintoul. The four members of the household were murdered in their home in the Ardenwald community outside Portland. Contemporary reports place the killings during the overnight hours surrounding June 9. The Hill murders are an often-mentioned but disputed early addition to the Billy the Axeman series.
• Night of July 9-10, 1911 – Rainier, Washington: Archie Coble and Nettie Coble. The married couple was killed inside their home near Rainier. Their deaths have sometimes been connected with the later family murders, although a local railroad section foreman was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with the crime, creating substantial doubt about its inclusion in the Axeman series.
• Night of September 17-18, 1911 – Colorado Springs, Colorado: May Alice Burnham, her daughter Nellie Burnham and her young son John Burnham. All three were killed inside the Burnham residence. Contemporary and later historical records differ slightly on the children's given names and ages, but May Alice, Nellie and John are commonly identified in research on the connected murders.
• Night of September 17-18, 1911 – Colorado Springs, Colorado: Henry F. Wayne, Blanche Wayne and their young daughter, commonly recorded as Lula or Lulumay Wayne. Some contemporary accounts instead referred to the child as Blanche. The Wayne family lived immediately behind or near the Burnham residence and was killed during the same period.
• Night of September 30-October 1, 1911 – Monmouth, Illinois: William E. Dawson, Charity Dawson and their daughter Georgia Dawson. The three members of the Dawson family were murdered in their home and discovered on October 1 after William failed to arrive at the First Presbyterian Church, where he worked as caretaker.
• Night of October 15-16, 1911 – Ellsworth, Kansas: William Showman, Pauline Showman and their three children, Lester Showman, Fern Showman and Fenton Showman. The entire five-member household was murdered inside its small home on the outskirts of Ellsworth.
• Night of June 5-6, 1912 – Paola, Kansas: Rollin Hudson and Anna Hudson. The young married couple was killed inside their home at Paola. Their bodies were discovered June 6 after Rollin's unexplained absence from work caused concern.
• June 10, 1912 – Villisca, Iowa: Josiah B. "Joe" Moore, Sarah "Sara" Moore, Herman Montgomery Moore, Mary Katherine Moore, Arthur Boyd Moore, Paul Vernon Moore, Lena Gertrude Stillinger and Ina May Stillinger. The six members of the Moore family and the two visiting Stillinger sisters were murdered overnight between June 9 and June 10 at the Moore residence at 508 East Second Street.

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Confirmed Victims: (0)

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