Midwest Mayhem: The Terrifying Tale of a Shadowy Serial Killer Known as "Billy the Axeman"

In the early 1900s, several families in the midwest and elsewhere were savagely murdered by an unidentified killer. Now, modern researchers believe they have solved the mystery of "Billy the Axeman"

By the late 1800s, the Midwestern United States had blossomed with many thriving farming communities. The railroad system, by then completed, helped transport goods from the Midwest heartland to the rest of the nation.

The Midwest had become a crucial part of the American economy. But by the turn of the 20th century, cities began to grow and expand, and these small farm towns began to dwindle. Even still, many families remained in these small communities, surrounded by land and nature.

Photo of a Midwestern logging camp in the late 1800s (Forest Historical Society)

Massacre

On the night of June 9th, 1911, tragedy struck in the small town of Ardenwald, Oregon. William and Ruth Hill, along with Ruth’s two children, Philip and Dorothy, were brutally murdered in their family home in the middle of the night.

All four victims had been murdered in their beds, and the murder weapon, a bloodied axe, was left behind. Following the murders, the perpetrator had moved the victims’ bodies and covered them with sheets or blankets.

The mother and daughter showed signs of sexual assault postmortem. The windows of the family home had been covered by the murderer, who hung cloth to conceal the horrors within.

Photos of the Hill family (Wikipedia)

The following morning, William did not report to work, which prompted an investigation that led to the discovery of their bodies. The family’s neighbor, Nathan Harvey, was initially charged with committing the murders, but he was absolved and acquitted the following year.

Exactly one month later, in Ranier, Washington, Archie and Nettie Coble were attacked in the middle of the night. Again, the couple had been murdered in their beds with the blunt side of an axe, and Nettie was assaulted postmortem.

The bodies were also moved after death, and Archie’s face was covered. Given the timing and similarity in M.O. from the Hill family and the Cobles’ murders, the authorities and the press speculated that the cases were connected.

December 20, 1911 article from The Oregon Daily Journal

The Killer Returns

The killer or killers appeared to go quiet for some time, but the deadly spree was far from over. On the night of September 17th, 1911, the Burnham and Wayne families were attacked in Colorado Springs, Colorado. May Burnham, along with her children Nellie and John, were murdered.

The Burnham family was visiting Colorado Springs to attend the sanatorium there as the tuberculosis outbreak had become widespread. The Wayne family, including Henry, Blanche, and their eighteen-month-old daughter, Lula, were also in town for the same reason.

Being from out of town, it took two days for the bodies of these families to be discovered. Both families had been attacked with the blunt end of an axe; their bodies moved after death, and sheets covered their faces.