Great New Book on Villisca Axe Murders
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:22 am
Two books will define the Villisca Axe murder case:
The the one due to be published by Dr. Edgar Epperly, Professor Emeritus of Education at Luther College (my undergrad done there) who has spent his entire life (since entering UNI when it was still SCI) researching and investigating the Villisca murders. For a number of years his long-standing marriage withstood the "axe" in their bedroom closet! His seminal book will be published this fall.
The other, by James Hill and his daughter Rachel McCarthy, deals with a broader brush examining axe murders of entire families as the murderer, possibly identified at the end of the book, rides the rails through the south and Midwest. The murders appear to have started in the East and even though he had nothing to do with the Bordens, what he did elsewhere explains how the Borden killer did it in Falls Church. All he needed was an axe, a plan and one helluva nerve. The title: The Man From the Train. Great read!! Available now.
Just when I thought there wasn't much that could shock me, I learned that the murder of his parents in the late 1800s committed by "Boy Murderer" Wesley Elkins occurred on one of our farms where I grew up. We still live ten minutes from the site. Of course, Wesley was there in the late 1800s and I was there in 1950s and 60s. Nonetheless, Tom Wolf and Patricia Bryan are working on The Plea which will be published in 2018. I'm more than excited!
Right now the must read is The Man From the Train, followed by Epperly's long awaited exposé on Villisca, followed by the heart-wrenching story of an abused child sentenced to life in prison at age eleven who, by the grace of good men of faith, was released and allowed to redeem his life. No axe in this book; just a shotgun and a huge club and a kid weighing less than 80 lbs.
Hi y'all, especially Twins, Michael and Anna.
The the one due to be published by Dr. Edgar Epperly, Professor Emeritus of Education at Luther College (my undergrad done there) who has spent his entire life (since entering UNI when it was still SCI) researching and investigating the Villisca murders. For a number of years his long-standing marriage withstood the "axe" in their bedroom closet! His seminal book will be published this fall.
The other, by James Hill and his daughter Rachel McCarthy, deals with a broader brush examining axe murders of entire families as the murderer, possibly identified at the end of the book, rides the rails through the south and Midwest. The murders appear to have started in the East and even though he had nothing to do with the Bordens, what he did elsewhere explains how the Borden killer did it in Falls Church. All he needed was an axe, a plan and one helluva nerve. The title: The Man From the Train. Great read!! Available now.
Just when I thought there wasn't much that could shock me, I learned that the murder of his parents in the late 1800s committed by "Boy Murderer" Wesley Elkins occurred on one of our farms where I grew up. We still live ten minutes from the site. Of course, Wesley was there in the late 1800s and I was there in 1950s and 60s. Nonetheless, Tom Wolf and Patricia Bryan are working on The Plea which will be published in 2018. I'm more than excited!
Right now the must read is The Man From the Train, followed by Epperly's long awaited exposé on Villisca, followed by the heart-wrenching story of an abused child sentenced to life in prison at age eleven who, by the grace of good men of faith, was released and allowed to redeem his life. No axe in this book; just a shotgun and a huge club and a kid weighing less than 80 lbs.
Hi y'all, especially Twins, Michael and Anna.