November 13, 1863San Patricio, TexasJosefa “Chipita” Rodriguez is executed for the murder of a man On August 25, 1863, the body of John Savage was found in a burlap sack in the Aransas River. The cause of death was immediately apparent: his skull had been caved in by an axe. Savage was a horse trader…
Man hanged for killing wife, children with axe
March 30, 1899 Harrisonville, Missouri Edwin Bates Soper is hanged for the murder of his wife and two children In April 1891, Soper suddenly announced to neighbors and acquaintances he had heard of a local “blind tiger” (an illegal saloon) and had decided to move there, then quickly sold his butcher shop and moved away.…
Man beats two women to death with axe during robbery
March 5, 1873 Smutty Nose Island (now spelled Smuttynose), Maine Two women are beaten to death with an axe while a third manages to escape On the evening of March 5, 1873, John Hontvet, his brother Matthew Hontvet, and John’s wife’s brother Ivan Christenson left their home to go fishing and trapping. A man known…
Woman is attacked by husband with knife and axe
February 12, 1885 Monroe, Georgia William McGaughey fatally attacks his wife Mollie The attack was in part witnessed by Mollie’s teenaged daughter from a previous marriage. The daughter, Mattie, stated she heard a thump come from a closed room and peeked through a knothole in the wall to investigate. When this proved too difficult to…
Man “anguished deeply in heart” kills 8 including his lover and her toddler grandson
January 4, 2009 Luoyang, Suizhou City, Hubei Province, China Xiong Zhenlin (35, pictured) kills 8 people over 15 hours, reportedly due to romantic and financial difficulties Xiong had divorced his wife a few months prior to the murders, in September 2008. He became distraught and hoped to either reunite with his ex-wife or marry his…
