September 1, 1827Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, EnglandJoshua Slade is executed for the murder of a man during a botched burglary On July 3, 1827, 18-year-old Slade entered the unlocked home of Reverend Joshua Waterhouse with the intent to burglarize it later. While the reverend was away, Slade went into Waterhouse’s bedroom to unload his blunderbuss and pack…
Man kills young sons with hatchet
January 9, 1999 Manhattan, New York Ronald Short (pictured, center) kills his two sons with a foot-long hammer-headed hatchet On January 9, Ronald and his wife Yolanta argued culminating with Ronald slapping Yolanta. Yolanta left their apartment, threatening to leave him and take their children with her. When she returned to their home, her husband…
Man kills housekeeper with hatchet, tries to cut own throat
From the Chicago Daily Tribune Published January 24, 1903 Frank Lewis killed his housekeeper, Stella Wright (24) with a hatchet. He attempted to clean the scene with towels and there was evidence he stooped over her body to ensure she was dead. Then he left her body and bloody scene for his 12-year-old daughter to…
The Babes in the Wood (Stanley Park) are found
January 14, 1953 Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia The skeletal remains of 2 children are found The skeletons were found with a hatchet, and each bore a wound from the weapon: one from the sharpened side while the other from the hammer end. The bodies were placed side by side and covered with a woman's…
Woman examined by psychologists after killing mother-in-law with hatchet
September 29, 1935 Chestertown, Maryland A woman who murdered her mother in-law with a hatchet meets with alienists (an archaic term for psychologists) to determine her level of sanity. During her subsequent trial, she claimed she didn't remember murdering the elderly woman. She stated she grabbed a hammer to fix a towel rack in the…
