the-penny-dreadfuls: June 13th, 1912: The funeral for the eight victims of the Villisca axe murders.
the-penny-dreadfuls: June 13th, 1912: The funeral for the eight victims of the Villisca axe murders. Between the late hours of June 9th and early morning of June 10th, 1912 an unknown assailant murdered Josiah and Sarah Moore, their four children - Herman, Catherine, Boyd and Paul - and Lena and Ina Stillinger, two young guests, while they slept in their beds. All victims bore severe head wounds, inflicted by an axe.A sleepy little town such as Villisca, Iowa was unequipped to host a funeral so large. Because of the substantial amount of interest in the case, they moved the funeral services to a public park where they could better fit a grieving crowd. Up to 7,000 people clustered together to pay their respects to the Moore family and Stilling sisters. They lined the park and streets as the procession of caskets passed by. Josiah and Sara were transported by Villisca’s only two hearses. The children followed behind, carried by horse-drawn carriages. Mourners brought beautiful floral arrangements as expressions of sympathy. The blanket of blooms covered each casket, nearly hiding them fully from view. -- source link