Why the heck were axes even invented? Sure, they're helpful tools for chopping wood and such, but they're also one of the most gruesome murder weapons of all time. Being shot is one thing, being poisoned is another, but being hacked to death by an ax is just horrible.
Unfortunately for mankind, history has seen a lot of psychotic ax murderers in its time. Some of these ruthless killers you have probably heard of, like the infamous Lizzie Borden, but others on this list might be new to you. Either way, it's important that you familiarize yourself with these people so you know how to avoid ax murderers in everyday life.
Read on for a list of some of history's bloodiest killers.
15 Horrifying Stories of Real-Life Axe Murderers,
The Axeman of New Orleans
This mysterious killer was never properly identified, but his grip on the city of New Orleans remains one of that city's most infamous tales. Between 1918 and 1919, 12 people were brutally attacked by the Axeman, seven of whom died from their injuries. People were terrified of this brutal killer, but nobody knew who he was.
Then one day, an ominous letter was delivered to the local newspapers, supposedly from the Axeman. In the letter, he claimed to be a demon from "the hottest hell" and warned the city that the following Tuesday night, he was going to kill again. However, he wrote, he would spare anyone who was playing jazz music.
The following Tuesday night was one of the loudest in New Orleans's history, as jazz was playing in every home. Apparently it worked, as no one was killed that night. Of course, there was no way to know if the letter writer was the Axeman, and the killer was never caught.
Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Borden is infamous for her arrest in 1892 for the murders of her father and stepmother. She was acquitted, but controversy still continues to this day about the double-murder case. Both Andrew and Abby Borden were found horribly hacked to death by an ax. Lizzie was the only suspect, but even though she had both motive and means, they didn't have enough proper evidence to convict her.
Servant Girl Annihilator
In 1885, a horrific ax murderer terrorized Austin, Texas. Eight murders occurred, all in a similar fashion. The victims were all attacked in their beds with a swift blow to the head with an ax. Their bodies were then dragged outside, where they were raped and mutilated. The killer often left the ax behind, but despite that evidence, the police could not catch the man responsible.
However, the law finally caught an extremely lucky break when the killer apparently fell right into their laps. In Masontown, a man in a drunken rage attacked a young girl in a saloon. He grabbed the girl and started dragging her out of the saloon and into a nearby house, where her screams attracted the cops. When they arrived, the man attacked the cops with a knife, and even though they tried to subdue him, nothing worked. The cops eventually had to shoot him. A cop's bullet lodged into the man's spine and paralyzed the him, and he died the following day.
It was only then that the cops noticed the man had only nine toes, just like the Servant Girl Annihilator, whose bloody footprints had been left at several crime scenes. Was this the mysterious murderer? Despite this clue, the identity of the Servant Girl Annihilator has never been conclusively determined, and some evidence even links him to Jack the Ripper.
Elifasi Msomi
You really can't trust the devil on your shoulder. In August of 1953, South Africa's Elifasi Msomi started an 18-month ax-killing spree that claimed the lives of 15 people. Afterwards, Msomi claimed his evil journey was a result of the Tokoloshe, an evil sprite, who would appear on his shoulder and tell him to kill.
This defense didn't really fly with the prosecution team, with psychologists coming in and saying he was of above-average intelligence, and most likely derived sexual pleasure from inflicting pain on others. He was sentenced to death by hanging, and nine Zulu Chiefs and Elders attended the hanging to confirm that the Tokoloshe would not save him from his execution.
Frances Stewart Silver
In 1833, Frances "Frankie" Stewart Silver was hanged for the murder of her husband, Charles Silver, with an ax.
"Death by ax" isn't exactly a peaceful way to go, but Charles Silver's death was even worse than most. His dismembered body pieces were scattered around their farm in North Carolina.
Unlike with other murderers on this list, there's an air of doubt regarding if Frances actually killed her husband. There was weak evidence at the trial, but the jury still convicted her. Later, she had help escaping prison, but her escape plan was foiled, and she was still sent to the gallows to die.
William Stewart
This is why boat rides are horrible. In 1828, the trading boat the Mary Russell set sail, bound for Barbados. When it finally docked after a few months at sea, it was discovered that the ship's captain, William Stewart, had viciously murdered seven of his crewmen. He bound the men's hands and feet and pinned them to the floor of the ship. He then dispatched them systematically with a crowbar, then with an ax.
The Villisca Ax Murderer
In June of 1912, the small town of Villisca, Iowa, was rocked upon the discovery of eight bodies at the Moore residence. All six members of the Moore family, plus two house guests, were found bludgeoned to death and with severe head wounds from an ax. There was a lengthy investigation that turned up two suspects for the horrific murder, but there was never a conviction. The case remains unsolved to this day.
Victor Licata
As the battle still rages over the legalization of marijuana, do you ever stop to wonder about how it became so criminalized in the first place? If you thought the answer had something to do with a psychotic ax murderer, you're right!
In 1933, police were called to the Licata residence and discovered something gruesome: 21-year-old Victor Licata had butchered his entire family, his parents and his three siblings, with an ax. When they found him, Victor was wearing a clean pair of clothes, but his skin was stained with blood. His explanation of what happened is quite disturbing.
Years later, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics set out to prove that marijuana turned people into violent criminals. The cornerstone of his entire campaign was Victor Licata. The only problem was that Victor wasn't high at the time - he was suffering from early dementia, which caused him to snap.
Joseph Ntshongwana
Whether or not he was mentally ill, it's clear that something within Joseph Ntshongwana snapped. A former rugby player, Ntshongwana was tried and convicted of four murders and a rape in 2014. Reports say that Ntshongwana killed the men because he believed the men had raped his daughter and infected her with HIV, but that was later proven to be not true. All three were killed with an ax, with two of them being beheaded.
Ntshongwana's family was upset that Ntshongwana had to be tried as a sane person when they felt he clearly suffered from a mental disease, but the judge saw it differently. He insisted that Ntshongwana had control of his actions and that's why his sentencing was so harsh.
Eva Dugan
Is there such a thing as a cool ax-murderer? Maybe not, but Eva Dugan at least had some style. While working for her boss out in Alaska, Dugan was fired for unknown reasons. Shortly after, the boss disappeared and Dugan fled the state. She was arrested later for auto theft, but while she was in prison, the remains of her axed-up boss were found in the wilderness. It was then discovered that Dugan had five other husbands who had also disappeared.
She was quickly tried and convicted for murder, and in her final statement at court, she said "Wal, I'll die with my boots on, an' in full health. An' that's more'n most of you old coots'll be able to boast on."
Dugan ended up being the only woman and the last person to be executed by hanging in the Grand Canyon State, thanks to a horrible accident. At her hanging, the executioner miscalculated, causing Dugan's decapitation instead of a simple hanging. Her head rolled out into the crowd and caused a few people to faint. After that debacle, Arizona pushed for the gas chamber instead of the gallows.