Villisca Review ~ June 13, 1912

The family of J.B. Moore

Josiah B. Moore was one of Villisca's most prominent businessmen. At the time of his death, he was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Moore of Villisca, brothers; John Moore of Summerfield, Kansas, George Moore of Portland, Oregon, Fen Moore of Red Oak, James, Charlie, Ross and Harry of Villisca, and sisters, Mrs. George Fisher of Villisca and Miss Minnie Moore of Omaha.

Josiah married Sarah Montgomery on December 6th of 1899 at the home of her parents. Josiah and Sarah Moore had 4 children; Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul. Josiah had been a resident of Villisca for 13 years and was employed by Frank Jones at the Jones Store for nine years.

Sarah Montgomery (Moore) was born in Knox County, Illinois in 1873 and moved to Iowa with her parents Mr. and Mrs. John Montgomery and her sister, Mary, in approx. 1894. She was thirty-nine years old and the mother of four children when she was murdered in her bed. Sarah was an active member of the Presbyterian Church and led the Children's Day Exercises on June 9th.

Survivors included: her parents, Mrs. Mary Van Gilder (sister), Fay Van Gilder (niece), Lee Van Gilder (nephew), and Mrs. Mary Kingan (grandmother who lived with the Montgomery family).

Among the suspects immediately after the murders was Sarah's brother-in-law, Lee Van Gilder. The ex-husband of Sarah's sister, Mary, Van Gilder had a few previous brushes with law enforcement and was known to be prone to violence. Although he and his wife had divorced, there was apparently enough bad blood between the two for him to be a suspect. He was later cleared.

 

The Children of Josiah and Sarah Moore

  Herman, the eldest of the Moore children was born in 1901 and was 11 years-old at the time of his death. It was said that Herman was quite his father's son and was often seen at his side.

 Katherine, born just two years after Herman in 1903, was 10 years-old when she was killed. The Stillinger sisters, Lena and Ina were close friends and it was at Katherine's request that they spent the night with the Moore family on June 9th,1912.

                                                          

Boyd and Paul were the youngest Moore children. Aged 7 and 5, respectively, at the time of their murders, only one photograph of the two boys has ever been presented. The photographs shown here were obviously taken when the boys were much younger than they were at the time of their deaths in 1912.

 

The Stillinger Sisters

                                                           

Lena Gertrude Stillinger and her sister Ina May were the daughters of Joseph and Sarah Stillinger. Both girls were born on the Stillinger family farm just outside of Villisca. Lena was 12 years old when she was murdered and from the position of her body, it was concluded that she was the only victim that had attempted to fight off her attacker. Many experts have also suggested that Lena was the victim of some type of sexual molestation by her killer. Ina May and Lena had 7 surviving siblings, Edith, Ed, Lester, David, Blanche, Ralph, and Ada Lou. Both members of the Presbyterian Church and the Junior Society they participated with the Moore children in the Children's Day activities at the Presbyterian Church on the night of their murderers. Ina was eight at the time of her death. The Stillinger sisters are buried side-by-side in the Villisca Cemetery.

 

The Stillinger Family

Joseph Stillinger, father of the Stillinger girls, originally arrived in Villisca with his mother, two brothers and a sister. He was 14 years old. His father died of the black measles at age 36. His mother settled a few miles north of Villisca on a 40-acre plot given to her by the government as the widow of a soldier.

Four years later, the family moved to another plot of land just a mile south of town. Joseph married Sarah Hastings and built a large home across the creek from his mother and brother. Joseph Stillinger did very well and his land eventually overtook that of his brother George. Townsfolk knew the farm as the Doddy Hollow Farm.

Joseph was an expert in horticulture and the Doddy Hollow Farm sported several fine orchards of fruit and nut trees. Many townsfolk visited regularly to observe and learn Joseph's farming techniques. Joseph traveled often to speak to groups of farmers under the sponsorship of the Iowa State College. He often made trips to Des Moines and spoke regularly to the state legislature. He was actually nominated for the legislature at one time but refused to take time to campaign and lost to his opponent by only two votes. He also raised cattle and sheep and had a profitable seed corn business and a small coal-shipping venture.

The same week that Lena and Ina were murdered, Sarah gave birth to a stillborn child. In the fall of that same year while the family was away, the house caught fire and it and all their belongings were destroyed. Although the Stillinger's rebuilt the house, in 1932 it again burned to the ground. The family rebuilt again. Today, over 90 years later, the buildings on Doddy Hollow Farm remain standing.

J.T. Stillinger passed away on April 9th, 1945 in Omaha, Nebraska. His wife, Sarah Emma Hastings Stillinger preceeded him in death on November 3,1944. They are both buried in the Villisca cemetery next to the graves of their daughters Lena and Ina and Edith, as well as their stillborn child. Edith Stillinger, daughter of Joseph and Sarah died on Dec. 3rd,1969.

Senator Frank Jones

If Senator Frank Fernando Jones was not involved in the murders of the Moore family, then he too, deserves a place here on this page.

Although he was never convicted of a crime, his career in politics as well as his reputation in Villisca was destroyed by the accusations. While Jones lived to be 85 years-old, many believe that his life ended on that fateful night as well.