Publisher's Synopsis
VICTIMS OF THE AX FIEND
MYSTERY, MAYHEM AND THE CHURCH OF SACRIFICE MURDERS
Author Troy Taylor has been researching American crime for nearly 30 years and has revealed dark tales of murder, mayhem, and horror in book after book - but no other case is quite as horrific as this one. It is the true story of a little-known series of murders that shaped the lives of scores of people in the early twentieth century. It's an account of a real-life monster that prowled the darkness of Louisiana and Texas between 1909 and 1912, claiming the lives of men, women, and children alike.
Newspapers called his crimes "The Church of Sacrifice Murders" and blamed them on a "Voodoo" cult, but he was something even more sinister - a lone killer who was preying on poor families in the Deep South. The Axman eventually claimed at least 45 lives as he slaughtered his way across the region and his brutal crimes were never solved - and are now largely forgotten more than a century later. Why? The answer to that is both tragic and regrettable - all the victims of the Axman were black.
The murders created panic among the African-American communities of the region as they feared being murdered while they slept. And there is no question, families had every reason to be afraid. No one was prepared for a killer like this - a mysterious Axman who came in the night, wiped out entire families, and vanished without ever being seen. Rumors spread of curses, black magic, and "hoodoo" charms used by the Axman, which was how he avoided detection. And maybe it worked - he was certainly never found. He took the secrets of his killings to the grave. When the murders finally stopped, he was never heard from again, leaving a legacy of terror and mystery in his wake.
Take a trip back to another place and time and discover the horrific secrets of the Axman - and be sure to leave the lights on when you're reading this one!
