Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Bizarre Mass Murder


Chicago, Ill. (1916)
[Redacted] “colored religious fanatic," and his wife opened fire from their home with “a high-powered rifle,” killing one man and two women (one pregnant) and wounding another woman (picked apparently at random).  Police backed by 200 armed citizens were unable to pick them off; incident ended by dynamiting house.
Category: public
Suicide: Not exactly
Cause: likely cultic; murderer’s walls proclaimed him “King of the Negroes” who were all of his victims.
Weapon: rifle[1]


[1] “Maniac Kills Five—Barricades Home—Fights Police for Hours—Dynamite Finally Brings Battle to End,” The Day Book [Chicago, Ill.], Jul. 18, 1916, 3.

3 comments:

  1. Is that typical media reporting even back then, to add the killer(s) death(s) to the killed count?

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  2. Dynamiting the house: How very John Waynish. Occurred during WW1 which is why there were no armored vehicles employed. In those days a high powered rife was a new fangled bolt action.

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  3. In early 19th century mass murder accounts, the suicide is often referred to as self-murder, so there is a logic to that.

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