Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The Servant Girl Annihilator Pt. 1

Episode Date: November 18, 2019

In 1884, Austin, Texas was shaken to its core when one of America's first serial killers committed a series of gruesome murders in its streets. The killer targeted African American women who worked as servants in the city's wealthier areas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On December 30, 1884, a harsh winter storm bore down on Austin, Texas. The night was frigid. Walter Spencer woke up shivering. As he pulled his threadbare covers up to his chin, he felt a strong. strange pounding in the back of his head. He touched his head and pulled back his hand. It was covered in blood. Frightened and confused, he reached out for his girlfriend, Molly Smith, but her side of the bed was empty and soaked. Spencer desperately scanned the dark bedroom,

calling softly for Molly. As his eyes adjusted, he saw the furniture had been overturned, and shards of broken glass covered the floor. Bloody handprints were smeared on the walls, and at the foot of the bed, blood dotted a jagged axe. Spencer jumped to his feet and screamed Molly's name, but no one answered. Molly was gone. Hi, I'm Greg Polson.

This is serial killers, a parkast original. Every Monday, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream serial killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type Serial Killers in the search bar. Today, we'll discuss the Servant Girl Murders, the work of America's first unknown serial killer. At Parcast, we're grateful for you, our listeners. You allow us to do what we love. Let us know how we're doing. Reach out on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and Twitter

at Parcast Network. And if you enjoy today's episode, the best way to help is to leave a five-star review wherever you're listening. It really does help. The servant girl annihilator killed eight people in Austin, Texas in 1884 and 1885. The killer primarily targeted black women who were employed as domestic servants, and his identity was never discovered. This week, we'll learn about the elusive killers' first four victims, which marked the beginning of his reign of terror over Austin. Next week, we'll track his final slayings and the ensuing court case, a circus that rivaled the O.J. Simpson trial.

In 1885, Austin, Texas was still a young city in the early stages of urbanization. As journalist Skip Hounsworth writes, only 20 years prior, Austin was considered a primitive settlement on the edge of the American frontier. That all changed in 1871 when railroad tracks were laid, connecting Austin to the wider world. Ten years later, the price of cotton rose. It was the state's leading export. Texas was on the verge of an economic explosion, and Austin was perfectly positioned to take advantage. of it. By 1885, Austin spanned four square miles.

The population would grow to more than 20,000 people over the course of that year. But more notable were the losses. A New Year's Eve, 1884, news of a gruesome murder sent the community reeling. The first victim was Molly Smith, a black woman in her mid-20s, who lived at the home of Mr. W.K. Hall, an insurance agent. from Galveston. She worked for Hall as a cook and shared a small apartment at the rear of the house with her boyfriend, Walter Spencer. On December 30, 1884, Molly and Walter went to bed after a long day of work. They huddled together under the covers, as the night was unusually cold.

Just as Walter was about to shut his eyes, everything went black. Walter woke up hours later to find blood pouring down the back of his neck. He had sustained several blows to the head, and he was dazed, groggy, and terrified. He realized Molly was missing and saw clear signs that a violent struggle had taken place in their bedroom. Walter took to the icy streets in search of Molly,

but his lantern had been broken in the attack, and he had little hope of finding her in the dark. Walter pounded on the door of Todd Chalmer, Mr. Hall's brother-in-law. The Austin Daily statesman reported, Walter was bleeding freely from several wounds on the head and said, Mr. Tom, for God's sake, do something to help me.

Somebody has nearly killed me. Chalmers brushed Walter off, refusing to go out in such bad weather. He believed that whatever happened to Molly could wait until the next morning. After Walter pleaded with him, Chalmers sent him to a doctor who could treat his wounds. but still didn't search for Molly.

When Walter Spencer returned home a few hours later, there was still no sign of his girlfriend. At 9 a.m., a neighbor's servant discovered Molly's mangled corpse behind the hall's outhouse, about 50 feet off the main property. The body was surrounded by snow and blood. Molly had been aggressively stabbed over and over again. And like Walter, she'd been struck in the house. head with an axe. There was a gaping hole in her skull.

Her corpse was nearly nude, and after some investigation, authorities determined Molly had likely been sexually assaulted. A reporter from the statesman described Molly's death as one of the most horrible murders that ever a reporter was called on to Chronicle, a deed almost unparalleled in the atrocity of its execution. Though this was only the first victim, the state of Molly's body hints at the the possible motives of the servant girl annihilator. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode.

Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to research conducted by Detective Robert Keppel and psychologist Richard Walter, the murder and sexual assault of Molly Smith can most likely be categorized as an anger retaliatory murder. A technical report done by the FBI entitled Serial Murder, Pathways for Investigations, states that in instances of anger retaliatory murder,

the murder allowed the offender to vent his anger by killing the victim and provided him with revenge on a symbolic target. It's probable the killer did not know Molly personally. To the killer, Molly might have represented something that incited his rage, making her murder, particularly the repeated stabbing. a symbolic way for him to vent his anger. Based on this information, it's possible the killer had a history of poor relationships with women. Whatever the case may have been, officials at the time had never seen a murder case like Mollies and had few leads.

After they examined the body, detectives questioned Walter Spencer, but he wasn't much help. He didn't even remember how he had sustained his head wounds. William Howe, a young Austin police officer, inspected Molly and Walter's upended bedroom. Howe discovered a trail of blood leading from the room to Molly's corpse, suggesting the killer dragged her body outside after maiming or killing her. Given Spencer's severe head wounds, police believed he hadn't been involved in the murder despite his presence at the scene of the crime. Instead, they honed in on a man named William Brooks, a bartender.

at the popular Beryl House Saloon and Molly's former lover. According to some accounts, Molly and Brooks had known each other for years before, in Waco, Texas. The relationship ended, and Molly moved to Austin alone. Apparently, Brooks had followed her there, hoping he could win her back. But by the time Brooks got to Austin, he found he was too late. Molly had already moved on and fallen for Walter Spencer. Austin police theorized that Brooks may have attacked Spencer and killed Molly in a crime of jealous passion and rage. Brooks emphatically denied the accusations.

In an attempt to clear his name, he reached out to reporters of the Austin Daily Statesman. Brooks insisted he knew both Molly Smith and Walter Spencer. He liked them both and never had any falling out with either. His claims were bolstered by a solid alibi on the night in question. which was corroborated by several witnesses. He had been at a ball the night of Molly's murder and didn't leave the party until around 4 a.m. He couldn't possibly have broken into Molly's room at the time in question.

With both Walter Spencer and William Brooks in the clear, Austin police were left scratching their heads. There was no one else with an obvious motive to attack Molly or Walter. The investigation ground to a halt. Life in Austin went back to. normal, at least for a short time. In March of 1885, Austin's initial brush with violence turned into a full-on bloodbath. One night, an anonymous domestic servant awoke, startled. A man loomed over her bed.

His features obscured by the black of night. He held something heavy in his hand. The man demanded she give him her money and threatened to kill her. For a moment, for a moment of moment she was frozen in fear. Then she yelled as loudly as she could. The intruder raised his hand and struck her over the head. Her screams woke, though, sleeping in the main house. People rushed out the door. As they ran toward the source of the scream, the attacker panicked and bolted. No one was able to get a good look at the man. He escaped into the darkness as anonymous as his victim. A few nights later, two more anonymous domestic servants were woken by the sound of their door, shaking violently.

Someone was trying to force their way inside. After a moment, the rattling stopped. One of the women called out. When she received no answer, she got up from her bed and cautiously opened the door. All she could see was darkness. But curiosity got the better of her. Perhaps she thought the rattling had been a prank, or she worried someone needed help. she took a tentative step past the door to look around.

But the instant she crossed the threshold, two large hands grabbed her from behind. Petrified, she screamed and squirmed. The attacker released her and once again ran off into the night. By the time the woman calmed down enough to turn and look for him, the would-be assailant had vanished. That same night, another young woman woke up to find the locked door to her, servant quarters quaking. When she peered out the window, the shaking stopped. She kept the door locked and waited nervously for several minutes, debating calling for help or

the police. Luckily, things remained quiet for the rest of the night. It's possible something scared the killer off, or else he was particularly skittish after nearly being caught only hours before. Or perhaps this incident was merely a strong bout of winter wind, made frightening by the presence of a brutal murderer. Regardless, reports of similar encounters continued in the weeks to follow, leaving Austin residents horrified and frightened, and the police were no closer to catching Molly Smith's killer. It's possible the killer remained at large

because he was preying on Austin's most vulnerable. Criminal profile Deborah Sherman Coughlin's research draws a stark similarity between Austin's servant girl murders and minority murder victims in the U.S. today. She notes that a majority of African-American victims in these cases were of a lower socioeconomic status. These victims struggle to make ends meet. She also talks about the voided news coverage

when it comes to minority victims. As she notes, it is most rare that you see ongoing news stories about minority victims. The high-profile cases almost always focus on Caucasian victims. The killer's attacks were covered in the Austin Daily Statesman, but the news would have almost certainly created more public outcry had the majority of victims been white. As Deborah writes,

this lack of publicity reinforces the safety for the offenders. They do not fear witnesses. Austin's black community was fearful and defenseless. A dangerous murderer roamed the streets, and his violent reign of terror had just begun. When we return, the Servant Girl Annihilator kills again. Now back to the story. On New Year's Day, 1885, the first victim of the Servant Girl Annihilator was found outside her home in Austin, Texas.

She had been mutilated and sexually assaulted. The brutal attack appeared to be motivated by rage. In the months to follow, a string of attacks on servant girls took place across the city, But the police had no leads and no way to properly identify the perpetrator. Many worried the killer would strike again. They were right to be afraid. In May of 1885, the murderer turned to sights toward 30-year-old Eliza Shelley. Eliza worked as a cook for the family of Dr. Lucien B. Johnson, a medical doctor and former state legislator.

Eliza's husband had been incarcerated, and she lived with her three children. in a small cabin behind the Johnson's home. Her children were young, all under eight years old. On May 6th, Eliza finished her work as normal, returned home, tucked her children into the bed they all shared, and went to sleep. Things were quiet for several hours. But just past midnight, Eliza's oldest son woke up

to find a large man standing over the bed. The man wore a white cloth over his face, When he saw Eliza's son had awoken, he leaned in close, only inches from the boy's face. He softly asked the child where his mother kept her money. Eliza's son was terrified. He stumbled over his words before replying that he didn't know. Even through the mask, the boy could tell the intruder didn't like his answer. He angrily threatened to kill Eliza's son unless he covered his head.

The boy had no choice. He turned away and tucked his face into his hands. He felt a faint surge of air as the stranger rushed to the other side of the bed. Eliza's son couldn't remember what happened next. But the following morning, he and his younger siblings awoke to find their mother murdered on the floor. Blood was everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, even all over the sheets. the children began to scream. Dr. Johnson's wife heard the children wailing from the main house.

When the noise didn't stop after a few minutes, she sent her teenage niece to go and see what was happening. Moments later, she heard her niece join the chorus, shrieking in horror. The Austin Daily statesman reported that the little girl came back, pale and excited. She had only taken a brief look at the room, but that glance revealed such an

awful sight that the messenger dared not enter, but ran quickly back. Her aunt had the same experience. Soon, Dr. Johnson returned home from the market to find his wife in near hysterics. In between sobs, she told him that Eliza had been murdered. She couldn't bring herself to go back to the cabin and fetch the children. Dr. Johnson hurried to Eliza's home and found a nightmarish scene. The entire cabin was in disarray. The sheets and pillows were drenched in blood. Trunks had been broken open and their contents strewn about. Eliza's young children still huddled next to their mother's corpse, shaking and clinging to one another in a terrified ball. Dr. Johnson saw Liza had a gaping wound over her right eye, probably caused by something like a

hatchet. He saw a few smaller wounds that looked like they had been dealt by some other sharp instrument. Then there was another deep gash between her eyes and above her ear. Horrified, Dr. Johnson notified the police. Based on the crime scene, Austin police deemed it likely that Eliza had been killed in the bed with her children and was then dragged to the floor. Upon further inspection, some of the smaller wounds appeared to have been caused post-mortem. The details reminded investigators of Molly Smith's murder months earlier. She had also been axed in the head while she slept, and afterward, the killer had moved her body and mutilated it further, too.

And like before, the survivor who was in the room was unable to provide clear details. Eliza's son was traumatized. He told them about the intruder, but was unable to be able to to describe the man or give any other identifying information. As for Eliza's other children, they were even younger and couldn't give authorities any firm details about the incident. Giving up on the children, police looked outside the cabin and found a set of bare footprints, which were described as short and broad.

The police brought in bloodhounds to pick up the scent from the crime scene and follow the trail. It was far from a reliable method of investigation, but it soon led to the arrest of two suspects. The first was a man named Andrew Williams, who was found barefoot near the scene of the crime. Williams had a history of petty theft, but his footprints didn't match those found at the scene.

After some brief questioning, he was released. Then a man reported he'd heard Eliza arguing with someone on May 5th, not long before she was killed. The witness, Andrew Rogers, said that man was her former lover, Ike Plummer. Rogers claimed to have seen Plummer demanding money from Eliza, who responded, I have none for you. What little I have is for my children, and I don't want you around me. After that, Plummer apparently stormed off, muttering,

I'll see you again if I live. Police spoke to Ike, who denied killing Eliza. There was no blood on his clothes, and his footprints did not match those found at the scene. The threat was too circumstantial, and even that was tenuous. If Eliza had simply owed Plummer money, murder seemed like an extreme and unlikely reaction. In addition, if Plummer had broken into Eliza's house that night, her son likely would have recognized his voice. There were no grounds for arrest. After Eliza Shelley's murder, domestic workers in Austin grew more afraid with each passing day. Some even quit their job.

jobs for fear they could be next. They were right to worry. On May 23, 1885, another victim at a grim bait. That night, the killer crept up to the Whitman family servants' quarters. Inside, 33-year-old Irene Cross and her grown son, Washington Cross, were asleep. They shared one room, while Irene's eight-year-old nephew, Douglas Brown, slept in a second room. Nicholas was startled awake by a noise outside his window. He cautiously slunk out of his bed and peered outside. He couldn't catch a glimpse of anyone, but he was certain he heard movement in the darkness. He assumed it was his cousin, Washington, because he often stayed out late.

But still, the noise unsettled him. He tiptoed to the door of his room, but the floorboard squeaked loudly beneath his feet. Before he knew it, he found himself face to face with a... towering dark figure. Frightened, Douglas started to cry, but the man threatened to hurt him if he made a sound. Douglas stifled his sobs and did as he was told. Frozen with fear, he could only watch as the shadowed man slipped inside his aunt's bedroom. Unfortunately, Irene was alone in the room that night. In just a matter of moments, Douglas heard Irene scream. The sound rang out through the tiny house and sent the intruder racing from the premises.

Douglas rushed in to find his aunt bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Despite her injuries, Irene managed to stumble outside into the yard. Her cries woke the Whitmans who were asleep in the main residence. They ran outside to see what was happening. They found Irene collapsed. One of her arms had been nearly chopped in half. A deep gash encircled her skull, making it appear as though she'd been scalped. Her attacker was gone. The Whitman's called a doctor, who arrived with police and reporters in tow. Miraculously, Irene clung to life long enough for a reporter from the statesman to ask if she knew her attacker.

In between ragged breaths, she told the journalist, she had no. idea. With medical attention, Irene survived another day, but unfortunately her wounds were too severe. She passed away the morning of May 25, 1885. Police interviewed her nephew Douglas, and for the first time got a vague description of the killer. Douglas described the servant girl annihilator as a big, chunky black man, barefooted with his pants rolled up. He was wearing a brown hat and a ragged coat. Based on the similarities between the latest murder and the preceding attacks, investigators were increasingly certain they were linked. A pattern was emerging, but it

was unlike anything Austin's detectives had ever seen. By now, several theories were being debated among the public. Some speculated that these killings were perhaps the work of violent street gangs, maybe even escaped convicts. Journalist Skip Hollinsworth notes that some men in town put forth an even more absurd and racist theory. He wrote, quote, They concluded that some sort of mystical killing mania was sweeping over Austin's black neighborhoods. The way they saw it, the murder of Molly Smith had inflamed the bloodthirsty instincts of other young black men, leading them to commit similar murders of those black women they didn't like.

According to journalists, Sonia Votomsky, it was also around this time that the killer was given his nickname, the Servant Girl Annihilator. It was coined by short story writer O'Henry. He'd recently taken up residence in Austin. O'Henry wrote to a friend in May 1885, Town is fearfully dull, except for the frequent raids of the servant girl annihilators, who make things lively during the dead hours of the night. O'Henry's deadpan attitude reflects that of many of Austin's citizens at the time. But despite the public's flippance and far-fetched theories, Austin police officers were more grounded in their search for a culprit. Sergeant John Shinneville had his eye on one suspect in particular, a 22-year-old man named Oliver Townsend.

Townsend was a notorious chicken thief known around Austin for his ability to sneak in and out of coops without waking any of the birds. Based on this, Shinneville thought Townsend might also have been able to sneak in and out of servants' quarters without being caught. Shinneville had Townsend arrested. After interrogations failed,

Shinneville beat Townsend to a pulp, but Townsend didn't crack under the pressure. He insisted he was innocent. He may have been a thief, but he was not a murderer. His will was so strong that finally, after hours of questioning, the police let him go. Soon after, the killer struck again. When we return, we'll discuss the Servant Girl Annihilator's most brutal crime.

And now back to the story. By the summer of 1885, the so-called Servant Girl Annihilator had claimed the lives of three young black women in Austin, Texas, and attacked several more. A clear pattern emerged, the killer struck under the cover of night and gruesomely bludgeoned his victims in their beds. But with only a vague description from a young witness and a set of bloody footprints to go on, investigators were stumped. They had no viable suspects and little idea of what to do next.

They could only hope the killer would make a mistake soon or stop his brutal rampage. For several weeks, the Servant Girl Annihilator remained quiet, but just as the citizens of Austin began to feel safe again, the city was thrown back into chaos. On August 30, 1885, Rebecca Ramey ended her workday in the kitchen of her employer, Mr. Valentine Weed, but didn't return to the servant's quarters. Instead, she and her daughter, 11-year-old Mary Ramey, stayed behind and slept on the floor. They'd been sleeping in the kitchen for weeks because they were too afraid to go back to their quarters at night.

They knew cooks and other servants throughout the city had been targeted by the killer and feared for their lives. Unfortunately, their precautions weren't enough. In the middle of the night, the killer crept into Mr. Weed's kitchen. Before Rebecca could even scream, she was hit with a long club and knocked unconscious. The killer may have attempted to drag Rebecca on. but she was larger than his other victims. It's possible he was unable to move her,

and so he instead dragged her 11-year-old daughter Mary outside. He took the girl to an outhouse, where he sexually assaulted her and killed her with a sharp metal rod. Rebecca awoke the following morning and called the police. They found her daughter's body, along with the club she'd been struck with, and another set of bare footprints. While investigators at the time were once again at a loss, the annihilators' pattern fits what we now know as that of a disorganized killer.

According to criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn, disorganized crimes are not planned, and the criminals typically leave evidence, such as fingerprints or blood at the scene of the murder. There's often no attempt to move or otherwise conceal the corpse after the murder. The Servant Girl Annihilator certainly didn't make much of an effort to hide his killings. He left behind footprints and other evidence at several crime scenes. He also left the bodies of his victims out in the open. Dr. Bonn also explains that disorganized murders often use sudden and overwhelming force to assault their targets, such as bludgeoning victims to render them unconscious. However, Austin's 1885 police force didn't have decades.

decades of psychological research to utilize. They pursued the only lead they had and once again used bloodhounds to track assent from the crime scene, leading them to a barefoot man named Tom Allen. Allen's footprints matched those at the crime scene and police arrested him immediately. However, his name was cleared shortly after a medical examination proved he was not the man who raped Mary. Austin police were reaching the end of their rope. They were desperate to make another arrest and to calm and increasingly fearful public. To make matters worse, racial relations within the city had been growing ever more tense. The eyewitness report that the killer had been black, set the white people of Austin in a state of unease.

Black people had only been free from the bonds of slavery for two decades, and segregation and other forms of racism were still rampant. Many white citizens within the city began to use this report as an excuse to distrust black citizens altogether. Even one of the most progressive news publications of the time, the statesman claimed the killer had to be a black man given to, quote, idleness and drink. By insinuating this man's exceptionally gruesome and heinous crimes could be explained by mere idleness and drink, it seemed to many black citizens that the publication was implying that any and all black men would be capable of such horrors if they allowed themselves to become idle or drunk. This insinuation was both racist and harmful. Some white members of the

community even claimed the murders were proof that black men and women would always be animalistic and savage. Even as the black community was quaking in fear, members of the white community were blaming them for the terrors they themselves were being subject. to. The black community grew ever more fearful of being hunted down by the police's bloodhounds. They feared the police dogs had been specifically trained to track down only black men. One of the men who was most afraid was a black man named Alex Mack. Alex Mack was notorious throughout Austin for being one of the most frequently arrested people in the city. He was known to brawl in the streets, to steal when he could, and to get drunk and

disorderly in public on many occasions. According to author J. R. Galloway, Mack had a criminal history, and his reputation did him no favors when he was found in the vicinity of the Mary Ramey murder in August of 1885. According to police, Mack fled the scene. When Shinneville's dogs found Alex Mack hanging out at the Black Elephant Saloon, Mack's feet and legs were covered in Asafatida, a potent putty. made from roots, sour vegetables, and various spices. Its strong smell was meant to throw off bloodhounds. The usafatida made Mack look even guiltier in Sergeant Shinneville's eyes. Mack was arrested and kept in custody with the hope that the police would convince him to confess to the killing soon.

Police thought they had finally found the killer, but the servant girl annihilator was far from finished. Next week, we'll discuss the continued rampage of the servant girl annihilator, including the shocking Christmas Eve massacre, which led to one of the most sensational trials ever recorded. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back Monday with a new episode. You can find all episodes of serial killers and all other podcast originals free on Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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and is a parcast studios original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Carrie Murphy, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, Travis Clark, and Joel Stein. This episode of serial killers was written by Laura Snow, with writing assistance by Maggie Admeyer, and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson.

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