The Pfanschmidt Axe Murders

Crime
Written By Travis Hoffman
Ray Pfanschmidt was accused of brutally killing his family outside of Quincy in 1912

Quincy was rocked to it's core in 1912 when the aftermath of a rural fire revealed the brutal axe killings of a family and houseguest. Suspicion fell on son/brother of the victims Ray Pfanschmidt who's trial captivated the the region if not the country. Did Ray do it, what happened to him? We're joined by local Pfanschmidt expert and author Beth Lane whose book, Lies Told Under Oath documents all the wild details of this case. What do you think...was Ray guilty?

Support Wild Quincy and you can unlock additional bonus content. Email us at wildquincy@gmail.com or call/text our listener comment line at (612) 666-9453. Don't forget to subscribe to Wild Quincy on the podcast player of your choosing so that you never miss an episode!

 

Most Recent Episodes

Featured
Quincy Bordellos: The Hot Spring; 210 Broadway
Quincy Bordellos: The Hot Spring; 210 Broadway

210 Broadway, or sometimes called “The Hot Spring”, was a notorious brothel in the Quincy Illinois red light district and is the focus of this first entry into a series on Quincy’s Bordellos.

Quincy Illinois Brewing History featuring Bret Austin
Quincy Illinois Brewing History featuring Bret Austin

We dive into the interesting history of Breweries here in Quincy Illinois on this episode. We invited Bret Austin, owner of the Dick Brothers Brewery Building to help us learn more!

Thomas Baldwin - The Showman
Thomas Baldwin - The Showman

Thomas Scott Baldwin may be one of Quincy’s most famous natives. Learn more about his early career as an aerial daredevil on this episode of Wild Quincy.

Drones Over Quincy
Drones Over Quincy

What’s going on with the strange lights int he sky, is it drones, or something else. We bring on local UFO enthusiast/researcher Teri Mosby to talk it over.

Murder of Patty Ann Smith Featuring Rajah Maples
Murder of Patty Ann Smith Featuring Rajah Maples

WGEM’s Rajah Maples joins us to talk about the tragic cold case murder of nine year old Patty Ann Smith. Was the murderer a family member?

The Mound Builders
The Mound Builders

We dig into…no pun intended….just who these mysterious people were long before Quincy who build the mounds in and around the Quincy, Illinois area.

Travis Hoffman
Previous

What if Germans didn’t Migrate to Quincy?
Next

Night of the Twister: 1945 Quincy Tornado