The gravestone of Louisa Hellman in the Harrod Cemetery, along Township Road 56, southeast of Huntsville. Her brother John and mother, Mary, are buried nearby. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
Editor’s note: This story contains graphic violence and disturbing details that some readers may find unsettling. Reader discretion is advised.
It’s based on a true story, as all good legends are. A mad man murdered his first wife with an axe. A year later, he did the same with his second spouse.
Oh, and it’s quite possible he poisoned the three children he had with wife one. Amazingly, his eldest, Henry, survived.
This all happened way back in 1839. Since it was Logan County’s first recorded murder, it’s weirdly natural for this to become our most enduring spooky story.
Of course, if you really want to know the tale of The Hatchet Man, as he’s come to be called, you need only ask John McPherson at the Logan County History Center. McPherson has been delving into the madness of Andrew Hellman for as long as he can remember….READ MORE…
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