Historic crimes: Wolfolk ax murders of 1887

Nine members of the Woolfolk family, ranging in age from 18 months to 84 years, were killed with an ax at their west Bibb County home in August 1887.

Tom Woolfolk, the only surviving family member, was quietly taken to jail so he wouldn’t be killed by a huge crowd of people that had gathered around the house in the wake of the killings. He was later convicted and hanged in Perry in 1890.

This story was originally published July 22, 2014 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Historic crimes: Wolfolk ax murders of 1887."