George Jefferson Hassell (July 5, 1888 – February 10, 1928) was an American

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

and

mass murderer Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

who killed his wife and eight children (ranging in age between 1 and 21 years old) on December 5, 1926, in

Farwell, Texas Farwell is a city in and the county seat of Parmer County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,363 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the Texas-New Mexico border with the city of Texico, New Mexico, across the border. History Fa ...

. He also killed his wife and three stepchildren in 1917 in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Family background

Hassell was born in

Smithville, Texas Smithville is a city in Bastrop County, Texas, Bastrop County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River (Texas), Colorado River. The population was 3,922 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Thomas Jefferson Gazley arrived ...

, the youngest of seven children. After his brother Thomas died from being kicked in the head by a

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...

, he married his brother's widow, Susan Ferguson of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. According to Hassell, his mother died in 1901 and his father died in 1905. Believing his stepmother had poisoned his father, Hassell said he'd planned to kill her and anyone with her, but said "I got too much whiskey and didn't use any gun." Hassell also said he served prison time for embezzlement.

Crime

On the night of December 5, 1926, Hassell and his wife argued over him raping and impregnating Ferguson's underage daughter Maudie, who was Hassell's own niece as well as his stepdaughter. Hassell proceeded to strike his wife in the face repeatedly with a

ballpeen hammer A ball-peen or ball pein hammer, also known as a machinist's hammer, is a type of peening hammer used in metalworking. It has two heads, one flat and the other, called the peen, rounded. It is distinguished from a cross-peen hammer, diagonal-peen ...

. After the murder of his wife, he moved between each member of the family's bedrooms, using a

straight razor A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors. The predecessors of the modern straight razors include bronze razors, with cutting edges and fixed handles, produced b ...

and

stockings Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...

to kill them, in order from youngest to oldest. He woke the two eldest boys and a scuffle ensued, ending with Hassell killing them with a

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

and an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

. All of the bodies were then stored in the newly dug

root cellar A root cellar (American English), fruit cellar (Mid-Western American English) or earth cellar (British English) is a structure, usually underground. or partially underground, used for storage of vegetables, fruits, nuts, or other foods. Its na ...

by the house. The eldest Hassell son, Alton, was threshing wheat in

Clovis, New Mexico Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, Curry County, New Mexico. The city had a population of 37,775 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and a 2019 estimated population of 38,319. Clovis is located in th ...

, for extra money and was not supposed to come home for another four days. Hassell decided to wait for him. In the meantime, he cleaned up the blood and buried the bodies. When Alton returned, Hassell told him that the family had gone to

Shallowater, Texas Shallowater is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. Shallowater is on U.S. Route 84 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line, northwest of Lubbock, Texas, Lubbock. Its population was 2,484 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...

, to visit an aunt. The two men killed a chicken and cooked dinner, and then went to their respective bedrooms. Hassell later said he needed to drink whiskey to work up the nerve to kill again. After getting drunk, he grabbed the shotgun, went to Alton's bedroom, and shot him in the head as he was sleeping.

The victims

* Susie, age 40 * Alton, age 21 * David, age 15 * Maudie, age 13 * Russell, age 11 * Virgil, age 7 * Johnnie, age 6 * Nannie Martha, age 4 * Samuel, age 1 * Marie Vogel (Whittier, Ca) * Vogel adopted son, 8 (Whittier, Ca) * Vogel adopted daughter, 2 (Whittier, CA) * Vogel adopted daughter, 1 (Whittier, Ca)

Arrest, trial, and execution

Hassell claimed that he and his family were returning to Oklahoma, and sold all of their belongings in a large yard sale. During the auction, a wagon ran over the sinkhole and aroused the suspicion of law enforcement. Soon afterward, Hassell unsuccessfully attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, and excavations revealed the remains in the root cellar. He also confessed the murder of the members of his other family in 1917, Marie Vogel and her three adoptive children, two of which were adopted from Colorado: a boy c. 8, a girl c. 5 and an infant c. 1. They were living under the family name "Baker" in Whittier, California. Hassell said he killed his common-law wife and three children during an argument over whether he would join the Army to fight in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His confession was corroborated after he directed the police to the location of the bodies. Hassell said he confessed to the earlier murders to ensure no one was wrongfully accused of committing them. After Hassell confessed, a short trial was convened, and Farwell and its sister city of

Texico, New Mexico Texico is a city in Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 1,130 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the Texas-New Mexico border with the town of Farwell across the border. Etymology The name is a portmanteau of "T ...

, took on a carnival atmosphere. He was only tried for Alton's murder. During his trial, Hassell claimed the initial murders were a spur of the moment crime and that he couldn't stop. A psychiatrist declared Hassell sane, and he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. At the time, death row for men and the execution chamber were both at

Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Ins ...

. On February 10, 1928, George Hassell became the 37th man to be put to death in the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

in the state of Texas. He is buried at

Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery The Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery is the main prison cemetery of the U.S. state of Texas, located in Huntsville and operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The colloquial name for the cemetery is Peckerwood Hill. The name originat ...

Motive

Hassell had a lengthy history of criminal behavior. A

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psychi ...

report at the time characterizes him as a

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

. Hassell had allegedly been thinking about murder since he was 17 and before joining the Army.

References