Francis Marion Snow

Francis Marion Snow (June 6, 1881 – August 12, 1927), also known as the Butcher of Stephenville, was an American triple murderer and family annihilator who murdered his wife, mother-in-law, and step-son on November 27, 1925, near Selden, Texas, after an argument. He was convicted of these murders and executed on August 12, 1927. Snow is also suspected of committing several other murders.

Murders The fireplace where Maggie Snow and Samantha Ann Old's bodies were burned. On November 27, 1925, a 44-year-old Francis Snow had an argument with his wife, Maggie Snow, after she let livestock loose in the cotton patch. Snow became enraged, and bludgeoned her to death with a wooden club. Snow then murdered his mother-in-law, Samantha Olds, with an axe. Olds, who was 74, was unaware that she was in any danger because she was blind and deaf. Snow then hid the bodies, and rode on horse and buggy to find his stepson, 19-year-old Bernard Connally. Earlier in the day, Connally took a load of wood into a more urban area of Stephenville, and hadn't returned home yet. After he found Connally, Snow told him that his mother was sick, and wanted Connally to return home. After arriving at the farm, Snow shot Connally twice in the back with a Winchester rifle, killing him.

After murdering his three family members, Snow cut up the bodies of Maggie Snow and Samantha Ann Olds with an axe, and burned them in his fireplace.

Discovery of remains

Jesse Elvis Riggs, a young fur trapper, discovered the head of Bernard Connally on December 9, 1925. Riggs, along with an acquaintance, Ben Aycock, and his dog Butch, went to his grandfather's farm to set traps. Aycock set traps outside of an abandoned house on the farm, while Jesse Riggs went inside to set traps. When he reached the basement of the house, he noticed the bloody sack containing the head. Riggers alerted Aycock about the sack, and he went into the cellar to inspect it. Then, Aycock opened the bag and found the head.

After the identification of the head, Francis Marion Snow was questioned at his home by Sheriff David Medicus Hassler. Snow claimed that Maggie Snow, Samantha Olds, and Bernard Connally left home to visit Waco, Texas on November 27. He is buried at Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery.

In media Literature Pylant, James (2008). Blood Legacy: The True Story of the Snow Axe Murders. Jacobus Books.

Music Musical artist Milton Brown wrote a song about Francis Marion Snow in 1926, titled, "Old Man Snow."