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The Servant Girl Annihilator- The Midnight Assassin Of Texas
In the 1880s, a brutal killer terrorized the Austin, Texas area a few years before Jack the Ripper came to global prominence
In the 19th century, it was still many years before the term “serial killer” would be coined. However, that made no difference to the bloody criminals who perpetrated gruesome murders. The Servant Girl Annihilator, also known as the Austin Axe Murderer, terrorized the city of Austin, Texas, between 1884 and 1885, several years before the much more famous Jack the Ripper appeared across the pond in England.
During the two-year reign of terror, the Annihilator committed eight murders, while seriously wounding eight more. The victims were all attacked while sleeping in bed, which created a gripping fear, not only in Austin but around the country.
The first recognized attack connected to the Servant Girl Annihilator occurred on December 30, 1884. Mollie Smith, a young African American servant, was found murdered in her employer’s yard. She had been dragged from her bed and brutally bludgeoned with an axe before being repeatedly stabbed. The brutal nature of the crime was shocking on a level rarely seen at the time.
