Louis H. F. Wagner

Louis H. F. Wagner
Drawing of Louis H. F. Wagner c. 1873
Born Germany
Died (1875-06-25)June 25, 1875
Maine, New England, United States
Cause of death Execution
Nationality German
Occupation Fisherman
Years active 1873
Criminal charge Axe murder
Criminal penalty Execution

Louis H. F. Wagner[1] (also spelled Lewis Wagner;[2] died June 25, 1875) was a German-born fisherman who arrived in the United States around 1865. He was convicted of the axe murders of two Norwegian women, Anethe Matea Christensen and Karen Christensen. The murders took place on Smuttynose Island on March 6, 1873. After a failed escape attempt, Louis Wagner became the fourth to last person to be executed by the State of Maine.

Despite an airtight case, so vehement was his denial that people long believed he was innocent.[3]

In 1875, poet Celia Thaxter wrote and published an account of the Smuttynose murders in Atlantic Monthly. It was entitled A Memorable Murder and remains a classic of American true crime writing.

Author Anita Shreve fictionalized the crime in her bestselling novel The Weight of Water, which alleges that Wagner was falsely convicted. In the subsequent film adaptation, Wagner was portrayed onscreen by Irish actor Ciaran Hinds.

Further reading

  • Schechter, Harold, (2012), Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard of, Ballantine Books.

References

  1. ↑ Maine. Supreme Judicial Court (1874). Report of the trial and conviction of Louis H. F. Wagner for the murder of Anethe H. Christenson, at a special setting of the Supreme Judicial Court, held at Alfred, Me., June 16. 1873. Saco, Me.: W. S. Noyes & Co.
  2. ↑ "Terrible Tragedy at the Isles of Shoals". Portsmouth Daily Evening Times. 1873-03-06.
  3. ↑ Robinson, J. Dennis. "Anatomy of an Ax Murder". Seacoast NH. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
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