Case Closed on the 1873 Smuttynose Ax Murders

For almost 150 years the moonlight ax murder of two Norwegian women on the rocky Isles of Shoals has haunted New England. Popular historian and lecturer J. Dennis Robinson cuts through the hoaxes, lies, rumors, and fiction surrounding the arrest, trial and execution of 28-year old Louis Wagner, who claimed his innocence to the end. If you read the bestselling novel Weight of Water or saw the Hollywood film — that’s not what happened. A longtime summer steward of Smuttynose Island, Robinson lays out the facts based on his book-length study, Mystery on the Isles of Shoals.

This program is a part of the Center Meeting House and Newbury Public Library’s Collaborative Speaker Series.

Call the Newbury Public Library at (603)763 5803 for more information.