Edward Bates Soper

A Chilling Tale of an American Serial Killer

Edward Bates Soper (February 7, 1855 – March 30, 1899) was a notorious American serial killer whose gruesome crimes spanned nearly two decades. Initially sought for the brutal murders of his first wife and two daughters in Archie, Missouri, in 1895, Soper's dark legacy continued when he killed a son from his second marriage near Portland, Oregon, just two years later. After his arrest, he confessed to a staggering five homicides throughout his life, starting with the murder of his own father in 1880. Ultimately, he was hanged for just one of these heinous crimes committed in Archie.

Quick Facts

• Born: February 7, 1855, Kearney, Missouri, U.S.
• Died: March 30, 1899 (aged 44), Harrisonville, Missouri, U.S.
• Cause of Death: Execution by hanging
• Other Names: R. S. "Sandy" Soper, Homer Lee, "Prentice"
• Criminal Status: Executed
• Conviction: First-degree murder
• Criminal Penalty: Death
• Victims: 5
• Span of Crimes: 1880–1897
• Countries: United States
• States: Missouri, Oregon
• Date Apprehended: June 10, 1897

Early Life and Missouri Murders

Edward Bates Soper was born as the second of eight children to farmers John Lewis Soper and Sarah Hyatt Soper (née Estes) in Kearney, Missouri. Not much is known about his early years, but his descent into crime began at the tender age of 20 when he stole a horse and sold it in Kansas City. This act seemed to ignite a dark ambition within him, leading to a chilling plot against his own father.

Murder of John Soper

On January 30, 1880, Edward Soper invited his father to join a literary society he was starting near their family home. Once lured into a false sense of security, John Soper approached, only to be met by his son hiding in a feeding lot. Without hesitation, Edward drew his pistol and shot his father four times, killing him instantly. In a display of cold indifference, he discarded the murder weapon in a nearby creek and returned to the literary society as if nothing had transpired.

The murder remained unsolved for some time, and a man named Thomas Maib was wrongfully convicted based on circumstantial evidence, serving time for a crime he did not commit.

Murder of Ardela Hunt and Children

After serving a two-year prison sentence for horse theft, Soper returned to Clay County and married Ardela Hunt, a 35-year-old divorcée with two children, 6-year-old Maude and 3-year-old Gillis. Their marriage initially appeared to be harmonious, but tensions arose when Ardela joined a local Christian church, much to Soper's dismay as he identified as a spiritualist.

On April 21, 1891, while Ardela and the children slept in their respective rooms, Soper took an axe and brutally bludgeoned all three to death. In a shocking display of detachment, he later sat down to write several letters, purporting that he had "exterminated" his family to spare them a life of misery. He locked the doors and fabricated a story about moving away due to an illegal saloon he had discovered.

It wasn't until three days later that concerned neighbors broke into the family home, only to be met with the gruesome sight of decomposing bodies. An arrest warrant was issued for Soper, leading him to become a fugitive for several years.

In June 1891, the body of a man believed to have drowned was discovered in the Missouri River. Initial investigations led to the erroneous identification of this body as Soper's, temporarily closing the case.

Move to Oregon, New Murder, and Arrest

While authorities were misled by the false identification, Edward Soper had relocated to Albina, Oregon (now part of Portland), adopting the alias R. S. "Sandy" Soper. He found work as a car cleaner for the Pullman Company and remarried in 1894 to Catherine Brownlee, with whom he had a son, Gilis. For nearly three years, they enjoyed a seemingly stable life until Soper's past came back to haunt him.

Murder of Son

On April 16, 1897, under the pretense of visiting a shoemaker, Soper took his 2-year-old son with him but never returned. A few days later, he sent a letter to Catherine, reassuring her that their child was "placed where it would be well cared for." In reality, he had taken Gilis to the bank of the Willamette River, where he callously threw him into the water, drowning him. Soper then retrieved his son's lifeless body and buried it nearby.

Arrest

For a time, Soper managed to evade capture, adopting the alias "Homer Lee" and finding work as a farmhand in Ashland. Everything changed when Officer Sam E. Lowe from Kansas City read about a case in Portland that piqued his interest. Recognizing the surname, he contacted a local prosecutor, leading to an investigation that traced Soper to his Ashland job.

Once located, Officer Lowe arrested Soper and sought extradition back to Missouri. During the journey, Soper confessed to the murders of his wife and children but initially denied killing his father. Despite his lack of remorse, Officer Lowe later recounted that Soper had nightmares about drowning Gilis, waking up in distress, exclaiming, "He can't swim; he can't swim; poor little fellow." Under questioning, Soper eventually revealed the location of Gilis' body, leading authorities to discover the child's remains.

Trial, Imprisonment, and Execution

Upon his extradition back to Missouri, Soper faced charges for the murder of his wife. He pleaded insanity during the trial, which lasted several months. However, the jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to death. Soper's appeal to the Supreme Court of Missouri was swiftly rejected, and his fate was sealed.

On March 30, 1899, Edward Bates Soper was executed by hanging in front of a small crowd of about forty witnesses in Harrisonville. Before his execution, he enjoyed a hearty meal, declined spiritual counsel, and uttered his final words, "All is done." The autopsy confirmed that his neck had broken upon the fall, resulting in a likely instantaneous death.

Further Reading

• Wood, L. (2017). Yanked Into Eternity: Lynchings and Hangings in Missouri. United States: Hickory Press.
• Enstad, S. (2021). P.S. Katie Don't Hate Me: The True Story of the Archie Butcher. United States.

Sources

• "A FIEND HUNG." The Birmingham News. March 30, 1899 – via Newspapers.com.
• "SOPER PAYS DEATH PENALTY." Kansas City Times. March 31, 1899 – via Newspapers.com.
• "FOR PUNISHMENT." Corvallis Gazette-Times. June 16, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "IS IT THE BODY OF SOPER?" The Kansas City Star. June 18, 1891 – via Newspapers.com.
• "A GREATLY DISTRESSED WOMAN." St. Joseph Gazette. June 15, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "OFFICER LOWE'S CATCH." Kansas City Times. June 11, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "BETTER THAN A SPOTTER." Kansas City Journal-Post. June 11, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "SOPER'S FIFTH MURDER." St. Louis Globe-Democrat. June 17, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "MURDERED BAIRN OF SANDY SOPER." San Francisco Examiner. July 4, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "GUILTY OF MURDER." Lawrence Journal-World. December 4, 1897 – via Newspapers.com.
• "MURDERERS WILL BE HANGED." St. Joseph Gazette. February 28, 1899 – via Newspapers.com.

For the full details, you can access the original article on Wikipedia.