Edward Slomke killed at least seven men in Southeast Alaska. He may have murdered twice that many. Along with their lives, he took their money, their possessions — and sometimes their identities. <\/p>\n
But this is not a “ripped-from-the-headlines” case from “Dateline” or another contemporary true-crime show. It happened more than a century ago, in the first two decades of the 20th Century.<\/p>\n
The story of Slomke, who went as Ed Krause in Alaska, and how he was caught, is detailed in a presentation at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3, at McPhetres Hall, Holy Trinity Church, 325 Gold St., in downtown Juneau.<\/p>\n
It’s the first in a three-part series called “Death, With Dessert,” put together by historic true-crime researchers and retired journalists Ed Schoenfeld and Betsy Longenbaugh.<\/p>\n
“Death of a Vaudevillian,” the second show, is Saturday, March 2, and covers a noted entertainer who disappeared when his traveling theater troupe’s boat burned and sank off Baranof Island. “The Salad Dressing Murder,” a case of infidelity and death, is Saturday April 6. Tickets, $35, are available at trinityjuneau.org or by calling the church at 907-586-3532.<\/p>\n
The dessert is an original murder-themed creation from Douglas’ Treadwell Kitchen.<\/p>\n
Slomke was a German immigrant who joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Southeast Alaska. After serving in the Spanish-American War, he returned to the region and went on a killing spree that almost went unnoticed.<\/p>\n
“He got away with murder by singling out unattached, transient men with few connections to the community,” said Longenbaugh, author of “Forgotten Murders from Alaska’s Capital,” published by Epicenter Press.<\/p>\n
“His silent reign of terror ended when he came to Juneau and broke his pattern,” she added.<\/p>\n
Longenbaugh and husband Schoenfeld have been researching local true crime history for about five years, leading murder tours in downtown and Douglas through the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. They’ve also presented programs, such as the Death, With Dessert, series, covering more than a dozen cases.<\/p>\n
“We talk about crime, but it isn’t all about shootings, stranglings and stabbings,” said Schoenfeld, a former radio and print reporter and editor. “We talk a lot about the social context of the crimes, including the early 1900s justice system’s views on race, sex and domestic violence.”<\/p>\n
“You learn a lot about a community by its response to times of crisis,” he added.<\/p>\n
The programs are benefits for Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Walking tours benefit the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.<\/p>\n
Longenbaugh’s second book, “Death in the Underworld,” will be published by Epicenter Press in 2025. It’s a historic novel based on a murder in Douglas tied to an international sex-trafficking ring. She’s also working on a sequel to “Forgotten Murders from Alaska’s Capital” and a second historical novel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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