March 2026: Smuttynose Island Murders

Mar 5, 2026 | Announcements, Library

By Research Librarian Jessica Zaricki

On March 6, 1873, Norwegian immigrants Karen and Anethe Christensen, were murdered in a brutal ax attack in their home on Smuttynose Island, one of the Isles of Shoals located off the coast of Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME. German immigrant and fisherman Louis Wagner was identified as the killer by survivor Maren Hontvet, convicted, and executed for the crime. Though the murders themselves took place in Maine, Wagner was a Portsmouth resident at the time the crime was committed, and the event was followed locally with great interest. Today, the Portsmouth Athenaeum maintains custody of the alleged murder weapon and it is one of the most requested items in our collection. Please join us in exploring titles related to the murders, the Isles, and the continued interest in this story.

Members, find the listed titles on display in the Sawtelle Reading Room through the month of March.

The Weight of Water

LITERATURE

This work of fiction involves a dual narrative, with one half of the story focusing on the murders, while the other focuses on the protagonist and her disintegrating marriage. It posits a very different series of events surrounding the murders to those passed down through witness statements and trial transcripts through evidence found during archival research at the Portsmouth Athenaeum.

Shreve, Anita. The Weight of Water. PS3569 .H7385 W43 1997

Drift-Weed

LITERATURE

This collection of poetry by Shoals author Celia Leighton Thaxter includes poems depicting members of the Norwegian immigrant community at the Isles of Shoals, including one titled “Karen.”

Thaxter, Celia. Drift-Weed. PS3012 .D7 1880

Sandpiper: The Life & Letters of Celia Thaxter and Her Home on the Isles of Shoals: Her Family, Friends & Favorite Poems

BIOGRAPHY

This biography discusses the connections between the Leighton family and the Norwegian immigrant community at the Isles of Shoals. It includes a description of the crime taken from a letter from Thaxter to her friend, Elizabeth Peirce. She would later write an article titled A Memorable Murder which is now considered a classic of true crime writing. The book includes several photographs, letters, and poems which paint a picture of the 19th century literary world in which Thaxter lived and worked.

Thaxter, Rosamond. Sandpiper: The Life & Letters of Celia Thaxter and Her Home on the Isles of Shoals: Her Family, Friends & Favorite Poems. Revised edition. PS3013 .T45 1982

Cold Water Crossing: An Account of the Murders at the Isles of Shoals

NON-FICTION

This examination of the Smuttynose Island murders describes the crime in great detail and explores continued questions surrounding the events, including Wagner’s presumed guilt and the fairness of his trial.

Faxon, David. Cold Water Crossing: An Account of the Murders at the Isles of Shoals. F42 .I8 F28 2020

Legal Executions in New England: A Comprehensive Reference, 1623-1960

NON-FICTION

Louis Wagner was executed by the State of Maine on June 25, 1875. His insistence on his innocence and the brutality of his hanging led many to question whether his sentence was appropriate. A synopsis of the crime and Wagner’s escapes from prison are included in this collection.

Hearn, Daniel Allen. Legal Executions in New England: A Comprehensive Reference, 1623-1960. HV8699 .U5 H388 1999

Murder at Smutty Nose: And Other Murders

NON-FICTION

Pearson presents a collection of shocking true crime stories from the 19th century, to include the murders of Karen and Anethe Christensen.

Pearson, Edmund. Murder at Smutty Nose: And Other Murders. F42 .I8 P4 1965.

Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Closing the Case on the Smuttynose Ax Murders of 1873

NON-FICTION

This exploration of the Smuttynose murders from Portsmouth Athenaeum Proprietor J. Dennis Robinson offers and exploration of potential “whys” behind the crime. He discusses changes to Shoals culture and existing fishing communities due to the influence of Appledore House and the construction of the Oceanic Hotel. The book also explores the cult of support which grew around Louis Wagner, who, though executed for the crime, never offered a confession.

Robinson, J. Dennis. Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Closing the Case on the Smuttynose Ax Murders of 1873. F42 .I8 R63 2014.

The Isles of Shoals In Lore and Legend

NON-FICTION

This history of the Isles of Shoals includes a chapter focusing on the murders at Smuttynose. It also explores early settlement of the Islands, Celia Thaxter’s life and literary career, and the development of the summer conference programs on Star Island.

Rutledge, Lyman V. The Isles of Shoals In Lore and Legend. F42 .I8 R82

Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of

NON-FICTION

This collection of true-crime stories is broken up into various eras including: Fiends of the Early Republic; Antebellum Maniacs; Post-Civil War Monsters; and Turn-of-the-Century Psychos. “Louis Wagner, The Smutty Nose Butcher,” falls in the category of Post-Civil War Monsters.

Schechter, Harold. Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of. HV6785 .S345 2012

Return to Smuttynose Island: And Other Maine Axe Murders

NON-FICTION

Spooner covers every aspect of the Smuttynose case from the murders, arrest, trial, jailbreak, sentencing and hanging on the gallows of Maine State Prison at Thomaston. He also offers essays discussing the cases of convicted ax-murderer John True Gordon, who was hanged alongside Wagner in 1875, and the Purington Massacre of 1806.

Spooner, Emeric. Return to Smuttynose Island: And Other Maine Axe Murders. F42 .I8 S66 2009

IMAGE: Cover illustration of The Day’s Doings, a New York magazine, depicting the Smuttynose Murders, March 29, 1873. ​ P0025_1372.