Martin DeFoor, born on September 17th, 1805, and Susan Tabor, born on December 2nd, 1798, were early settlers in Atlanta. Originally from Franklin County, Georgia, they moved to the Bolton neighborhood in 1853, where Martin took over the operation of Montgomery’s Ferry, renaming it DeFoor’s Ferry. The couple resided in the Montgomery family’s home, one of the oldest in Fulton County, located near present-day Chattahoochee Avenue and Moore’s Mill Road.
They raised five daughters—Elizabeth, Martha Ann, Louise, Sarah Alesa, and Fannie—though only Louise and Fannie survived them by 1879. The DeFoors were known for their quiet, community-oriented lives, operating the ferry and maintaining a modest but respected presence in the area.
On the morning of July 26th, 1879, their grandson, Martin Walker, passed by the DeFoor homestead and noticed an unusual stillness. The couple, typically early risers, had not stirred. Concerned, Walker entered the home and was met with a horrifying scene: Martin (aged 73) and Susan (aged 81) lay in their beds, nearly decapitated by blows from an axe. The murder weapon, later identified as Martin’s own axe, was found in the fireplace, covered in ashes and blood. The brutality of the attack—described as one of the worst in Atlanta’s history—sent shockwaves through the community and garnered national attention, with the New York Times reporting, “An Aged Couple Murdered. Found Dead in Bed with Their Throats Cut.”
Investigators quickly ruled out robbery as a motive. While Martin’s wallet, containing only a promissory note, and his boots were missing, $18 in silver—equivalent to roughly $500 in 2019—remained untouched in a bureau drawer. The boots were later found in nearby woods alongside a partially eaten watermelon, suggesting a casual, almost taunting act by the perpetrator.
More chilling were signs that the killer or killers had been in the house before the murders. In the rarely used attic, accessible only by ladder, authorities found a disheveled bed, human excrement, and muddy footprints on a windowsill, indicating someone had entered through an open window at least a day earlier and hidden until nightfall. Most doors in the home were unlocked, except for the side door, which was curiously locked.
Suspicion initially fell on two vagrants who had been denied lodging at the DeFoor home the night before. Newspapers, reflecting the era’s biases, fueled public fear with articles like one from July 30th, 1879, warning of “The Danger of Tramps” and likening transients to “wolves” seeking crime. Some accounts suggested two sets of footprints, one barefoot, were found near the woodpile where the axe was kept, pointing to multiple perpetrators. Other theories implicated local individuals, including Black men in the community, though no evidence supported these claims. The lack of concrete leads frustrated investigators and the public alike.
Just a month after the murders, the DeFoor home was torn down by their son-in-law, Thomas Moore, who used the lumber to build a barn across the road.
In June 1883, nearly four years later, a man named Joe Johnson confessed to the killings, claiming he and two others were responsible. The confession briefly reignited hope, with newspapers proclaiming the “perpetrators of the dastardly deed caught” and speculating about an imminent hanging. However, Johnson’s story quickly unraveled under scrutiny, and no charges were filed.
The murders of Martin and Susan DeFoor remain one of Atlanta’s most perplexing unsolved cases. The brutality of the crime, the eerie evidence of an intruder lying in wait, and the lack of a clear motive have kept the case alive in local lore. Despite 140 years of speculation, no definitive answers have emerged.
Crime Immemorial 