Unknown: The Axeman of New Orleans
Overview
Between May 1918 and October 1919, a shadowy figure known as the Axeman brought a unique brand of terror to the city of New Orleans and its surrounding communities. This unidentified serial killer would break into homes in the dead of night, typically by chiseling out a panel on a back door, and attack his sleeping victims with an axe or hatchet, often one belonging to the household itself. His reign of terror resulted in at least six deaths and numerous other severe injuries. The majority of his victims were Italian-American grocers and their families, leading to speculation about ethnic motivations, though no definitive motive was ever established. The Axeman was never caught or identified, and his crime spree concluded as mysteriously as it began, leaving behind a legacy of fear and one of America's most enduring unsolved mysteries.
A City in Tumult
The New Orleans of 1918 was a city grappling with immense societal pressures. The nation was embroiled in the final months of World War I, and the city was a key port and military hub. This period also coincided with the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic, which from October 1918 to April 1919, resulted in over 54,000 cases and nearly 3,500 deaths in the city alone. Public gatherings were restricted, and a palpable sense of fear and uncertainty already permeated daily life. It was into this atmosphere of anxiety and dread that the Axeman emerged, his brutal, seemingly random attacks compounding the city's collective trauma.
The First Bloodshed: The Maggio Murders
The series of attacks attributed to the Axeman began on May 23, 1918. Joseph Maggio, an Italian grocer, and his wife, Catherine, were attacked as they slept in their apartment on the corner of Upperline and Magnolia Streets. The intruder broke in, slit their throats with a straight razor, and then bludgeoned them with an axe. Catherine's throat was cut so deeply her head was nearly severed. The couple was discovered by Joseph's brothers, Jake and Andrew. Joseph was still alive but died minutes later. Police found the killer's bloody clothes at the scene, indicating he had changed before fleeing. A cryptic message was reportedly found chalked on a nearby sidewalk that read: "Mrs. Maggio will sit up tonight just like Mrs. Toney," a possible reference to an earlier, unsolved crime.
A Summer of Fear
The attacks continued through the summer of 1918. On June 27, grocer Louis Besumer and his mistress, Harriet Lowe, were assaulted in their quarters behind his store. Besumer was struck with a hatchet above his temple, and Lowe was hacked over her ear. Both initially survived. The case took a bizarre turn when Lowe, before succumbing to complications from surgery on August 5, accused Besumer of being a German spy and later named him as her attacker. Besumer was arrested but eventually acquitted.
Just hours after Lowe's death on August 5, a pregnant woman named Anna Schneider was attacked in her home. She awoke to a dark figure over her and was severely beaten on her face and head, likely with a lamp found at the scene. Miraculously, she survived and gave birth to a healthy baby girl two days later.
Five days later, on August 10, the Axeman struck again. An elderly man named Joseph Romano was attacked in his bed. His two nieces, who were in an adjoining room, heard a commotion and entered to find their uncle bleeding from two severe head wounds. They caught a glimpse of the fleeing attacker, describing him as a dark-skinned, heavy-set man in a dark suit and hat. Joseph Romano died from his injuries two days later. The attack sent a new wave of panic through New Orleans, with residents arming themselves and police acknowledging they were likely dealing with a single, bloodthirsty killer.
The Cortimiglia Tragedy and a Miscarriage of Justice
After a lull of several months, the Axeman's terror crossed the Mississippi River. On March 10, 1919, the Cortimiglia family was attacked in the suburb of Gretna. Charles Cortimiglia, a grocer, and his wife, Rosie, were severely injured with skull fractures. Their two-year-old daughter, Mary, was killed by a single blow to the back of her neck as she lay in her mother's arms.
In the aftermath, a distraught Rosie Cortimiglia accused their neighbors, Iorlando Jordano and his son Frank, of the attack. Despite the elder Jordano's poor health and Frank being too large to have fit through the chiseled door panel, both were arrested, convicted, and sentenced—Frank to death and his father to life in prison. A year later, Rosie recanted her testimony, admitting she had accused them out of jealousy and spite. The Jordanos were subsequently released, their wrongful conviction a stark example of the flawed investigation.
A Letter from "Hell"
Following the horrific attack in Gretna, the case took its most infamous turn. On March 13, 1919, a letter, purportedly from the killer, arrived at the offices of The Times-Picayune newspaper. Dated from "Hottest Hell," the author claimed to be not a human being, but a "spirit and a demon." He taunted the police, calling their investigation "utterly stupid," and promised to kill again.
The letter concluded with a bizarre proposition: "Now, to be exact, at 12:15 o'clock (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is: I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned."
Whether a genuine message from the killer or a macabre prank, the city took no chances. On the night of March 19, 1919, the dance halls of New Orleans were packed to capacity, and professional and amateur bands played jazz in private homes across the city. True to the letter's promise, no murders were reported that night. The event cemented the Axeman's legend, transforming him from a mere criminal into a folkloric bogeyman.
The Final Attacks and Disappearance
The Axeman's reign was not yet over. On August 10, 1919, another grocer, Steve Boca, was attacked in his home but survived his injuries, though he could not recall any details. On September 3, 1919, 19-year-old Sarah Laumann was attacked in her bed and left with a severe head injury and missing teeth. An axe was found on the front lawn. She also survived but had no memory of the assault.
The last murder definitively attributed to the Axeman occurred on October 27, 1919. The wife of grocer Mike Pepitone was awakened by a noise and discovered her husband had been brutally murdered. She saw a large man fleeing the scene. After this final, bloody act, the Axeman of New Orleans vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared. The attacks stopped, the letters ceased, and the identity of the killer who held a city captive remains unknown to this day.
The Victims
- Catherine Maggio, 36 — May 23, 1918, New Orleans. A wife and homemaker, she was killed in her bed alongside her husband.
- Joseph Maggio, 41 — May 23, 1918, New Orleans. An Italian-American grocer, he was the first victim in the Axeman's confirmed spree.
- Harriet Anna Lowe, unknown — August 5, 1918, New Orleans. Attacked in June with her partner, Louis Besumer, she died from complications during surgery weeks later.
- Joseph Romano, 80 — August 10, 1918, New Orleans. An elderly man attacked in his home, he died from his head wounds two days after the assault.
- Mary Cortimiglia, 2 — March 10, 1919, Gretna. A toddler, she was killed in her mother's arms during the attack on her family.
- Mike Pepitone, unknown — October 27, 1919, New Orleans. A grocer, he was the last known victim of the Axeman.
In addition to the deceased, at least six other individuals survived the Axeman's brutal attacks: Louis Besumer, Anna Schneider, Charles Cortimiglia, Rosie Cortimiglia, Steve Boca, and Sarah Laumann.
Investigation and Legacy
The police investigation into the Axeman's crimes was plagued by a lack of forensic technology and consistent leads. The killer left few clues, and the one eyewitness description was vague. The investigation was further hampered by public hysteria and, in the Cortimiglia case, a false accusation that led to a wrongful conviction. Several suspects were arrested over the course of the spree, but no one was ever successfully prosecuted for the crimes. Theories about the killer's motive ranged from ethnic hatred against Italian immigrants to Mafia connections or sexual sadism, but none were ever proven. The Axeman of New Orleans remains an unsolved case, a chilling chapter in the city's history where a phantom killer's bloody deeds were strangely intertwined with the birth of jazz.
