The Axeman of New Orleans
In 1918-1919, a serial killer terrorized New Orleans, breaking into homes and attacking victims with their own axes. He sent a letter to newspapers claiming to be a demon who would spare any home where jazz was playing. That night, every dance hall in the city was packed.
For eighteen months, the Axeman stalked New Orleans, entering homes through removed door panels and attacking sleeping residents with their own axes or razors. He murdered at least six people and terrorized an entire city. His identity was never discovered - but his letter to the newspaper, claiming to be a demon who would spare jazz lovers, created one of the strangest nights in American history.
The Pattern
Between May 1918 and October 1919, the Axeman established a terrifying routine:
- He would remove a panel from a back door to gain entry
- He would find an axe or straight razor belonging to the victim
- He would attack people in their beds, usually targeting the head
- He would leave the weapon at the scene
- Robbery did not appear to be the motive - valuables were left behind
The attacks targeted primarily Italian-American grocers and their families, leading some to speculate about Mafia involvement. But the randomness and brutality of the attacks suggested something beyond organized crime.
The Victims
May 23, 1918: Joseph Maggio and his wife Catherine were murdered in their home. Joseph’s throat was cut with his own razor.
June 28, 1918: Louis Besumer and his girlfriend Anna Lowe were attacked. Both survived initially, but Anna later died from her wounds.
August 5, 1918: Mrs. Edward Schneider was attacked while eight months pregnant. She survived and gave birth to a healthy child a week later.
August 10, 1918: Joseph Romano was attacked and died two days later.
March 10, 1919: Charles and Rosie Cortimiglia were attacked. Their two-year-old daughter Mary was killed.
August 10, 1919: Steve Boca was attacked but survived.
September 3, 1919: Sarah Laumann was attacked and survived.
October 27, 1919: Mike Pepitone was murdered in his own bed - the Axeman’s final confirmed victim.
The Letter
On March 13, 1919, the Times-Picayune published a letter purportedly from the Axeman. Written in a florid, theatrical style, it read in part:
“They have never caught me and they never will… I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell… At 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a 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.”
The Night of Jazz
On March 19, 1919, New Orleans erupted in jazz. Every dance hall, every nightclub, every saloon was packed. People who couldn’t get into venues held house parties. Jazz bands played on street corners. A city terrorized by murder united in music.
The Axeman struck no one that night.
Composer Joseph John Davilla wrote “The Mysterious Axeman’s Jazz (Don’t Scare Me, Papa)” to commemorate the evening. It became a local hit.
The End
After the murder of Mike Pepitone on October 27, 1919, the attacks stopped. The Axeman was never identified or caught.
There was a coda: On December 2, 1920, Mike Pepitone’s widow shot and killed a man named Joseph Mumfre on a Los Angeles street. She claimed Mumfre was the Axeman. Mumfre had been in prison during the gap between earlier attacks and the 1918 spree. But nothing was ever proven, and Mrs. Pepitone was convicted of murder.
Who Was He?
Theories about the Axeman include:
Joseph Mumfre: The man killed by Mrs. Pepitone had a criminal history and his prison time aligned with gaps in the attacks.
A Mafia Enforcer: The targeting of Italian grocers suggested organized crime connections.
A Serial Killer: The pattern of attacks, the theatrical letter, and the specific MO suggest a single, psychologically disturbed individual.
Multiple Attackers: Some researchers suggest more than one person was responsible, possibly copycats.
Legacy
The Axeman killings remain unsolved. The case has been featured in novels, television (American Horror Story: Coven), and true crime documentaries.
But perhaps the Axeman’s greatest legacy was that night in March 1919, when an entire city chose jazz over fear - when New Orleans responded to a demon’s threat with music.