In today’s entry of offbeat and unearthly New Orlean’s tales, we’re going to slither back to the years just prior to the start of the 20th century and dig up the creepy and bewildering chaos created by The Axeman of New Orleans.
Follow us into this world of madness online and, and, if you are intrigued enough, meet us in-person for a walking ghost tour of the French Quarter.
Now, given that this is a haunted infested blog, mostly devoted to the ethereal, the ghastly, and the phantasmagorical why are we devoting a whole article to the tangible? Why veer into true crime? Well, because the Axe man murders, a series of brutal attacks in New Orleans, Louisiana, have not only a mystique but a supernatural flavor to them.
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Who Was The Axeman of New Orleans?
Even still the whole shenanigan is brushed with hints of the strange, the sickening and the paranormal. The Axe man of New Orleans has slowly become that city’s premier boogeyman. He’s slipped the coils of his mortality and become something far more sinister and deadly; a spook or demon that still terrorizes the city.
To what extent has theis new orleans killer blotted the lines of reality? Christopher Farnsworth’s 2012 novel Red, White, and Blood – The third in his best selling series – centers on a murderous specter called the Boogeyman, which has possessed a real mix of bodies throughout history, including our hero. He’s also appeared as a murderous ghost in American Horror Story: Coven.
The Axeman murders are so ingrained in the town’s spirit that they actually inspired a whole subsection of NOLA music; “Axeman’s Jazz.” The first hit single of this musical branch: “The Mysterious Axman’s Jazz (Don’t Scare Me Papa),” in 1919.
One of the most baffling points about the Axe man murders was how he entered the residence of his victims. It was later discovered, when no sign of entry could be surmised by the police, that he entered by chiseling small holes in their doors and walls. He somehow accomplished to fit through these impossibly tiny entrances points; they had been overlooked by the police on account that they were so small.
The Axeman of New Orleans
The Axe man of New Orleans is the nickname given to a New Orleans serial killer and surrounding counties, including that of Gretna – The dates: May 1918 to October 1919. Justice was never served on The Axeman, he was never apprehended nor identified, and all the murders that bear his signature are cold cases.
As the killer’s sobriquet suggests, his victims usually were struck with an ax. The weapon itself often belonged to the victim. The intruder would somehow sneak into the victim’s house and very deliberately, with the stealth of a cat, sneak up to his would-be preys and strike.
The Axe man would make a bloody mess and then leave like a ghost in the night. The killer didn’t rob his victims, nor did he assault them… robbery wasn’t a motivation.
The bulk of the killer’s victims were Italian immigrants, driving many to consider that the atrocities were ethnically motivated. Multiple media outlets sensationalized this viewpoint, even hinting of Mafia involvement.
Crime analysts have proposed that the motivation for the crimes was sexual and that the slayer was potentially a sadist, and the pattern suggests they were seeking exclusively female targets.
While he was never caught, it is believed that he may have been Jack The Ripper. Other theories persist that he was responsible for a trail of murders in across the West later in the century.
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Criminologist brothers Damon and Colin Wilson have hypothesized that the Axe man murdered male victims solely when they hindered his efforts to reach his preferred target of women.
Another theory suggests that the new orleans killer perpetrated the crimes in a bizarre effort to make jazz music more popular. This conjecture is due to a note allegedly written by the Axeman in which he proclaims that he will not slaughter anyone who plays jazz in their home. More on that later.
With no satisfying ending to this crime spree the hideous killings stopped as mysteriously as they had commenced.
The Axeman of New Orleans’ Victims
Joseph Maggio was attacked while sleeping alongside his wife, Catherine on May 23, 1918. The killer burst into the flat and then continued to cut the couple’s throats with a straight razor. Before leaving, he bashed their heads in with a heavy ax.
Harriet Lowe and her lover Louis Besumer were assaulted on June 27, 1918, at the rear of his grocery store. Besumer was clubbed with a small hatchet just above his right temple. Lowe was sliced over her left ear, she was found unconscious when police arrived at the grizzly scene. Luckily both of them survived. However, many have speculated that this was not a related case.
Next up was Anna Schneider who was viciously attacked on August 5, 1918. Tragically she was 8 months pregnant at the time. Anna woke that night to find a figure standing in silhouette over her, suddenly and without warning she was struck in the face. She survived her injuries and happily gave birth two days later to a healthy baby girl.
Pauline and Mary Bruno were being looked after by their uncle Joseph Romano, he was an elderly man. On August 10, 1918, his nieces were startled awake by the sound of commotion. They flew into their uncle’s room and manage to catch the killer fleeing the scene. Romano had been mortally wounded and died two days later from the effects of his severe head trauma.
Other Victims
Meanwhile, in nearby Gretna, Louisiana lived Charles Cortimiglia and his wife, Rosie, along with their infant daughter, Mary. On March 10, 1919, shrieks were overheard coming from the residence. Neighbors rushed to their aid. Charles Cortimiglia, his wife, and their daughter had all been attacked. Rosie had a serious head wound and was clutching her deceased daughter.
Steve Bocawas attacked in his bedroom on August 10, 1919. Boca survived.
Sarah Laumann was also assaulted on September 3, 1919. Laumann also recovered from her many injuries.
Mike Pepitone received his visit from the Axe man on October 27, 1919. Mike was hit in the head with an axe. Mike didn’t recover. Newspaper headlines made painted a ghastly scene.
“Blood splatter covered the majority of the room, including a painting of the Virgin Mary.”
The Pepitone murder is thought to have been the last of the New Orleans serial killer’s murder spree.
The Axeman of New Orleans’ Infamous Letter
Hottest Hell, March 13, 1919
Esteemed Mortal of New Orleans: The Axeman
They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call the Axeman.
When I see fit, I shall come and claim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with the blood of he whom I have sent below to keep me company.
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If you wish you may tell the police to be careful not to rile me. Of course, I am a reasonable spirit. I take no offense at the way they have conducted their investigations in the past. In fact, they have been so utterly stupid as to not only amuse me, but His Satanic Majesty, Francis Josef, etc. But tell them to beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were better that they were never born than to incur the wrath of the Axeman. I don’t think there is any need of such a warning, for I feel sure the police will always dodge me, as they have in the past. They are wise and know how to keep away from all harm.
Undoubtedly, you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to. If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night. At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens (and the worst), for I am in close relationship with the Angel of Death.
Now, to be exact, 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 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. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it out on that specific Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe.
Well, as I am cold and crave the warmth of my native Tartarus, and it is about time I leave your earthly home, I will cease my discourse. Hoping that thou wilt publish this, that it may go well with thee, I have been, am and will be the worst spirit that ever existed either in fact or realm of fancy.
The Axeman.
The aforementioned letter made NOLA society go bonkers. Everyone, already in a panic due to the Axeman’s almost supernatural power to slip in unnoticed into a house and paint the walls red, converted to enthusiastic Jazz fans.
The night of the 19th all of New Orleans’ dance halls, discos, bars, and honky-tonks were filled to burst, and trained and inexperienced bands played jazz until dawn.
Hundred of parties rolled into existence that night around town. Everyone danced the night away, Jazz blaring out of every window… There were no murders that evening.
The Axe Man Of New Orleans Hauntings
But you guys came in for the preternatural spooky terror. So let’s get onto that. In the third season of American Horror Story (the Coven Storyline) the Axe man’s ghost shows his ugly mug and becomes one of the many dangers plaguing the protagonists.
There’s a reason why the showrunners decided while researching NOLA, to include the Axeman’s phantoms into the blood-drenched storyline… And that’s because the Axe man and his specter have become interwoven into NOLA’s history, cultural makeup and, ghost-filled closet of terrors.
Legacy of The Axeman
The house where Joseph Maggio and his wife, Catherine, is said to be haunted by their remnants. On certain nights near the area, people have reported screams and shrieks.
From March 13 to the 15th, it is a NOLA tradition to play Jazz in most pubs, clubs, and disco – at least once a night – in order to ward the Axe man’s fury.
The hospital where Joseph Romano was treated is said to be haunted by the killer’s restless spirit.
The Haunted Hotel | Home To A New Orleans Serial Killer
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According to local legend. the aptly named Haunted Hotel of NOLA – not a portmanteau but the actual name of the hotel – is the location believed to be where the killer hid between picking off his victims. This is the place where he slept during his murder sprees. The natives believe that his ghoulish specter remains at the hotel.
In the back of the hotel, there is a quaint courtyard with a strange dark vibe. Visitors have claimed to have seen wandering shadows, pools of blood, capture strange EVP’s and even experience bizarre electrical hiccups with their cellphones.
Haunted New Orleans
The brutal slaughter of Italians in New Orleans is a scar that has never healed. The blood of his victims are still scattered across the streets of the French Quarter. But there are many more phantoms lurking underneath the cast-iron balconies. Take a New Orleans ghost tour with NOLA Ghosts to discover their name. Their names may be long forgotten, but much like this new orleans serial killer, their souls remain trapped in the city forever.
Keep reading our blog for more spine-tingling tales of terror from the street of New Orleans. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok learn about more nightime activities and haunted stories across the United States.
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