The Axeman of New Orleans: a phantom killer who spared jazz musicians
In short: Between 1918 and 1919, a mysterious assailant terrorized New Orleans, leaving behind a trail of unsolved murders. The killer's signature involved breaking into homes via back door panels and using axes or razors. Most chillingly, a cryptic letter claimed he would spare anyone playing jazz music.
The Axeman's spree, active from May 1918 to October 1919, left a city in a state of extreme chaos. While the killer's identity remains unknown, the patterns of the crimes suggest specific motivations. Most victims were Italian immigrants or Italian-Americans, leading to widespread belief that the attacks were ethnically motivated. Some media outlets even suggested Mafia involvement, despite a total lack of evidence. Criminologists Colin and Damon Wilson proposed the murderer was a sexual sadist, observing that men were only targeted if they interfered with his attempts to kill women.
One of the most famous episodes involved a letter published in newspapers on March 13, 1919. In letters credited to the Axeman, he claimed he would strike again at 12:15 am on March 19, provided no jazz music was being played. On that specific night, hundreds of houses and dance halls were filled with jazz music, and remarkably, no murders occurred.
The investigation was often mired in error and false accusations. In one instance, Louis Besumer was arrested and served nine months in prison after Harriet Lowe accused him of being her assailant; he was eventually acquitted on May 1, 1919, following a ten-minute jury deliberation. In another case, the Jordanos were wrongly convicted of murdering the Cortimiglia family until Rosie Cortimiglia admitted her accusations were driven by jealousy and spite. Despite these efforts, the Axeman's identity remains a mystery, and his crime spree ended as abruptly as it began.
The perpetrator's methods were consistent: he often used a chisel to remove a panel from the back door of a home. Once inside, he attacked inhabitants with either an axe or a straight razor. Notably, these were not robberies; the intruder never removed money or valuables, even when they were left in plain sight.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Axeman of New Orleans
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