The Axeman of New Orleans: Jazz, Fear, and Unsolved Murders
In the humid nights of early 20th-century New Orleans, a shadowy figure wielded an axe against sleeping victims, carving terror into the city’s vibrant soul. Known as the Axeman, this unidentified killer struck immigrant communities, leaving mutilated bodies and unanswered questions. Between 1918 and 1919, at least six murders and several assaults terrorized the Crescent City, blending gruesome violence with an eerie cultural footnote: a killer who professed a love for jazz.
The Axeman’s reign unfolded amid post-World War I unrest, economic strain, and simmering ethnic tensions. Primarily targeting Italian grocers, the attacks evoked fears of targeted vigilantism or a lone madman fueled by rage. What set this predator apart was a taunting letter published in the local press, promising mercy to homes blasting jazz music. As fear gripped the streets, brass bands filled the air, turning the city into an unwilling symphony of survival.
Over a year of bloodshed, the Axeman evaded capture, his identity shrouded in myth. This article delves into the chronology of atrocities, the bungled investigation, psychological insights, and the enduring enigma that still haunts New Orleans lore—all while honoring the lives cut short and the families forever scarred.
Historical Context: New Orleans in Turmoil
New Orleans in the late 1910s was a melting pot of cultures, jazz innovation, and underlying strife. Italian immigrants, many running small groceries, faced prejudice amid labor disputes and the Black Hand extortion rackets plaguing their community. The city grappled with poverty, influenza outbreaks, and war-weary anxieties, creating fertile ground for panic.
Axes, common tools in working-class homes, became symbols of dread. The killer exploited rear doors and panel beds—standard in shotgun-style houses—gaining silent entry. This backdrop amplified the horror, as residents double-checked locks and whispered about supernatural forces or Mafia vendettas.
The Timeline of Terror: Attacks Unraveled
The Axeman’s campaign began without fanfare, escalating into a pattern of savage axe assaults on sleeping couples. Investigators later linked five murders and three non-fatal attacks, though some debate the count. Each crime scene bore hallmarks: a rear door pried open, a wooden panel bed drenched in blood, and an axe left behind or nearby.
May 23, 1918: The Maggio Murders
The nightmare ignited in the early hours of May 23, 1918, at the Italian grocery of Joseph and Catherine Maggio, 700 block of Upperline Street. The 33-year-old barber and his wife slept when the intruder struck. Catherine awoke first, screaming as the axe cleaved her skull. Joseph rushed to her aid, only to suffer fatal blows.
Neighbors heard cries around 4 a.m. but dismissed them as a domestic quarrel. Discovered by Joseph’s brothers hours later, Catherine lingered briefly before succumbing. Chiseled into the victims’ foreheads were the words “Mrs. Glenn, born May 30,” an inscrutable message that baffled police. No motive surfaced, but the rear door’s mutilated panel screamed forced entry.
June 5, 1918: Besumer and Lowe
Two weeks later, in the 924 block of Rampart Street, Louis Besumer, a stevedore, and his common-law wife, Harriet Anna Lowe, faced the blade. Besumer later claimed he slept through the attack, waking to Lowe’s mangled body beside him. She died from massive head trauma; he survived with lighter wounds.
Police eyed Besumer suspiciously—his injuries seemed superficial, and a bloody axe hid under his bed. Arrested, he spun tales of a “fiend” but was released for lack of evidence. The assault mirrored Maggio’s: pried door, panel bed carnage. Lowe, a 26-year-old widow, left behind a young son, her death compounding family grief.
June 28, 1918: The Schneider Attack
Mrs. Edward Schneider, nee Mary Bruens, endured the next strike alone in her Garden District home. Her husband was away; her children asleep nearby. The killer battered her over the head, but she survived, alerting authorities. Her description—tall, dark figure—offered scant leads. Recovered after hospitalization, Schneider’s ordeal fueled media frenzy, dubbing the perpetrator the “Axeman.”
August 10, 1919: Joseph Romano
A 15-month hiatus shattered on August 10, 1919, with the murder of 28-year-old Joseph Romano, an Italian laborer, at his Magazine Street residence. His two young nieces discovered the horror: Romano dead from axe wounds, skull fractured. The family mourned deeply; rumors swirled of Black Hand involvement, but the modus operandi matched perfectly.
September 2, 1919: The Cortimiglia Family Tragedy
The penultimate outrage struck the Cortimiglia grocery on Jefferson Highway. Edward, Mary, and their 3-year-old daughter Rosemary slept when the Axeman attacked. Mary and Rosemary died horrifically—Mary’s throat slashed post-blows, the child crushed. Edward awoke amid the bloodbath, miraculously unscathed despite proximity.
Edward’s ravings implicated neighbors, leading to wrongful arrests of Paul and Mary Bruno, who endured jail time before exoneration. The child’s innocence amplified public outrage, with coroner warnings of plague-like fear.
October 27, 1919: The Final Victim?
Mike Pepitone, a grocer, fell last on October 27, 1919, hacked to death in his bed. His wife identified a shadowy intruder fleeing. Though some question the link due to timing, the axe and entry method aligned. Pepitone’s death capped the spree, after which silence fell.
The Infamous Letter: Jazz as a Shield
On May 6, 1919, the Times-Picayune published a chilling missive purportedly from the killer, signed “Helloma.” It mocked police ineptitude, claimed sole responsibility for the crimes, and vowed more bloodshed—except to jazz-playing homes.
They have never caught me yet, and they never will. … I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. … If you play jazz music loud, I will spare you.
Residents complied en masse: March 19, 1919, saw bands roaming streets, windows blaring ragtime. The letter’s authenticity remains debated—hoax or genuine taunt?—but it fused crime with New Orleans’ musical heartbeat, birthing legends of the Axeman jamming invisibly at house parties.
The Investigation: Leads That Fizzled
New Orleans police, under Superintendent Martin Behrman, pursued phantom trails. Early theories pinned Black Hand extortion; later, a single deranged individual. Besumer and Edward Cortimiglia were suspects but cleared. A 1919 dragnet nabbed vagrants, yielding zilch.
Forensic limitations hampered progress—no fingerprints, blood typing nascent. Axes traced to victims’ woodpiles suggested opportunistic grabs. By 1920, with no arrests, the case faded, officially unsolved. Modern probes, including 2018 DNA tests on a letter (inconclusive), revive speculation.
Prime Suspects and Theories
- Samuel Joseph Romano: Joseph Romano’s uncle, arrested post-murder but released; timing suspicious.
- Walter Lamana: Convicted killer who “confessed” in 1920s, later recanted; dubious.
- Orleans Parish Deputy Sheriff: Fringe theory of corrupt official targeting Italians.
- Multiple Killers: Evolving methods suggest accomplices or copycats.
Victim profiles—Italian males, grocers—hint at xenophobic motive, echoing 1890s lynchings. Yet no loot stolen rules out robbery.
Psychological Profile: Anatomy of a Monster
Criminal profilers retroactively peg the Axeman as a disorganized lust killer or rage-driven sadist. Attacks screamed sexual overtones: vaginal mutilations on some females (Maggio, Lowe), though unconsummated. Mission-oriented? Perhaps anti-Italian grudge.
The jazz letter reveals narcissism, craving notoriety. Bold entries into occupied homes denote cunning, low fear of detection. Likely local, familiar with neighborhoods, possibly Italian himself to evade suspicion. Mental health factors—psychosis, syphilis-induced rage—loom large in era’s context.
Comparisons to Jack the Ripper or Zodiac underscore media-savvy taunting. Unlike organized predators, the Axeman’s sloppiness (leaving axes) betrayed impulsivity.
Cultural Legacy: From Fear to Folklore
The Axeman endures in pop culture: true crime books like The Axeman’s Jazz by Miriam C. Davis, songs by Five Finger Death Punch, episodes of American Horror Story. New Orleans embraces the tale via tours, brews named “Axeman Pale Ale.”
Annually, jazz funerals nod to the weird mercy plea. Yet beneath glamour lies tragedy: eight lives lost, communities shattered. Victims’ descendants seek closure; the unsolved status perpetuates pain.
Recent efforts, like John E. Propst’s books compiling police files, fuel amateur sleuths. DNA from crime scenes, preserved faintly, offers slim hope for revelation.
Conclusion
The Axeman of New Orleans remains a ghost in the machine of American true crime—brutal, bizarre, eternally elusive. His axe silenced families, but jazz’s defiant roar symbolized resilience. While theories proliferate, justice eludes, reminding us that some darkness defies illumination.
Honoring Joseph Maggio, Catherine, Harriet Lowe, Joseph Romano, Mary Cortimiglia, Rosemary, Mike Pepitone, and survivors: your stories endure beyond the myth. New Orleans healed, but the unanswered “why” echoes, a somber jazz riff in history’s night.
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