Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings/Conspiracy Theories Book II

Unsolved: The Axeman of New Orleans

The Axeman of New Orleans was anAmerican serial killer active in New Orleans, Louisiana (andsurrounding communities, including Gretna), from May 1918 to October1919. Press reports during the height of public panic about thekillings mentioned similar murders as early as 1911, but recentresearchers have called these reports into question. The Axeman wasnever identified, and the murders remain unsolved.

Background

As the killer's epithet implies, thevictims usually were attacked with an axe, which often belonged tothe victims themselves. In most cases, a panel on a back door of ahome was removed by a chisel, which along with the panel was left onthe floor near the door. The intruder then attacked one or more ofthe residents with either an axe or straight razor. The crimes werenot motivated by robbery, and the perpetrator never removed itemsfrom his victims' homes.

The majority of the Axeman's victimswere Italian immigrants or Italian-Americans, leading many to believethat the crimes were ethnically motivated. Many media outletssensationalized this aspect of the crimes, even suggesting Mafiainvolvement despite lack of evidence. Some crime analysts havesuggested that the killings were related to sex, and that themurderer was perhaps a sadist specifically seeking female victims.Criminologists Colin and Damon Wilson hypothesize that the Axemankilled male victims only when they obstructed his attempts to murderwomen, supported by cases in which the woman of the household wasmurdered but not the man. A less plausible theory is that the killercommitted the murders in an attempt to promote jazz music, suggestedby a letter attributed to the killer in which he stated that he wouldspare the lives of those who played jazz in their homes.

The Axeman was not caught oridentified, and his crime spree stopped as mysteriously as it hadstarted. The murderer's identity remains unknown to this day,although various possible identifications of varying plausibilityhave been proposed. On March 13, 1919, a letter purporting to be fromthe Axeman was published in newspapers saying that he would killagain at 15 minutes past midnight on the night of March 19, but wouldspare the occupants of any place where a jazz band was playing. Thatnight all of New Orleans' dance halls were filled to capacity, andprofessional and amateur bands played jazz at parties at hundreds ofhouses around town. There were no murders that night.

The Axeman's letter

Hottest Hell, March 13, 1919

Esteemed Mortal of New Orleans: TheAxeman

They have never caught me and theynever will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as theether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spiritand a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and yourfoolish police call the Axeman.

When I see fit, I shall come andclaim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leaveno clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with blood and brains of hewhom I have sent below to keep me company.

If you wish you may tell the policeto be careful not to rile me. Of course, I am a reasonable spirit. Itake no offense at the way they have conducted their investigationsin the past. In fact, they have been so utterly stupid as to not onlyamuse me, but His Satanic Majesty, Francis Josef, etc. But tell themto beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were betterthat they were never born than to incur the wrath of the Axeman. Idon't think there is any need of such a warning, for I feel sure thepolice will always dodge me, as they have in the past. They are wiseand know how to keep away from all harm.