Axeman of New Orleans

Between May 1918 and October 1919, a series of violent attacks occurred in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, attributed to an unidentified assailant known as the Axeman. In most incidents, the intruder removed a panel from a home's back door using a chisel, then attacked one or more occupants with an axe—often one belonging to the victims themselves—or a straight razor. Robbery was consistently ruled out as a motive, since valuables in plain sight were left untouched. The majority of victims were Italian immigrants or Italian-Americans, which led to widespread speculation, including unsubstantiated suggestions of Mafia involvement.

The first widely attributed attack occurred on May 23, 1918, when grocer Joseph Maggio and his wife Catherine were attacked while sleeping; Catherine died from a severe throat wound, and Joseph died shortly after being found. A chalked message referencing an earlier 1912 attack on Anthony and Joanna Schiambra was left near the scene. Subsequent attacks included Louis Besumer and Harriet Lowe in June 1918 (both survived initially, though Lowe later died after implicating Besumer, who was tried and acquitted in May 1919); Anna Schneider in August 1918; Joseph Romano, who died two days after being attacked in August 1918; and the Cortimiglia family in Gretna in March 1919, in which infant Mary Cortimiglia was killed and her parents seriously injured.

In the Cortimiglia case, Rosie Cortimiglia accused neighbors Iorlando Jordano and his son Frank of the attack; both were convicted, with Frank sentenced to death and Iorlando to life imprisonment, despite Charles Cortimiglia's denial of his wife's account. Nearly a year later, Rosie recanted, admitting the accusation was false, and the Jordanos were released.

A letter purportedly from the Axeman was published in newspapers on March 13, 1919, threatening to kill again on March 19 unless jazz music was being played in a household at the specified time. No murders were reported that night, amid citywide jazz performances. Later attacks attributed to the Axeman included Steve Boca in August 1919, Sarah Laumann in September 1919, and Mike Pepitone in October 1919, the last of the attacks associated with the case.

The Axeman was never identified or apprehended, and the case remains officially unsolved. According to researcher Richard Warner, one suspect proposed after the fact was Frank "Doc" Mumphrey, who reportedly used the alias Leon Joseph Monfre/Manfre; this identification has not resulted in any charge and remains a proposed theory rather than an established conclusion. <parameter name="timeline">[{"date": "1911", "event": "Press reports later associated similar unsolved killings with the Axeman narrative, though researchers have questioned the connection."}, {"date": "1918-05-23", "event": "Joseph and Catherine Maggio attacked in their apartment; Catherine died from a throat wound, Joseph died shortly after being found."}, {"date": "1918-06-27", "event": "Louis Besumer and Harriet Lowe attacked at Besumer's grocery; both critically injured."}, {"date": "1918-08-05", "event": "Anna Schneider, eight months pregnant, attacked in her home."}, {"date": "1918-08-10", "event": "Joseph Romano attacked in his home; he died two days later."}, {"date": "1919-03-10", "event": "Cortimiglia family attacked in Gretna, Louisiana; infant Mary Cortimiglia killed, parents injured."}, {"date": "1919-03-13", "event": "A letter purportedly from the Axeman published in newspapers, threatening further killing unless jazz was played."}, {"date": "1919-05-01", "event": "Louis Besumer acquitted of murder charges after a ten-minute jury deliberation."}, {"date": "1919-08-10", "event": "Grocer Steve Boca attacked while sleeping."}, {"date": "1919-09-03", "event": "Sarah Laumann attacked in her apartment."}, {"date": "1919-10-27", "event": "Mike Pepitone attacked and killed; last attack attributed to the Axeman."}, {"date": "1920 (approx., ~1 year after trial)", "event": "Rosie Cortimiglia recanted her accusation against the Jordanos, leading to their release."}]