The Axman of New Orleans

More than a century after a mysterious attacker terrorized New Orleans, no one can say with certainty who the Axeman of New Orleans really was.

Beginning in 1918, a series of nighttime attacks left residents terrified of an intruder who entered homes while families slept, often attacked them with an axe found on the property, and seemingly disappeared without leaving enough evidence for police to identify him.

Many of the victims were Italian or Sicilian immigrants connected to neighborhood grocery stores. Some were killed. Others survived devastating injuries. In several cases, investigators discovered that a panel had been removed from a rear door to provide entry.

Then the case became even stranger.

In March 1919, a letter supposedly written by the Axeman appeared in a New Orleans newspaper. The writer claimed to be a supernatural being, mocked the police and announced that he was particularly fond of jazz. He promised to spare homes where jazz music was being played during the night of his threatened return.

New Orleans responded by filling the city with music.

The Axeman did not strike that night.

But the identity of the person responsible for the murders — and even the question of exactly which crimes belonged to the same killer — remains unresolved.

Who Was the Axeman of New Orleans?

The Axeman of New Orleans was the name given to an unidentified attacker associated with a series of murders and assaults in and around New Orleans during the late 1910s.

The best-known period of the crime spree stretched from May 1918 through 1919, although historian Miriam C. Davis has argued that similar attacks against Italian grocers as early as 1910 may have been committed by the same offender.

The killer's method was unusual enough to create a recognizable pattern.

Victims were frequently attacked late at night while asleep. An axe, hatchet or similar weapon was often taken from the victim's own property rather than brought to the scene. In several of the strongest cases, someone had removed or chiseled through part of a rear door to gain entrance.

Most significantly, a large percentage of the victims were Italian or Sicilian immigrants involved in the grocery business.

That pattern has become one of the greatest clues in the mystery of why the Axeman of New Orleans selected his victims.

The Axeman of New Orleans Victims and Murder Timeline

The exact number of Axeman victims depends on which crimes are included.

Older accounts often group numerous attacks together simply because they occurred during the same period or involved an axe. More recent researchers have argued that several of those crimes probably had unrelated perpetrators.

The following represents the traditional 1918–1919 Axeman timeline while noting some of those uncertainties.

Date	Victim or Victims	Outcome
May 23, 1918	Joseph and Catherine Maggio	Both killed
June 27, 1918	Louis Besumer and Harriet Lowe	Besumer survived; Lowe later died
August 5, 1918	Anna Schneider	Survived
August 10, 1918	Joseph Romano	Died from his injuries
March 10, 1919	Charles, Rosie and Mary Cortimiglia	Charles and Rosie survived; Mary was killed
August 10, 1919	Steve Boca	Survived
September 3, 1919	Sarah Laumann	Survived
October 27, 1919	Mike Pepitone	Killed

Not every historian accepts every entry in this traditional timeline. That distinction matters because the popular legend of the Axeman has gradually blended documented crimes, newspaper speculation and later storytelling into one narrative.

Joseph and Catherine Maggio — May 23, 1918

The attack on Joseph and Catherine Maggio is generally considered the beginning of the Axeman's best-documented reign of terror.

Joseph Maggio was an Italian grocer living with Catherine in an apartment connected to the family's business.

During the early morning hours of May 23, 1918, someone entered their residence while they slept.

Both victims suffered terrible injuries. Their throats had been cut with a straight razor, and they were also struck with an axe. Catherine died at the scene, while Joseph died shortly after being discovered.

The killer apparently gained entrance by removing part of a door.

Investigators also discovered something that would become increasingly important as additional crimes occurred: robbery did not appear to adequately explain what happened.

Although the residence had been disturbed, valuables remained.

Joseph's brother Andrew initially attracted police suspicion, partly because a razor connected to him had been used during the attack. Investigators ultimately failed to build a case against him.

The Maggio murders nevertheless established many of the characteristics that would later become associated with the Axeman.

The Besumer and Lowe Attack — June 27, 1918

A little more than a month later, Louis Besumer and Harriet Lowe were discovered critically injured in living quarters behind Besumer's grocery.

Both had suffered severe head wounds.

An axe belonging to Besumer was found nearby.

The case became extraordinarily complicated after the attack. Lowe gave contradictory accounts while suffering from her injuries, and suspicion eventually fell on Besumer himself.

She later died.

Although the Besumer-Lowe attack has traditionally been included among the Axeman crimes, later historical research has questioned that conclusion. Miriam Davis has argued that evidence points toward the possibility that Lowe's death was unrelated to the serial attacks.

This is an important example of why determining the true number of Axeman of New Orleans victims is much more difficult than simply counting every axe attack reported during the period.

The Anna Schneider Attack — August 1918

In early August, a pregnant woman named Anna Schneider was attacked while sleeping.

Schneider survived despite suffering serious injuries and gave birth shortly afterward.

Newspapers quickly connected the assault with the mysterious Axeman.

Yet there were significant differences.

Schneider was not part of the Italian-grocer pattern that appeared in stronger Axeman cases. The weapon may have been a household object rather than the characteristic axe attack, and robbery appeared more significant than in several of the other crimes.

Some modern researchers therefore consider Schneider's inclusion in the Axeman case doubtful.

Her story remains important, however, because the attack helped intensify the belief that virtually anyone in New Orleans could become the mysterious killer's next victim.

The Murder of Joseph Romano — August 10, 1918

Only days later came a crime that much more closely resembled the established pattern.

Joseph Romano, an elderly man living with relatives, was attacked inside his home.

His nieces reportedly heard a disturbance and entered in time to see a man fleeing. Romano had suffered severe head injuries.

A bloody axe was discovered nearby, and investigators found evidence that a rear door had been breached.

Romano died from his injuries shortly afterward.

Although Romano himself was a barber rather than a grocer, his family operated a small grocery from the residence. That connection becomes important when examining the theory that the Axeman specifically selected households connected to Italian grocery businesses.

After Romano's death, fear across New Orleans intensified dramatically.

Residents armed themselves. Police received reports of suspicious figures across the city. Newspapers followed every supposed sighting.

The unknown attacker was no longer simply a murderer.

He had become the Axeman of New Orleans.

The Cortimiglia Family Attack — March 10, 1919

One of the strongest and most tragic Axeman cases occurred several months later across the Mississippi River in Gretna.

Italian immigrant Charles Cortimiglia, his wife Rosie, and their two-year-old daughter Mary were attacked inside their home.

Charles and Rosie suffered severe head injuries but survived.

Mary did not.

As in other suspected Axeman crimes, investigators discovered that part of a door had been removed and an axe had been left at the scene.

The aftermath produced another tragedy.

Rosie eventually accused neighbors Iorlando Jordano and his son Frank of committing the attack. Both men were prosecuted.

The case against them was deeply flawed.

Rosie later recanted her accusation, saying that she had falsely identified the men. Their convictions were ultimately undone, making the Cortimiglia investigation an important example of how fear surrounding the Axeman contributed to innocent people becoming entangled in the case.

The Axeman Letter and the Night New Orleans Played Jazz

Just days after the Cortimiglia attack, the strangest chapter of the entire case began.

A letter dated March 13, 1919 and claiming to come from the killer was published in the Times-Picayune.

Its author mocked New Orleans police and presented himself not merely as a murderer but as something supernatural.

He described himself as a spirit from hell.

Then came his proposition.

The writer declared:

"I am very fond of jazz music."

He announced that he would return at 12:15 on the following Tuesday night but promised to spare homes in which a jazz band was playing.

Whether the Axeman actually wrote the letter has never been established.

Some historians believe he probably did not.

The sophistication and theatrical style of the writing have led researchers to wonder whether someone else — possibly someone seeking publicity — created the letter after following newspaper coverage of the murders.

But New Orleans could not know that.

So on the night of March 18 into the early hours of March 19, 1919, the city played jazz.

Dance halls were crowded. Musicians performed in homes. Residents used whatever music they could find.

Newspapers reported jazz drifting from houses across the city.

No Axeman attack occurred that night.

The event permanently connected one of America's strangest unsolved murder cases with the early history of New Orleans jazz.

Did the Axeman Really Love Jazz?

Possibly.

But there is no proof.

The famous letter is authentic in the sense that the document was genuinely published during the murders. What remains uncertain is whether the murderer wrote it.

Historian Miriam Davis has questioned that assumption, noting that the writer appeared unusually educated and deliberately theatrical compared with what evidence suggested about the actual attacker.

One possible alternative involves musician Joseph John Davilla, who composed The Mysterious Axman's Jazz (Don't Scare Me Papa) shortly after the famous jazz night.

There is no proof that Davilla wrote the letter either.

What can be said with confidence is that the letter transformed the Axeman from a frightening unidentified criminal into something approaching an urban legend.

Without that letter, the case would still be disturbing.

Because of it, the Axeman became unforgettable.

Why Did the Axeman Target Italian Grocers?

This may be the most important question in the entire case.

Many of the strongest Axeman victims were Italian or Sicilian immigrants associated with neighborhood grocery stores.

By the early 20th century, Italian immigrants had become deeply involved in New Orleans' grocery trade. Historian Miriam Davis notes that Italian-owned grocery businesses expanded dramatically during the preceding decades.

At the same time, Sicilian immigrants faced intense discrimination.

Those circumstances have produced several theories.

One possibility is that the attacks were ethnically motivated.

Another is that the killer was connected to extortion rackets sometimes associated with the so-called Black Hand, a term used during the period for criminal intimidation schemes targeting Italian immigrant communities.

It is also possible that grocery stores simply presented convenient targets. Families commonly lived in or behind their businesses, giving an experienced burglar predictable access to both a residence and money.

Police reportedly believed the offender demonstrated considerable skill at breaking into buildings.

None of these explanations has been proven.

But the repeated connection between Italian grocers and the strongest Axeman cases is difficult to dismiss as coincidence.

Was the Axeman of New Orleans a Mafia Killer?

The Mafia or Black Hand theory has followed the case almost from the beginning.

Because many victims were Italian grocers, some investigators and newspapers suspected extortion, organized crime or personal vendettas.

The theory has weaknesses.

The attacks were unusually chaotic and violent for calculated organized-crime killings, and several victims survived. The murderer also attracted enormous public attention — something generally inconsistent with an offender attempting to quietly enforce an extortion operation.

There is no definitive evidence demonstrating that the Axeman worked for an organized criminal group.

It remains a theory rather than a solution.

Who Were the Axeman of New Orleans Suspects?

Police investigated numerous people throughout the case, but no suspect was ever conclusively tied to the entire series.

Andrew Maggio was questioned after his brother and sister-in-law were killed.

Other people were arrested following individual attacks.

Iorlando and Frank Jordano were even convicted in connection with the Cortimiglia attack before Rosie Cortimiglia withdrew the testimony that had helped put them behind bars.

Another name eventually became deeply embedded in Axeman folklore: Joseph Mumfre, whose surname appears in several variations including Monfre, Manfre and Mumphrey.

The traditional version of the story claims that Mumfre was a criminal connected to New Orleans' Italian underworld and was ultimately killed by the widow of an Axeman victim.

Over time, retellings turned that story into what sounds almost like a solution to the case.

It isn't one.

Researchers have uncovered serious inconsistencies in the Mumfre story, and no reliable evidence establishes that he committed the Axeman murders.

The theory remains interesting — but highly disputed.

The Later 1919 Attacks

Traditional accounts say the Axeman returned several months after the jazz letter.

Italian grocer Steve Boca survived an attack on August 10, 1919.

Sarah Laumann survived another violent attack on September 3.

Then, on October 27, Mike Pepitone was killed inside his home.

Pepitone is frequently described as the Axeman's final victim.

But this is another area where modern research complicates the traditional story.

Historian Miriam Davis has argued that the true Axeman may have left New Orleans after the Cortimiglia attack and that Pepitone's death was more likely connected to a separate vendetta.

She has also identified later attacks against Italian grocers elsewhere in Louisiana that closely resembled the Axeman's methods.

That creates an intriguing possibility:

The Axeman may not have disappeared.

He may simply have left New Orleans.

Did the Axeman Continue Killing in Louisiana?

Davis's research identified similar attacks after the New Orleans crimes.

These included killings involving Italian grocery families in Alexandria, DeRidder and Lake Charles between 1920 and 1921.

The similarities are striking: Italian grocers, nighttime attacks and weapons taken from the victims' property.

That does not prove the same offender committed them.

But it challenges the familiar story that the Axeman simply vanished after 1919.

It also gives FrightFuel one of the most intriguing questions surrounding this case: whether the Axeman of New Orleans became the Axeman of Louisiana after leaving the city behind.

Was the Axeman of New Orleans Ever Caught?

No.

Despite arrests, interrogations, prosecutions and more than a century of speculation, the identity of the Axeman has never been established.

No physical evidence has produced a definitive suspect.

No confession has been authenticated.

No person was convicted of the overall series.

Even the boundaries of the case remain uncertain because historians continue debating which attacks were actually committed by the same offender.

The Axeman of New Orleans remains an unsolved killer.

Why the Axeman Case Remains So Fascinating

Plenty of unidentified murderers have disappeared into history.

Few left behind a story quite like this one.

There is the mysterious method of entry.

The victims' own weapons.

The focus on Italian grocery families.

Wrongful accusations.

A city overwhelmed by fear.

And finally, a letter supposedly mailed from hell that caused New Orleans to fill an entire night with jazz.

But separating the real Axeman from the legend is important.

Some crimes traditionally attributed to him probably were unrelated. Some famous suspects are based partly on questionable stories. Even the celebrated jazz letter may have been written by someone who had nothing to do with the murders.

The historical mystery is therefore bigger than simply asking who was the Axeman of New Orleans?

We also have to ask which crimes were actually his.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people did the Axeman of New Orleans kill?

There is no universally accepted number because historians dispute which attacks belonged to the same offender. Several people were killed and numerous others survived attacks traditionally associated with the Axeman.

When was the Axeman of New Orleans active?

The best-known series occurred between 1918 and 1919, although historian Miriam Davis connects similar attacks beginning earlier and possibly continuing elsewhere in Louisiana into the early 1920s.

Who was the Axeman of New Orleans?

His identity remains unknown. Numerous suspects and theories have been proposed, but none has been proven.

Did the Axeman really spare people who played jazz?

A letter claiming to come from the Axeman promised to spare homes playing jazz during the night of March 18–19, 1919. New Orleans responded with music, and no attack was reported that night. Whether the actual killer wrote the letter remains uncertain.

Was Joseph Mumfre the Axeman?

There is no reliable evidence proving it. The Mumfre theory became popular through later retellings, but important aspects of the story have been questioned by researchers.

Why did the Axeman target Italian grocers?

Nobody knows. Proposed explanations include anti-Italian prejudice, organized-crime extortion, personal vendettas and the possibility that grocery businesses simply provided attractive targets for an experienced burglar.

An Unsolved New Orleans Mystery

More than a century later, the Axeman's name survives while his real identity remains hidden.

That may be the most unsettling part of the story.

Police interviewed suspects. Survivors caught glimpses of an attacker. Newspapers documented the panic. A mysterious letter transformed an entire city into a nighttime jazz performance.

Yet investigators never discovered who was behind the strongest Axeman attacks.

Somewhere between historical fact and New Orleans folklore lies the truth.

And unless new evidence emerges from forgotten police files, court documents or newspaper archives, the Axeman of New Orleans may remain exactly what he has been since 1919:

A shadow without a name.