The Axeman of New Orleans

True Crime Series #1

Jun 29, 2024

⚠️ There are information and images that might be sensitive to some readers. Read at your own risk!

Trigger warnings: violence, murder, assault, graphic descriptions, blood, gore, death, weapons, home invasion, trauma, psychological distress, crime scene details, mentions of decapitation, forensic investigation, historical crime.

The images of the victims or any suspects are NOT the original photos. They are AI-generated images by me as well as the crime boards. (I will not mention this as the caption in any of the images) ⚠️

Between 1918 and 1919, the city of New Orleans was rocked with fear as a brutal serial killer known as the Axeman terrorized its residents.

Axeman was accused of possible 12 attacks and 6 murders. This unidentified assailant would break into homes and murder occupants with a tool that he could find in the victim’s home, preferably an axe that he left behind (thus the name), but never his own.

The Timeline

The Axeman's attacks were as sudden as they were brutal. Under the cover of darkness, he would break into homes, often through a door panel that he would chisel away to gain entry.

Attack 01

The first victims of the Axeman were Catherine and Joseph Maggio, who were attacked on May 23, 1918. Both were brutally assaulted with an axe and had their throats slashed with razors. The weapons used were taken from the Maggios' own home. Catherine was nearly decapitated, while Joseph suffered severe injuries. Their bodies were discovered much later by Joseph's brothers, as no one had heard any commotion or signs of the attack. The bottom panel of their kitchen door was broken, indicating the point of entry. Without the benefit of fingerprinting, which was not yet a standard procedure, the police were unable to track down the perpetrator. The bloody axe was found left behind at the scene.

Attack 02

The next recorded attack involved Louis Besumer and Anna Lowe. Their brutal ordeal was discovered by a bakery worker making early morning deliveries. Besumer survived the attack, but Lowe passed away due to her injuries two weeks later. Anna Lowe, before her death, claimed to have seen the Axeman, describing him as a "large white man with a hatchet." Once again, the bottom panel of their bedroom door was found broken, and the Axeman had left the bloody axe behind.

Attack 03

The third recorded attack attributed to the Axeman occurred on May 5, 1918, when Mrs. Ed Schneider was brutally assaulted in her home. Unlike many of the Axeman's other victims, she survived the attack. Found alive and struggling by her husband, Mrs. Schneider was rushed to Charity Hospital, where she miraculously recovered. Remarkably, despite her ordeal, she gave birth to a healthy baby just a week after the attack, leaving this particular attack with a positive remark.

Attack 04

On August 10, 1918, Joseph Romano was found severely assaulted and struggling for his life by his nieces. The girls claimed to have seen the Axeman and described him as a "dark, tall, heavy-set man, wearing a dark suit and a black slouch hat." Tragically, Joseph passed away two days later.

On August 10, 1918, a New Orleans newspaper reported the following statement:

‘‘Armed men are keeping watch over their sleeping families while the police are seeing to solve the mysteries of the ax attack…
Extra police are being put to work daily.’’

This strategy seemed to work as the following seven months were spent in silence by the Axeman.

Attack 05

On the 10th of March, 1919, Rose Cortimiglia awoke to Charles Cortimiglia struggling and fighting the Axeman. The assailant then proceeded to assault Rose and their two-year-old daughter Mary Cortimiglia. Rose and Charles were reported to survive while their daughter Mary, unfortunately, had passed away.

A few days later, the New Orleans newspaper ‘The Times-Picayune’ received a supposed letter by the Axeman.

‘‘Hell, March 13, 1919.
Esteemed mortal: They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether which surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a fell demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call The Axeman.’’

He would then proceeds to insult the New Orleans Police, saying:

‘‘They have been so utterly stupid so as to amuse not only me, but his satanic majesty…
But tell them to beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were better that they never were born than for them to incur the wrath of the Axeman’’

The latter part of the letter was a reminder for the residents, warning that he could be much worse.

‘‘Undoubtedly you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to…
At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens, for I am in close relationship with the angel of death’’

The Axeman had finished off this letter with a specific warning:

‘‘Now, to be exact, at 12:15 o’clock (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proportion on the people.
Here it is,
I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well then so much the better for the people.
One thing is certain and that is some of those persons who do not jazz on Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe.’’

The letter went on to declare that the Axeman would spare anyone playing jazz music in their homes on the night of March 19, 1919. That night, the city was filled with the sounds of jazz, as residents hosted impromptu parties to ensure their safety. True to his word, no murders were committed that evening, adding to the eerie and bizarre nature of the case.

Attack 06

The next victim, Steve Boca, was reported to have survived the attack, staggering to a friend's house for help. They promptly called the police, but due to the severe blow to his head, Boca never regained his memory of the incident.

Attack 07

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Laumann was attacked in the night and also claimed to have no recollection of the events.

Attack 08

The last recorded attack occurred on October 27, 1919, targeting Esther and Mike Pepitone. Mike was struck 18 times and sadly passed away due to his injuries. Esther, who witnessed the commotion, reported seeing two figures in the bedroom but was unable to identify them as they fled the scene.

The Abrupt End

Following Mike Pepitone's death, the attacks abruptly ceased. Despite extensive investigations and numerous suspects, the police were never able to definitively identify the Axeman, and the case eventually went cold.

Theories and Speculations

Over the years, numerous theories have emerged about the identity of the Axeman, each as intriguing and perplexing as the case itself.

`Theory 1: Not All Killings Were by the Axeman`

Some believe that not all the murders attributed to the Axeman were his doing. The last victim, Mike Pepitone, was speculated to have been killed by the mafia due to his father's past involvement with a murder.

Similarly, the attack on Louis Besumer and Anna Lowe presents another theory. Besumer was injured while Lowe was killed in the second attack if you can recall. Following the attack, Besumer was bizarrely charged with Lowe’s murder. Letters written by Besumer in Yiddish and Russian led the police to suspect he was part of a German spy ring or a spymaster for the Kaiser, unrelated to the Axeman. Lowe, before dying, allegedly blamed Besumer, calling him a Nazi spy. The case was eventually closed as a domestic dispute, and Besumer was acquitted.

`Theory 2: Copycat Killer`

It was speculated on the internet that some of the killing of the Axeman could have been the work of a copycat killer.

`Theory 3: A Supernatural Being`

Due to the bizarre letter received by the newspaper, some believe the Axeman was a supernatural figure. This theory posits that he could slip through tiny entrances and enlarge himself once inside.

`Theory 4: Joseph Mumfre`

A more grounded theory points to a legitimate suspect named Joseph Mumfre.

Esther Pepiton, mentioned in the last attack, later moved to Los Angeles and remarried a man named Angelo Albano. On the second death anniversary of her late husband Mike Pepiton, Angelo disappeared and was never found again. Esther later claimed that before their marriage, Albano had ended business ties with a man who used many names, including Joseph Mumfre.

On December 5, 1921, Mumfre reportedly visited Esther's home, demanding $500 and her jewelry while threatening to "kill [her] the same way he had killed [her] husband." Esther responded by shooting Mumfre with a revolver. When arrested, she claimed that Mumfre was the Axeman, asserting that she had seen him from her bedroom the night Mike was killed, despite initially saying she couldn’t identify the ‘‘two figures’’ she saw that night.

The LAPD found some evidence linking Mumfre to Mike Pepitone's death, and Esther was acquitted of Mumfre’s killing.

Points to note about Joseph Mumfre’s link to the Axeman

Joseph Mumfre led a blackmailing gang in New Orleans.
They had been targeting Italians specifically.
Almost all the victims of the Axeman were Italians.

Mumfre had been in and out of prison for 10 years and the time out of prison coincided with the Axeman murder attack. Despite these connections, there was not enough evidence to definitively link Mumfre to the Axeman, leaving the theory largely circumstantial.

Whether Esther was lying about Joseph Mumfre or the Axeman was actually multiple people, the identity of the Axeman remains a chilling enigma. With few concrete leads on the identity of the Axeman, the case remains unsolved to this day.

The story of the Axeman has become a part of New Orleans' rich cultural tapestry, inspiring books, songs, and even an episode of the television series "American Horror Story."

The Axeman legend lives on as a haunting reminder of a period when fear shadowed New Orleans' streets and a merciless killer left a lasting imprint on the city's history.

This is the #1 of the True Crime Series!!

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