The Axeman of New Orleans
John Dunlop
The Axeman was a serial killer who terrorized the New Orleans area from May 1918 to October 1919, and whose vicious attacks left six people dead and six more severely injured. Mainly targeting Italian immigrants and Italian-Americans, the serial killer usually attacked with an axe, often belonging to the victims themselves. The Axeman sent a letter to the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans which was published on March 16, 1919, threatening to kill again on March 19 at 12:15 am, if he discovered any household not playing jazz music at that time. That night all of New Orleans' dance halls were filled to capacity, and bands played jazz at parties throughout New Orleans. There were no murders that night. To this day the murderer’s identity remains unknown and his crime spree stopped as mysteriously as it had started.
