NEW ORLEANS — 1918 · Serial Murder
The Axeman of New Orleans
Between May 1918 and October 1919, an unidentified attacker terrorised New Orleans and its surroundings by breaking into homes at night and assaulting sleeping residents. Several people were killed and many injured; a large share of the victims were Italian-American grocers and their families. In March 1919 newspapers published a letter purportedly from the killer, promising to spare any home where jazz was being played on a certain night. That night the city filled with jazz and there was no attack. The attacks stopped at the end of 1919; the perpetrator was never identified and the killings remain unsolved.
- Date
- 1918
- Place
- Louisiana, USA, New Orleans, US
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- 29.9511, -90.0715 ↗
Timeline of Events
- May 1918The first fatal attack linked to the series took place.
- 13 March 1919The 'jazz' letter attributed to the killer was published in newspapers.
- 19 March 1919Homes and dance halls across the city played jazz; there was no attack that night.
- October 1919The last attack linked to the series occurred; the killer was never found.
Sources
- The Historic New Orleans Collection — The Mysterious Axman's Jazz hnoc.org ↗
- WBUR Endless Thread — The Axe Murderer Who Loved Jazz wbur.org ↗
- Wikipedia — Axeman of New Orleans en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Historic New Orleans Collection
- WBUR
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.