:PROFILE [image:https://cdn.slatesource.com/0/9/e/09ec19ef-c1da-4a1c-a0b1-36fa66747076.webp]
The Axeman of New Orleans
New Orleans, 1918 to 1919
He struck at night through chiselled door panels. He targeted Italian American families. He wrote to

:INFO
The letter
On 13 March 1919 the New Orleans Times Picayune published a letter signed by the Axeman. It was written in a theatrical style and declared that he was a fell demon from hottest hell. It stated that on the night of 19 March, Saint Joseph's Night, he would pass over every home in New Orleans except those where a jazz band was playing. He kept his word. No attack occurred that night. The city played jazz until dawn.


:STATS

:QUOTE [quotetype:plain, subtitle:The Axeman]
I am not a human being, but a spirit and a fell demon from hottest hell. I am in your city, dancing to the strains of beautiful jazz.


:NOTE.half
Jazz musicians capitalised on the letter. A song called The Mysterious Axman's Jazz was released the week before Saint Joseph's Night and became a hit.
|
:NOTE.half
Most victims were Sicilian immigrants. Some historians believe the killings may have been Mafia related and the theatrical letters a deliberate misdirection.


:POLL
Who was the Axeman of New Orleans?
A serial killer with no known motive pattern
A Mafia enforcer using theatrics as cover
Someone the city chose to mythologise rather than solve
Keep it open

:LINK
https://www.google.com/search?q=Axeman+of+New+Orleans+1918+unsolved
Read more about the case