Case overview
Between 1918 and 1919, a series of nighttime attacks across New Orleans left at least six people dead and several others severely injured. The perpetrator used an ax or straight razor, often entering homes through chiseled door panels, and targeted primarily Italian immigrant grocers and their families.
The first documented attacks
On May 23, 1918, Joseph and Catherine Maggio were found in their apartment behind the Maggio grocery on Upperline Street. Both had been attacked with an ax while they slept. Joseph’s throat was cut with a straight razor. Catherine died at the scene. Joseph died shortly after. Investigators found a chiseled panel in the back door and a bloody ax on the rear steps.
The panel had been removed from the outside, indicating the attacker entered after forcing access through the lower portion of the door. No valuables were taken. The motive remained unclear.
On June 28, 1918, a baker discovered grocer Louis Besumer and his partner, Harriet Lowe, injured in their home behind Besumer’s store on Dorgenois Street. Both had been struck with an ax. A chiseled door panel was found at the scene. Lowe died from her injuries days later. Before her death, she made conflicting statements about who attacked them. Besumer was briefly considered a suspect but later cleared.
Escalation and public response
On August 5, 1918, Edward Schneider returned home to find his pregnant wife, Anna, unconscious with severe head wounds. She had been attacked with an ax while he was at work. A door panel had been chiseled out. Anna survived but could not identify her attacker. She gave birth two days later.
On August 10, 1918, sisters Pauline and Mary Bruno were attacked in their home on Tonti Street. Pauline was struck in the head but survived. Mary reported seeing a man flee the scene. The entry method matched prior incidents.
By late summer 1918, fear spread throughout the city’s Italian immigrant community. Many grocers began sleeping with weapons. Some moved out of their homes temporarily. The attacks followed a geographic pattern concentrated in residential neighborhoods near small corner grocery stores.
The letter and March 19
On March 13, 1919, the Times-Picayune received a letter claiming to be from the attacker. The writer called himself the “Axeman” and stated he would spare anyone playing jazz music in their home on the night of March 19. The letter’s tone was theatrical and mocking. It remains unclear whether it was written by the actual perpetrator or by someone exploiting the case.
On the night referenced in the letter, dance halls and private homes across the city reportedly played jazz music. No attacks occurred that evening. Whether the letter had any connection to the killer’s behavior is unknown.
Later attacks and a false accusation
On March 10, 1919, grocer Charles Cortimiglia, his wife Rosie, and their two-year-old daughter Mary were attacked in their home in Gretna, just outside New Orleans. The child was killed. Both parents were severely injured. A chiseled door panel was found. Rosie Cortimiglia accused two neighbors, Iorlando and Frank Jordano, of committing the attack. Both men were arrested, tried, and convicted based largely on Rosie’s testimony.
More than a year later, Rosie recanted her accusation and stated she had lied. The Jordanos were released. The episode illustrated the difficulty investigators faced in distinguishing credible leads from statements influenced by trauma, community pressure, or personal disputes.
On August 10, 1919, grocer Steve Boca was attacked in his home on Elysian Fields Avenue. He survived but could provide no description of his attacker. A chiseled door panel and a bloody ax were recovered.
On September 3, 1919, Sarah Laumann was found injured in her home. She had been struck in the head. She survived and reported hearing a noise before being attacked but saw no one.
The final confirmed attack
On October 27, 1919, grocer Mike Pepitone was killed in his bed in his home on Second Street. His wife reported hearing a struggle and seeing a man flee. A chiseled door panel was found. A bloody ax was left in the apartment. This was the last attack conclusively attributed to the same pattern.
On December 2, 1920, a woman named Esther Albano shot and killed Joseph Mumfre in Los Angeles. Albano was the widow of Mike Pepitone. She claimed Mumfre was responsible for her husband’s death. Mumfre had a criminal record and had been released from prison shortly before the New Orleans attacks began. He was imprisoned again during a period when the attacks paused and was released shortly before the final attack on Pepitone.
Albano was convicted of murder but received a lenient sentence. Some investigators and historians have considered Mumfre a plausible suspect, though no physical evidence directly linked him to any of the crime scenes.
Investigative challenges and patterns
The attacks shared consistent elements: nighttime entry through chiseled door panels, use of an ax or razor found at or near the victim’s home, and targeting of Italian grocers or residents in working-class neighborhoods. No fingerprints, eyewitness identifications, or forensic evidence conclusively linked the crimes to a single perpetrator.
Police conducted widespread investigations, interviewed hundreds of residents, and pursued multiple theories, including organized crime, personal vendettas, and a lone assailant. The lack of a clear motive and the absence of theft or sexual assault complicated efforts to develop a unified profile.
The geographic spread of the attacks suggested familiarity with New Orleans neighborhoods, particularly areas with concentrations of Italian immigrant families and small storefronts. Some investigators believed the attacker may have been familiar with the victims’ routines or locations, though no direct connections between victims were established.
Unresolved questions and legacy
The case was never officially solved. Joseph Mumfre remains the only named suspect with circumstantial links to the timeline and victims, but no trial or formal investigation confirmed his involvement. The attacks stopped after his death. Whether that timing was coincidental or significant remains unclear.
The case contributed to early discussions about criminal profiling, the role of media in shaping public fear, and the difficulties of investigating serial violence in an era before centralized forensic infrastructure. The Axeman of New Orleans attacks have been the subject of continued historical analysis, but no definitive resolution has emerged.
Where to look next
- Book: “The Axeman of New Orleans: The True Story” by Miriam C. Davis
- Documentary: “The Axeman of New Orleans” (Investigation Discovery)
- Podcast: “Lore” (Aaron Mahnke)
