Do Go On - 133 - The Axeman of New Orleans

Episode Date: May 9, 2018

Dave reports on the Axeman of New Orleans, a mysterious figure who in the early 20th century began breaking into people's homes and attacking them with their own axes! A jazz loving, axe wielding serial killer... What's not to love?You can also support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/DoGoOnPodSuggest a topic: https://dogoonpod.com/submit-a-topic/Twitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: [e-mail] AND FURTHER READING:http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/01/the-strange-mystery-of-the-new-orleans-axeman/The Axeman of New Orleans: The True Story (Miriam Davis, 2017)https://books.google.com.au/books?id=vvkbDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=falseThe Terrifying Axeman Of New Orleans - BuzzfeedBluehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrMGIqecu0Yhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axeman_of_New_Orleans#The_Axeman's_letterhttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/killer-axman-spares-jazz-lovers-new-orleans-slashing-spree-article-1.3827413https://www.dayspatch.com/the-mysterious-killer-that-left-a-city-in-pure-terror-for-over-a-decade/http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/10/axman_our_times_pepitone.htmlhttp://www.nola.com/vintage/2018/01/the_year_of_the_axeman.htmlhttp://www.nola.com/vintage/2017/11/in_1907_a_corner_store_was_bom.htmlhttps://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jpnxxy/how-the-axeman-of-new-orleans-terrorized-a-city-and-escaped-the-law Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melbourne and Canada, we got exciting news for you. And we should also say this is 2026. Jess, what year is it? 2026. Thank God you're here. Right now, I'm in Melbourne doing my show with Serenji Amarna, 630 each night at the Cooper's Inn Hotel, having so much fun. We'd love to see you there.

Canada, we are visiting you in September this year. If you've somehow missed the news, we are heading up Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto for shows. That's going to be so much fun. Tickets for all this stuff, I believe, are online. And I'm here too. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Do Go On. My name is Dave Warnocky and as always I'm joined by Matt Stewart and Jess Perkins. Hello. Hello. Thank you for joining me. And welcome to the news. It did feel a bit newsy, didn't it? Yeah.

It always feels like a barbershop quartet to me. Hello. Hello. Yeah, Matt's got to do the deep one. Good fun. We do have fun, don't we? So, we're going to do this our second week back in the studio. Still getting used to it.

Yeah, I feel a bit out of place. Yeah. I don't know, like, who am I looking at? Where's the audience? Yeah, I know. We have to look at each other again. Being side by side, we don't have to do that anymore. I know, now we sit in a fucking circle like idiots.

I can see both your ugly mugs, clear as day. We're applauding against each other. Who will crack first? I'll kill you both. I'm a little bit delirious because I worked today and then came here. So I'm going to lose it at some point. I'm just letting you know, just warning you. Okay.

I'm well rested and I changed a light in my car today. Something I didn't think that I was capable of, but I did it. Good job. Watched a YouTube tutorial. Where was the light? The headlight. Oh, shit. Yeah.

I've been driving around for about six weeks with one. That's really good. If I got pulled over, I was always going to be like, what? I'd say a majority of people would get someone else to do. that. And you are. You keep saying you're not even handy. I'm definitely not. But you did it. Took a long time. The guy in the video wore gloves. So I put on the only gloves I could find, which were ones you used to wash the dishes with. Yeah, great. And I took them off after about two minutes because it was very difficult to use. You should do a video of you watching that video following his instructions.

It's just me going, what? What? Did you know? Okay. Like Gogglebox for YouTube. Yeah. In the UK, the main lamp is a main. There's a main. lamp in the UK? In terms of headlights is high beam. And the low lamp is the main beam. I was watching a UK video thinking, hang on, what? Because we call the very bright light, the high beam. So what?

So what, they're just their normal lights are high beam. Is that what you mean? No, their normal light is like a low light. They call it low light. Right. We call it Parker. Like your fog lights. Fog lights.

I don't think my car has those. I think my car just has a light. Yeah, they're like, good luck to you if you're driving this in Fox. I've got a couple of torches tape for the front of my front of it. I've got like actual torches like medieval. Like some flames. There's being blown out as soon as you go above 5k an hour. Yeah, that's why I'm always late.

Makes sense. It's foggy out. Light the candle. We said literally before we hit record, We're going to get into the subject. I say it because I know I'm the worst at it. So you want one of us to... Yeah.

And you're pretty good at... You're like, oi. I try. All right. But I'd say only one in six times. Does it work? Will you plug something and then... Oh yeah.

I'm going to be in Sydney this week. So Sydney listeners, it would be so cool to see you there. This will be the last time I annoy you with plugs to the show because it's the last time I'm doing it. Sydney, this Saturday night, the whatever night that is, 19th, I think, 12th. It's the 12th of May at Giant Dwarf at 930. Tickets via Matt Stewartcomedy.com slash gigs. Matt Stewartcomedy.com slash gigs.

It'll be a lot of fun, I believe, and it would be great to see you there. Also, always a great opportunity to bug me, to bug these guys to bring the show to come back. If you want that to happen. Which I bloody do. Yeah, go on support Matt and maybe we'll do a show in Sydney again. So the way, Dave, this is how the show works, right? One of the three of us does a report on a topic that's been suggested by a listener.

One of the three of us know what that topic is, the person who's done the report. The other two do not know. The other two of the three. The other two of the three in case you're wondering which, two of which. And the person doing the report starts the report, gets us on topic by asking the other two a question. This week, Dave, what is your report? Dave, what is your question? All right, here's my question.

Patreon people voted for this topic My question is When it comes to serial killers What is the scariest weapon they can use? Oh Good stuff I guess it's like I'd say Something blunt

Yeah A spoon A spoon Oh yeah He was struck with a spoon 996 times That's classic that's a classic Robin Hood Prince of Thieves line

He goes, I'll cut your heart out with a spoon And his cousin or whatever was like, Why, spoon? Use a knife. Because it's dull, it'll hurt more. Great line. It'll also just be a lot more work for you. A lot more work.

Imagine trying to break skin with a spoon. Pictureing a wooden spoon. Obviously. The only spoon I use, stir my coffee with a wooden spoon. I'm guessing a knife, machete or a kitchen knife, butcher's knife. Oh, rope. Nunchucks. Getting closer with, that would take a few hits unless you're really,

It wasn't machete. Spear. Nuclear bomb. Guns. It is sharp. It's sharp. My wit. Prepare to die.

Say something. It's an axe. And my axe. An axe murderer. No. You don't get it like this at all. Is this about Mike Myers movie so I married an axe murderer? It's a good movie.

It's a fine movie. No, it's a good movie. Did you forget that that exists? He's talking about the size of the kid's head. We've lost him. We've lost him. An axe murderer. You hear a lot about, you know, like,

axe murderer, say, like, you know, it's just a common trope for a murderer. But I'd never really come across an axe murderer in real history. I would call a creepy-looking man an axe murderer. Right. Like, he looks like an axe murderer. You know, but I don't think I know of an actual axe murderer. Do you know how many axe murders?

The only one that comes to mind to me is the wood-chol Woodchopper in Little Red Riding Hood kills the wolf with an axe. Oh, yeah. So is he not an axe murderer? He is. Wow. An heroic axe murderer. More like an axe hunter, I think.

If you're killing an animal, I think you can call yourself a hunter. I'm going to think butchers or people who... They're fucking murderers, man. Oh, I agree. As a vegetarian, I agree. Even after... Meat is murder. So even at the butchers when the meat is well and truly dead.

Oh, yeah. Every cut is still... What does he think? think that cow was born dead, does he? He knows. Does he think that that cut's going to bring it back to life, does he? Yeah. I don't know.

If you're a butcher, get in touch. Tell us what you think. No, this is about an axe murderer. This topic is called, and I put it up for the vote with a few other pretty sensational sort of sounding topics, but of course this one got picked. The Axeman of New Orleans. Me-a-min-min-min-a-min-me-o! Some reason I thought you were doing a general...

report on the idea of axe murdering. No, no, I was just using that question because I knew you wouldn't have probably heard. You probably haven't heard of this Axeman, I imagine. Axeman. I hadn't. No. Dimebag Daryl's the most famous ax man, I know.

It's just such a... He also died, so it's not too good for the X-Man. Moment of silence for dying. And we're back. Okay, so the Axeman of New Orleans, you haven't heard of this topic. I hadn't. It was one of those ones that jumped out at me in the hands. hat amongst the thousands of suggestions.

I've never, yeah, I've never noticed it. It sounds fucking crazy. Yeah. And it does not disappoint. Okay. 1918, let me take you back to New Orleans. New Orleans. I know Americans often call it New Orleans, but we usually say New Orleans.

Nola, right? It doesn't make us right. I know, but should I pick one and go with it? Yeah. Yeah. Just commit. Go with your heart. New Orleans.

Okay. So people in Rome don't call it Rome. They call it Rome. Rum. They call it Paris. It's very confusing. It's confusing. They're like, when in Paris? It's like, what? The rest of us say when in Rome, they go, what's Rome?

It's very confusing. Italians. Okay, 1918, New Orleans. The Big Easy, the birthplace of jazz, home of Mardi Gras, often referred to as the most unique city in the United States. Well, this unique city was about to be terrified by a very unique serial killer. You are just so good at this. This is what happens when you put time into the reports.

I don't do that. Time and passion. Time and passion. Is this our second New Orleans report? Was your witch? Oh no. No, not which. She was like a voodoo queen.

Voodoo queen. Oh yes. The voodoo queen of New Orleans on New Orleans. For that one, yes. Yeah, yeah. But this one weren't in New Orleans. Now, to truly set the scene for this murderer, we have to go back a few years earlier to 1910,

where there was a spate of attacks on Italian grosses. Approximately 8. years earlier. Math. That's correct. So New Orleans, Italian grocers were being attacked. They were from Rome. Originally, most of them, Sicilian, I believe.

Because it's a very French. Not that. That's quite a French. Yes, the French quarter is there. But out of all the cities in the south of the US at the time, that had the biggest Italian population.

Most of them, Sicilian. According to Miriam Davis in her book, Axel of New Orleans, the true story. So you know it's true. She could be sued if her book wasn't true, if you'd name it that. So she's confident. She put her on the line.

I like that. On August 3, 1910, Harriet Crouti awoke from her sleep to a man standing over her, brandishing a meat cleaver and demanding money. And if she didn't give it to him, he would quote, do to you what I just did to your husband. At that point.

It would have been like this, sir. I do it to you, what I did just did. to your husband. Matt's speaking with his hands. Remember, my nana is Italian, so. So you can do that. Maybe just call it Nonna. Just to be safe.

Okay. So cultured. Multa benny. I do it to you. Well, just because the killers, the victims of Italian, doesn't mean the attacker is Italian. May just be a big, fat racist. Oh. Let's not discount that theory. Are they definitely fat, though?

Yes. Now, we'll get to that. Now, she's, so the meat cleaver said, I'll do to you what I just did to your husband. The meat cleaver said it. Yeah. It was a puppet show. It was a sidekick. She was like, I dropped some asses last night.

This is fucking weird. Murder, like, I really don't want to be doing this. Well, it's too bad. You will do it. Oh, you better do what he says. I can't control him when he's like this. So basically he threatened her saying, I'll do to you what I just did to your husband.

It was at that point because she'd been asleep up until now. She looked over and saw her husband covered in blood thinking he was dead. So she panics, reached under her bed and handed over the then sizable sum of $8. But this wasn't enough for the attacker who demanded more. His puppet show was worth more than $8. Fair. You know what? When you're an artist, the hardest thing is knowing.

the worth of your art and like, you know, not just taking free gigs. Like, no, I work hard, I deserve to be paid. And she's like, I've got a free beer, would that be enough? It's like, make it too. And I'll be happy. And a $4 pizza, thank you.

Thank you. Is this a particular gig you've got a beef with? I don't know. This $8 wasn't enough for the attacker who demanded more cash. Harriet, however, lied and said that was all she had, even though she had heaps more stuffed under her mattress.

Yeah, bitch. Yes. Yes. My life is worth a lot more than that. Yes, queen. Yes, she gets it. And the attacker fled after this. On his way out, the attacker grabbed the family's pet mocking bird's cage,

took the cage outside, threw the cleaver in the yard, put his shoes back on. After all, he didn't want to bring mud into the carpet. Oh, he's polite. Then he freed the bird from the cage, rolled a cigarette, and smoked it on the back porch before leaving. Okay, that's all. Also, I like that she had $8 stashed in case of robbing.

So you have two banking accounts. Your main one and the one you want to get robbed. Your rob account. The one you want to get kept. So you can allocate which one is to be robbed. Unfortunately, I did label it, rob this one. And don't rob this one. It has a lot more in it in the other one.

Okay, I guess that's very clear. I mean, I suppose I'm better. targeting that one. So this, when, when, what, did you say 1800s? 1910. 1910. So this is pre-DNA, pre-fingerprints, probably. So he's happy to just throw the...

There is early fingerprinting, but they don't use it. It's so early on they don't use it in any of these cases. Yeah, because that's not much. What a great time to be a criminal. You just throw the weapon into the yard. It's really the golden age of serial killing. Yeah. Yeah, now with all the bloody...

How hard is? If you were like someone with compulsions to kill, you'd be now, you'd be like, damn it. Yeah, it would really suck. It would really suck. Living in this day and age with a compulsion to kill. No, good. Obviously, that's a pretty crazy story about this meat liver guy.

Some historians debate that it may have been exaggerated this one. But what is definitely true is that both Harriet and her husband survived. Right. So was that blood? Or had he been eating a pie in bed again? Because I swear to God, George. If you fucking get much, more crumbs in this bed.

That's a sauce in pizza. He's covered so he looks like he's covered in blood. He's full of sleep because he's full. I was thinking for a second that this murder was so, or this thief was so genius that he made him look. That's exactly what I thought. Fake blood. Fake blood.

No, he chopped the shit out of him. He just didn't chop him enough. Right. That's disappointing. So smart. So smart. Why didn't they just pull fake blood on him? Duh.

Yeah, if he's, I mean, he's a mate clever, you think he's the butcher or her. Women can be mass murderers too. Thank you. Yes, queen. Maybe it was Harriet all along. See, that's always someone in the, you know, someone close. It is always. It's often someone close, isn't it?

I mean, you guys are probably the people I see most frequently. Shout out to your family. Is that a threat or a... No, I'm just a little concerned now. Oh, okay. Me too. Yeah, you always get killed by one of your podcasts, co-hosts. I've heard that.

There's an old adage. So many statistics. From 1910. The attacks continued and although there were vicious, none were fatal until 1911 when grosser Joe Davy's body was found. He wasn't just gross. He was grosser. Showing injuries that appeared to have been inflicted by a meat cleaver. His body was fucked up and his brains were literally beaten out of his skull.

Ew, Dave. I don't know I'm mad at you, but I am. Yeah, don't say fucked up. Sorry. His brains were effed up and his brains were literally beaten out of his skull. Oh, that's the bit I don't like. Change that bit for me and the other bit from Matt. His body was effed up and his brains remained inside his skull.

Thank you. Probably don't even have to make a note of that. You would have assumed it. I assume you would have assumed. But I'm thorough. You know, assuming makes an ass out of you and me. Yes. Now, what connected these murders...

I think Aschuming makes an ass out of you and Ming. When I was growing up, we had a dog called Ming. Well, that's... That's who we're talking about here. You're going to make an ass out of me and Ming. Yep. I'll do it. What connected these attacks together were both the types of victims,

Italian grosses, and the fact that the attacks used meat cleavers and the weapons had been found in the people's own house. So this guy wasn't B.YO meat cleaver. Right. He broke in, went to your kitchen, grabbed your meat cleaver and then attacked you with it. I don't have a meat cleaver. He would have left. As a vegetarian, I guess you wouldn't.

You don't cleave much meat. I've got knives, but they're for chopping veggies. That's a classic thing in some horror movies, some scary movies. Maybe I'm just thinking of scream. But, you know, they'd show a shot of the kitchen. There'd be knives on display later in the movie or not long later, they'd show it again and they'd be clearly one of them missing. Yeah, yeah. Like there's a little sign that says put six things.

knife here. Yeah, or it's like dusty, so it's left to... It's a little silver. It's not really obvious. They haven't used that knife in a while. Hope they wash it first. Yeah. Yeah.

Don't get cross-contamination. Dust infection. Ugh. Nothing worse. Some people are allergic to it. Yeah. You don't want that. Yeah, yeah.

Imagine if that's what killed you. You survived the stabbing, but the dust infection got you. You didn't get dust in me, did you? Oh, I'm deaf. I need my epipen. Down I go. Goodbye. Crawlwell.

Pull! Pull! I wasn't mad until I saw the dust. You know, sometimes people kill themselves. What am I going on? With dust. With sitting in the car, running the part from your exhaust in your car. Sure.

But these people would do it from their vacuum cleaner, run it on reverse. Like, hook it up to a snorkel. So fucking stupid. And I love it. I love where your brain goes People killing themselves with a vacuum cleaner Geez Louise What a way to go

I say it's painless Just imagining them Testing it on a bowling ball You know in vacuum cleaner ads They're always like Look it can pick up a bowling ball Look it can suffocate this bowling ball It's the fucking dumbest thing

Somehow you made it dumb I know I'm sorry I see something and I think I'm just going to add some dumbness here. All right, so this first actual killing led the murderer to be referred to as the Cleaver. Oh, I like that.

Hello, I'm the Cleaver. Where is this? New Orleans. Oh, yeah. Now do your voice. Do it again? Hello, I'm the Cleaver. Hello, I'm an expat cleaner.

Expeat cleaner. Oh, he's given away some more of the story. Spoiler. Suddenly, the cleaver's attacks stopped. The cleaver seemed to have given up. The cleaver referred to themselves in the third person. I'm giving up. I've had enough.

All right. Oh, who row? I also spent some time down under. Picked up a couple of their phrases. Oh, the dingo's got me fucking baby. Giday. It's like a lo-high. You can use it to start at the end.

All right. Good-A. Aloha. I'm off. Good-A. Okay, so the attack stopped. This is the preamble, by the way. This is the little intro to suck people.

Yeah, isn't this about an axe murder? So the attack stopped. But thankfully for this report, the attacks again started six years later. December 1917. I'm back, baby! That's a fair gap. If you're saying it's the same killer. All four members of the Andalina family were attacked in their home by an unknown assailant,

brandishing a small hatchet. That's a type of axe And also a terrible book that I read in year seven Had to study The hatchet Or hatchet One of the two It was real shit

It's also what Chickens do Um You're gonna take a little time out over there Matt Yeah You just look like you're about to give yourself So you jumped in Time out

Let me put you out of your misery I was trying to do the Dave thing And making something dumber but I overcooked it. Much like a chicken. Much like a chicken. All four members of the Andalina family survived, and at the time it wasn't clearly linked to the Cleaver attack earlier in the decade.

In hindsight, though, we now know that the killer was back. On May 22nd, 1918, a few months later, Joseph Maggio and his wife, Catherine, was sound asleep above their grocery shop. He's attacking Italians. They were Italian, and grocers. So Italian grocers. Oh, he's got a weird vendetta against grosses.

And Italians. Or is he an Italian grocer taking out competition? Good early theories like this. Mole people. I was going to ask you for the theories later on. I assumed it was going there. I'm glad we've gone early. Moll people.

Always. So a man broke into the home where they were sleeping. And not just any man, this was an axe man. Meena, mea, meo, meo. Wake up! People! Rips a sick guitar solo. Doing a lot of devil horns with his fingers.

Yeah, and they were all like, this is awesome. I was tired, but this is awoken me. He gained entry into their house by chisling off one of the panels of their back door and crawling through. Holy shit. He really wants this. Walked into their bedroom. He first sliced the couple's throat with a straight razor. He's got the need to cleave.

Whilst they slept. Ask me what I've got the need for. What have you got the need for? The need to cleave, swing, cut their throat. Why do you get a boner? Shwing, swing, swing. Then he, just to make sure that he was doing it properly, after he cut their throats, he bashed their heads in with their own axe.

Okay, so they had an axe. Presumably somewhere around the house. Yeah. They didn't have a garden shed. No, I was just lying around. They just had an axe lying around. The lesson here is pick up after yourselves, people. You live in filth, you'll die in your own filth.

Filth being an axe. Now, sleeping in the room. room next door was Joseph's brothers, Jake and Andrew, who were awoken by the throat cutting kerfuffle. Joseph... They heard the boner. I don't know if that can be counted as a kerfuffle. Double murder.

It's a kerfuffle. Okay. Okay. Is it a double murder? Joseph initially survived. Initially. But quickly died after his brother's discovered him. By which point Catherine was already dead.

So yes, it's a murder. Her throat having been cut so deep that her head was nearly severed from her shoulders. All right. So yes, Matt. It is a double murder. The people want blood. Yeah, true, but I also would have liked to sleep tonight. I actually had a nightmare last night.

Not kidding. Based on the recording. I think it was from this. Can I, I really want to tell you about the dream I had last night. Okay, was it about the Axeman? No. Can I tell you real quick? Yeah, yeah.

So last night, I had my alarm set for 9 o'clock this morning. And I... Me too. Oh my God. Oh, this is terrifying. And I had a dream that I woke up at like 12 and I had to be at work before 1. So I was like, oh, no. But then I actually woke up from that dream, checked my phone.

It was quarter past 8. I was fine. I went back to sleep. Had the same dream again. Except this time in my dream, my boyfriend had, I had slept through the alarm and he'd had woken up and turned it off and gone back to sleep. You would have been furious. I woke up at like 12.30.

Anyway, so then I actually wake up from the dream and now I have no idea what the fuck's happening. I don't know if I'm awake or not. The alarm's gone off. I'm awake. And I told Aiden the Dream and then he said he had a dream in which he'd heard about this TV show that had won 12 Emmys and it was entirely in Morse Code. Daytime Emmys or regular Emmys? I don't know. Regular, let's say. I love that that that's your question. Well, that's pretty good. But he was like, he'd heard about this show at his dream. He's like, I got to check that out. Morse Code. His dream beat my double dream

I thought it was cool that I had double dream Same thing I think your dream won Isn't that crazy But in the second dream I was aware of the first dream And then when I actually woke up I was like I don't know what fucking year it is Feels like an annoying TV show

My dream was about an axe of murderer So let's talk about him now Sorry for derailing, just wanted to share No it's fine The only calling card left behind by the killer was the bloodied axe. Police ruled out robbery as a motivation for the attacks as money and valuables left in plain sight were not stolen by the intruder.

It was all very mysterious and chilling. Police made the connection with the murder of the Maggio couple with the previous spade of Italian grocer attacks six years earlier that I was talked about at the start of the episode because in addition to the similarities in victim, using a weapon in the home and the method of entry, one clue that seemed to suggest a possible connection was they found outside, possibly a second calling card. I may have lied about that, because there was a message found in chalk near the scene of the crime that said, quote, Mrs. Maggio will sit up tonight just like Mrs. Tony. The last victim of the previous spree of attacks was found to have been a

man by the name of Tony Skiambrae. Tony and his wife had been attacked in bed also. Perhaps she was the Mrs. Tony. Mrs. Tony. She was talking about him. Well, she had firstly her own first name and that's her husband's first name. Please, my wife is Mrs Tony. You can call me, Tony. Okay, don't know why I called you Mrs. Tony, but all right? Hi, I'm Tony. This is my wife, Mrs. Tony, I don't know.

So they made this, well, they did make a connection. Police were now praying that this was not the beginning of another murder spree. Spoiler alert, it definitely was. Thank you so much for putting in spoiler alert there, so I had the chance to skip forward 15 seconds and go. We've got another killing here. Lewis Bessimer and his mistress, saucy, Harriet Lowe were discovered in the back of his grocery. Another Harriet.

Yes. Interesting. This is true. Lewis and Harriet. He's not married, just his mistress. That's okay, Dave. Let's not shame people. I'm not shaming them, but that was quite scandalous in 1918 New Orleans.

So a baker named John Zanker was making his morning deliveries to all the different groceries. He should have been a banker. Not a baker. Banker's anchor. You got one wrong. Idiot. You just couldn't quite hear the careers counsellor. Sorry, what was that? A banker.

Baker? All right. I'm really good with numbers and terrible at bread, but okay. Also got very bad hearing. Help me. No one answered the front door when he knocked, so he went out at the back, and Lewis himself came to the door,

covered in blood and claimed to have been attacked. His mistress, Harriet Lowe, had also been assaulted by an axe-wielding man who had first struck Bessemer, Lewis in the right temple leaving him with a skull fracture and then slashed his lover over her left ear. She was unconscious. The axe, which had belonged to Lewis himself,

was found in the bathroom of the apartment. The intruder had gotten in the same way, chisling out a panel of the back door. And crawling in like a little dog. He's made a cat flap. He's made a small cat flap. He crawls on in. Lewis survived the attack and how.

Harriet would hang on for seven weeks before dying of her injuries. She used her final weeks, according to, this is a mysterious universe, to make, which is a cool website, to make, quote, increasingly rather bizarre and contradictory statements to police about who she thought the attacker was. End quote. First saying it was a black man, then a white man. Because she said initially that it was a black man, they arrested Lewis Ubikin, who was a black guy who had just started working at the grocery store.

Harriet then changed her story and said it was actually her lover, Lewis, another Lewis, who had attacked her, the guy that had a fractured skull. She was like, no, he was the axe guy, and accused him of being a German spy. Okay. So she's just sort of pointing fingers, describing, you know, varying descriptions of who the attacker is. This caused a media storm because of the vicious nature of the crime. The fact that it was the second attack by this possible serial killer, it was between two unmarried lovers, so a bit of scandal there, one of whom might now be a German spy.

So the media are laughing. And this is World War I now, right? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. The year was 1941. 18. Okay, I fucked it up.

It's not World War I. 1918, yes, it is. 1918? Yes. 18. Oh my God, I'm so confused. This is 1918. That is World War I.

Can confirm. Can confirm. The grocery store worker, Louis Supercon, that Harriet originally fingered, went to trial but was found not guilty. I enjoyed writing that. He was found not guilty, mainly because her husband, who'd also been attacked, was kept saying,

it's not our worker, it wasn't our worker. She just said it was me too, and I'm not a German spy. So Harriet eventually passed on after pointing the finger at many different people. She also had quite a head injury. And nobody thought maybe cognitively something's not, yeah. QR. But we'll come back to them later in the show. Oh my God, yay!

About a month later on August 5th, the Axeman struck again. Eerily, it was the same day that the aforementioned and Harriet Lowe succumbs to her injuries. Oh. So the day she passed on, he struck again. On the night of August 50, that I said, 28-year-old, eight-month pregnant Anna Schneider

awoke to a dark figure standing over her. He then repeatedly bashed in her face with what was later speculated to be a lamp. Their axe was also missing from the back shed. Her husband returned later than usual that night to find his wife covered in blood. But thankfully, she survived and gave birth to a healthy girl just two days after the attack.

Fuck. Did you say she was pregnant before? Yeah, eight months pregnant. Eight months, very pregnant. Oh, my God, I would have been writing that a lot harder. Yeah, I looked at you like, oh, he's going to be very upset here. That's why I got to it quite. Is this a surprise birth?

Did they know? Tadda! I tried to get to it quite quickly to put you at ease. I appreciate that. No need. Apparently, because he wasn't paying attention. Missis Schneider, the one that had given. Missy Schneider.

And their axe was Missy. Mrs. Sider, your axe is missy. Look, I'm just reading Reading it as I see it Which is incorrectly Mr. Schneider Couldn't recall I'm Rob Schneider Deter doop de-de-durpty-diddly-durpty-dur

Do you know that episode of South Park? Fucking great one That's a stapler Rob Schneider is a stapler Rup Schneider is a carrot rated PG-13 Anyway, Misha Schneider Couldn't recall

This is the one that's given birth I couldn't recall much of the attack but claimed that she had been attacked by a dark figure that resembled some sort of phantom. The phantom of the opera is there. What does phantom mean? I just like, because the fandoms are going on the purple. Yeah, the ghost of the warps. And the suit.

And a mask. Does it just mean they're a ghost? Wearing a mask. Yeah, it's just another one for the ghost. Phantom. Here we go. Phantom menace? What does that mean?

The ghost of menace. No, the ghost menace I put off in there. The Phantom of menace. A phantom. Noun. A ghost. A figment of the imagination.

Not real. Oh, okay. So that's how she... So she resembled something not real. Okay. All right. Is her name Harriet as well? Honestly.

No. What's she? Mishish, Schneider. Harriet Schneider. No. It was at this point, the lead investigator, began to publicly speculate that the attack was related to the previous incidents involving

Beshima and Maggio. Beshima. Yes, the city had a serial killer on its hands. On his hands. Oh, my God. It's only been successful in one out of the three attacks, but still serial killer. You know, any time on the news, they're like, oh, somebody's, you know, wielding a knife and they name a suburb in Melbourne.

I'm like, oh, God. Oh, that's terrifying. Oh, yeah. They're like, okay, Melbourne. There's an axe murderer. Okay. Thank you. Well, Jess, this next sentence is not going to make you feel any better.

The Axeman's thirst for blood was queer. Queerly. Damn it. Was he right? Does this make you feel worse? Yeah, I'm shitting myself. I'm terrified. Stop.

Please, Dave, you're killing me. It was clearly not quenched by the attack on Anna Schneider. Queer we. Because just five days later, he struck again. Imagine how chilling that would have been if I didn't fuck it. You'd have been chill to the core, Matt. Yeah. I'd give you time.

This would be like five minutes of thawing out time. Matt's already. Yeah. No, fuck. It's like a tepid soup. That's not what you want to be tepid. What do you want to be tepid? Hug.

You want a tepid hug? I don't want a hot hug. That's weird. Yeah, exactly. Warm is nice. Warm hug's nice day. Tepid pool. Pool water.

Oh, yeah, good one. If it's supposed to be or if there's just been some kids in it, that's not good. Oh, God. Like, what does tepid mean? It means a ghost, okay? Stop making me Google words. Because it's somewhere between, I thought it was like a room temperature-ish. Yeah.

Is it? So your own blood? All right, new show idea. Someone picks a word from the dictionary and the others have to try and guess what they think it means. Oh, love it. Boulder Dash. I'm just Googling it. Last thing I googled was, how do you know you have a tapeworm?

So that's good. Wow, do you reckon you've got one? I don't know. My stomach hasn't been great for it. I was playing that tapeworm song by a system of a day when you walked in before. I had no. I thought you were, I didn't know what you were doing. Tepid.

Only slightly warm. Luke warm. Yeah, there you are, so you are tepid. Sure am, baby. Fuck, that wasn't worth it. Sorry, Dave, do go on. All right, here we go.

So, uh, he struck again. The quench was not thirst. Other way round. You know what I mean. Jesus. Pauline and Mary Bruno. Two sisters living with their 80-year-old uncle Joseph awoke when they heard the sound of scuffling coming from their uncle's bedroom.

It's scuffling. They ran in and claimed to have seen Joseph being attacked by a tall, dark, heavy-set figure in a dark suit who was wearing a slouch hat. That racist. The attacker ran when one of the girls screamed out. The sisters would later emphasize that despite the man's size, the intruder had been, quote, awfully light on his feet. A dancer.

Oh, I like that theory. Or maybe it's someone who's wearing. wearing clothes to look heavy set when they're not. Oh, fat suit. Definitely. Big Mama's house. Yes. Or it could be like a 1980s AFL footballer.

There were a lot of big units there who are very athletic. Yeah. Tony Plugger Lockett. Yeah, I think you're really making generalizations if you assume that all people who are maybe a bit more heavy set are going to walk around like doom, do. Yeah. That's silly. That's ridiculous. Well, take that up with Pauline and Mary Bruno, who have no doubt dead by now.

Yeah. But also, some people just walk really heavy on their heels, you know. And it doesn't matter how big you are. You just, like, if you have to live with them, you're like, shut the fuck up. Yeah, Dave, stop fat shaming is the moral of that story. I think they're mainly trying to imply that he's some sort of phantom. See the word ghost. See the word teppard.

See teppard. Page 161 of the concise Oxford dictionary. I think we should do that as a bonus episode of where we choose a word. I think that'd be very fun. Okay, we can do that. Choose a word each and the other two have to. Maybe we'd have to come in with a few words probably. Yeah.

I'm not riffing for like 10 minutes a word. Let's get some suggested words. Ah, very good. Ones that you... I mean, I was going to say weird words, but we couldn't even decipher the word, phantom or teapid. So any word, teacup. What is it?

What does it mean? It's a cup for tea, Dave. I don't know. I'm going to Google it. Your little face, though, was so cute just then. What does that mean? What does it be? What is it?

Tea cup. Definition. Doesn't even come up with a definition. That's how obvious it is. Teak up. It's when you're, you know, you're juzing up a room adding more. Teak. Teak.

You teak it up. I took way too long to get there, Bob. Sorry for that. Thank you for jumping in. Jess, you're not right, but you're not wrong. How? A cup from which tea is drunk. Yep.

Hmm. All right, you are right. It's not wrong. So the attacker ran away, awfully loud on his feet, despite being a heavy. Lard on his feet? Did you say lard on his feet? Dave, please stop the bathroom. The attacker floated away through the wall.

He heard someone yell at free buffet and ran for the window. All you can eat. I'm a fatty boy. I've got to go. Bye bye. You're doing the opposite of what I requested. He's such a fat man. Probably couldn't drive.

He's too fat to get in the car. Cars invented men? Also pretty early for cars. I think they're not. They were early. They were late 1800. But he probably didn't have one. Not every ex-murder had a car back then.

Uncle Joe, remember Uncle Joe? 80 years old. He'd been hit on the head and received two large cuts. He managed to walk to the ambulance. Pay cuts. He managed to walk to the ambulance once it arrived, yet he died two days later due to severe head trauma. Oh, you're kidding.

It's pretty good, isn't it? Getting hit struck twice, you're conscious to the ambulance and then... Do you know what? If I'm calling an ambulance, I don't care what it's for. They can come get me. Like, you know, I pay my ambulance membership. I've got to check that. Put me in the...

Yeah, you really do it. Put me on the trolley thing and wheel me out. Okay? You're trained to do it. I'm not walking. Trolley thing. Another one. We don't know the word.

Gurney? Yeah, I was thinking it. I will call it a trolley thing because I pay my membership. I pay their wages. I love it when people say that. That's good. I pay your wages. Especially now that you work for the ABC.

Yeah. And the taxpayers pay my wages. Thank you, Australian taxpayers. I want to get my eight cents worth, Jess. Well, tune in, Triple J. So Uncle Joe, he's gone. I'm so sorry, he died. But when police arrived,

they discovered that the back door had again been chiseled in and a bloody axe was found in the backyard. Does he ever just try the lock? You know? He probably tries that first. Ah, I'd hope so. Or he just likes chiseling.

Who doesn't love a good chisel? I love it. People were very scared now. It seemed like the axe man could strike at any time, able to gain access and disappear at will. There was now a state of extreme chaos in the city, with residents living in constant fear of an axman attack. Newspaper started to refer to the attacker at this point as the axeman, and this did

nothing to quell people's fears. If anything, it made him seem even more terrifying. People began to make numerous reports about missing axes, reports of shadowy figures lurking in the darkness, and even some finding their doors chiseled open. Wow. So people are like... The first few you could be like, you misplace the axe. That figure was a shadow.

That shadow figure was a shadow. That door. The chisel door, that one's harder. That door always had a missing panel. An angry bear. Hello. You've got food in there. Yeah.

Bears hungry. Okay. Leave food out for a bear, you idiot. Yeah, leave it out. Are you kidding? Don't leave it in. How stupid are you? At nightfall, people began to barricade themselves in their own homes

Because now there's an axe man and bears on the loose It's very dangerous out there Terrible time Armed men started keeping watch over their families And their neighbourhoods More police were deployed to patrol the streets In short, the city was fucking terrified Yeah

Imagine what happened now You're so scared I'd be scared Matt wouldn't be scared What? I mean everyone Everyone has CC TV now. Yeah, no, it sounds awful.

We've got vision of you being smashed in the face of the axe. Yeah, but then we got the guy who did it. True, but whatever's a phantom. Oh, yeah, you're right. They have to show up on Capway. Not on CC TV. Certainly not. Oh, on September 13, just over a month after...

It's floating cloaks. What's that? What's that? That's just a floating trench coat. I can't identify that. Just over a month after the killing of Uncle Joe, a man named Paul Daryl Jr., went to open his corner store when he found a panel from the store's door removed. Outside, police later found

footprints on the fence surrounding the yard. They suspected that the ax man had attempted to get into their house. Daryl and his family survived sleeping soundly throughout the night. The intruder had been able to get the panel off the door, but he could not stick his hand through to open it from the inside. That's because Daryl had stacked cans of tomatoes in front of the door, and those cans of tomatoes may have just saved their lives. I mean, Daryl's... purpose. Daryl's really leaning into the

Italian stereotype. Just a delivery. I'll put a cow of tomatoes in the front. Why do you one of these tomatoes?

I chuck him in front of the door. Which is the door? The back of the door. I'll pay you later. Dave. I'm doing an Australian What national is your

non-a? Nick Janoplas. You didn't know. That's not a national. That's a Greek-Australian comedian. He's Greek. Sorry, Nick. Oh, yeah, sorry, Nick.

Not sorry to the Italians. Put him in front of the door. I pay you later. Pay later. Put him in front of the dog. Huh? Stop! He's already called you on it.

Stop doing it. Is that none okay? I mean, it does seem to be still the one. Yeah. Maybe that in French that people, Did people get away with? No, we wouldn't be leaning into this if this was set in China. Oh, I beg to differ.

I think it would sound a little or something. I like this. Imagine, fuck. The Axeman seemed to lie low for several months. People began to hope and pray that the Axeman's reign of terror was finally over. But it was not. In fact, on March 10th, 1919, he stepped up the brutality. Yay!

Oh, no. Matt's not going to like this. attacking Rose and her husband Charles Cautomiglia, as well as their infant daughter, Mary. Charles and Rose both suffered skull fractures but survived. Sadly, baby Mary did not. I mean, I don't like that either. They're starting to sound a bit fucked. Yeah, do you reckon?

It's just getting fucked now. The severely injured family were found when their neighbour and fellow grocer, Iolando Giordano, came to investigate the noise. again that backdoor had been chiseled off in the axe that was used in the attack belonged to the family. It was found covered in blood just casually sitting on the back porch. After she recovered, Rose told police that she and the family had been attacked by Iolando, the neighbour that had come to their rescue. She told them that Iolando and his son Frank had committed the attack together,

despite the fact that her husband said this wasn't true and that Iolando was a 69-year-old and in poor health man who was not able to brutally swing an ass. and that his son Frank was overweight and way too fat to have squeezed through the hole in the back door. How, yeah, how are people just like trying to settle scores or something? Yeah, and the police arrested them anyway. Right. People are just fingering anyone. There's a lot of people getting fingered.

Despite the lack of evidence against them, the fact that they couldn't even do it, and the husband was saying, my wife's lying. Iolando was sentenced to life in prison and his fat son, Frank, was sentenced to death. Oh my God. They were in jail a year before, Rose admitted that she was lying and had accused them of the attack because they had competed with her own business. Settling a score. Holy shit.

How did she that is that? That's not okay. It took her a whole year to be like. And the husband, surely the husband's saying it's not true is enough to get that. Yeah, enough doubt. Quashed. Quashed. Quash it.

Dave, can you Google Quashed? Quashed. Do they sell that at the gross? So you just have to have it. What do you think quashed means? Have a go. It means like, uh, like, crush. nullifies a charge.

Oh, good one. A charge. Would you say put an end to or suppress? No, I would not have said that. Right. Well, one of you was right, Matt, Matt in this instance. That's interesting. You'll have another go late.

I'm sure we'll come across another word. Hmm. You know, so they know the ammo is chisling through the back door. Surely people are going. You know, there's people, armed people watching over the houses. Surely it's just like fixing up that back door. Yeah, to stack in the tomatoes up. Sacking the tomatoes or even just like being near the,

I'd put in my bed near the back door. Oh God. So you'd kill you really easily. No, so you're going to hear chisling. Man of a thousand noises. Chiseling number, 673. That was a donkey chiseling through a back door. Wow, using its hoof or what?

Yeah. That's what's happening in the bed of the back door, eh? At the donkey boning on a squeaky bed while he's chisling through your back door Of your friend's donkey So it's two donkeys having sex, right? I think I might have had to add a third I think I might have lost control there and added a third in No, I think there was...

Still the two. Two donkeys. Yeah. It wasn't a donkey orgy, a doogy. A doogy. It was just two donkeys trying to have another donkey. It's chisling through the back door. It's an old euphemism.

They used to use in 1920s, New Orleans. It hadn't quite come into vogue at the time of this story. A pioneering. I'm really looking forward to the do-go automation of that. Thank you, Joe. And John, who actually does the animations. Oh, sorry, his Twitter handle is Joe Dedia. Yeah, at Joe Dedia.

Sorry, Joe. But it was John. And John. I apologize to both of you. We'll see ourselves out. So this attack, the one which he lied and fingered the fat guy and he's... Oh, don't. This is never shown any weirdness to overweight people before.

That's nothing weird. It just, honestly, the fat got him off. He couldn't fit through the door. The fat got him off. Are we talking to the donkey again? When she was fingering him. Oh, this is lost. We're losing.

So this attack was on March the 10th to 19. 19. This was followed just a few days later by one of the most memorable parts of the killer's story. Yeah, so far it's been pretty forgettable. Yorn. Just another axe murderer. Just slashing people's throats, you know? But what's the pitch? You know? I mean, there's millions of axe murderers. What makes you different? I've got the pitch. Okay. A New Orleans newspaper called The Times Picayune, which still exists.

Picayune is a small coin. Pokemon. That's how much the paper would cost. I actually did a bit of a bit of. of dictionary stuff myself. The Times received a letter from someone claiming to be the Axeman. The author listed their return address as hell. Why do murderers always write in? They love writing letters.

I suppose they've got downtime between murders. They love big noting themselves, you know. Yeah. Yeah, it's either, but it's that, it feels like that's got to be the minority. Most of them don't want to be found. But a few. But also, I reckon a lot of them end up being hoaxes, right?

It's people just... True. I don't, what's the motivation of the person, non-murderer trying to get in on it. Because all you're doing is fucking up the investigation. But like the BTK wrote letters, didn't he? Yeah, he gave himself BTK. And Jack the Ripper did.

Yeah, well, Jack the Ripper, there were multiple ones and they're not 100% sure if any other. And the Zodiac. So there were definitely false ones for the Ripper. But I don't think they're 100% if there's any real. Yeah. Anyway, sorry, yep. So he's written a letter. Return address, hell.

Very melodramatic. I've lifted my favorite part to the letter here. This is it. Esteemed mortal of New Orleans. All right, mate. They have never caught me and they never will. Okay. They have never seen me for I am invisible.

You're not. I mean, they have seen him. They've definitely seen him. They've described me. He was wearing his fucking slouch hat. Yeah, you're pretty light on your feet, but they've definitely seen you. I'm not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. How are you holding a pen?

I'm using a typewriter. I am what you Orleans and your foolish people call the Axeman. Undoubtedly, you Orleans think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am. All right, not denying it. But I could be much worse if I wanted to. Why? If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night.

At will, I could slay thousands of your best citizens. And the worst. For I am in a close relationship with the angel of death. Oh, infamous. Butcher. It's a flyer song that comes up every few. months on this podcast, I reckon, Angel of Death. But you, what, I'm saying, I'm addressing you as the murderer, sorry.

Okay, let me channel him. You, so you're going after a very exclusively, like a very niche market in all Italian grocers. Yeah. Why does your letter not mention that? You're from hell. What's the devil? What's this demon?

What do you have against grocers? I didn't anticipate this question. This press conference is over Wow The murder I held a press conference Yeah This was very dumb I have to go

We've all seen you now I'm invisible There's police at the door I'm a killer You're under arrest I am The devil Look over there

Oh thank God I've got to go Take him away toys Let's do what the kid says Now Continuing the letter This is my favourite bit Oh, no, the next bit is my very bit.

But anyway, now, to be exact, at 1215, earthly time. Oh, get fucked. On next Tuesday night, I'm going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I'm going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is. Oh, God, this sucks. I am very fond of jazz music. I'm fucking serious.

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 you people. One thing is certain, and that is that some of you people who do not jazz it out on that specific night, if there be any, we'll get the axe. Well, hang on, hang on, hang on, okay. There's three of us here, right? All three of us live in different homes.

Sorry to shatter the illusion. Wow. How can How can So if you If I was to I need a jazz band Right

So I need a jazz band To come to my house Or you can play a jazz record Right Okay Okay There just needs to be jazz music Playing at midnight

Is he still being the axe man Yeah Because I'm just confused Like that would just leave a lot of houses Empty because people would have to go to a different house To play some jazz If he just wanted to rob them But he doesn't

Well we'll get to what happens So he signs off hoping that thou wilt To publish this That it may go well with thee. I have been M and will be the worst spirit that ever existed either in fact or realm of

fancy. He's a fucking weirdo. Signed the Axeman. As you dub me. You guys call me the axe man. I love it. All we know about this guy so far is he's got a chisel.

A slouch hat. A donkey. Donkey. Hates Italian grosses. Loves jazz. Heirs a dark suit. Light on his feet. Heavy set.

fella. I reckon we're getting pretty close. You're going to crack it? This is fucking ridiculous. At this point it sort of feels like this is a hoax that somebody just wants to make people do something that's a bit out there. Yeah. You know?

That feels like a real funny way to use the terror you've created. I think it's maybe someone else. Yeah. Feels a bit hoaxy. Nah, maybe it's him. Well, people did not take the chance because New Orleans songwriter Joseph, John DeVilla, wrote a song called The Mysterious Axeman's Jazz. brackets, don't scare me, Papa.

I don't know I need that. The sheet music was published with a drawing on its cover that just depicted a family playing music with a frightened look on their face. So he capitalised on this terror and sold his song. So Tuesday night came, March 19, and New Orleans was alive with jazz that night.

People blasted jazz music at home and the jazz clubs were packed that night with a lot of people not wanting to take the chance of being murdered. Did he say like how late it had to go? Because it's a work night. 12.15, I know, it's late. But the Axeman, a true man of his word, did not kill anyone that night. He probably just wanted a night off.

Yeah. He's just pulling a prank. That's so strange. What would you ask people to do? If I was a murderer. Yeah. If. Oh, I tell everyone not to fart for 24 hours.

How would you possibly monitor that? Well, you don't have to monitor it. People are so terrified at this point. They will do anything you say. So people are just walking around very uncomfortable. Yeah. I kind of like the idea of that. Okay.

I'd get them to make the Saints win a game. I'm not sure. So the other team would just throw the game. The Saints must win. You'd be happy with that win? I don't think anything. At this point? At this point you'll say yes.

Fair enough. I'd say order a pizza, but leave it outside. And then I'd just go around having pizza. That sounds fun for one pizza. Yeah, I was going to have like a slice from each Oh, great But maybe just on a street, you know Yeah

A small street Tell them which street A cul-de-sac Tell them which street you're going to be on And then approach their front doors And eat a slice of pizza Okay, I could just get a pizza You're right, that was silly

I was just being whimsical Dave said don't fart And that got no criticism Well, because This is bullshit Well I'm going to fart right now.

Well, I'm going to leave a pizza out. So, so there. I'm going to fart on that pizza. Wait, no, I'm going to bring a pizza in. Ah! You don't know, suck. So people jazzed it. They jazzed it all night.

Choose their jazz. But sadly, the attacks weren't truly over. In August five months after the letter was published, Steve Boker, another grocer was attacked in his bed. His skull was fractured by an axe, and he couldn't recall much of what had happened to him, but he survived. Skull fracture is not nice.

The second last attack occurred on September In September In September 19 year old Sarah Lawman was attacked And had her skull fractured When an intruder broke in through an open window She doesn't sound like an Italian grocer No And also didn't chisel the back door

She too couldn't remember much of the attack But she survived And a bloody axe was discovered on the front lawn of her building He's just cracking skulls now Yeah Get back to the slashing Yeah there's a lot of skulls I reckon he's turning the axe around and using it like.

Yeah. Like it's a piece of wood, really. Yuck. Just a big heavy hammer. He's not really cutting. He doesn't even want to use the axe. He just sort of feels like he has to now because he's the axe man. And do we believe it's the same guy still?

I don't. Well. His M-O is changing. Mole people. Is that right? Yeah, M-O. Moll. He did use.

Modus operandi. I don't know. I think it actually stands for Molioli. Oli. Yes. Correct. His Molioli has changed. I think you'll find.

The final attack occurred on October 27th, 1919. The victims of this attack were couple Mike and Esther Pepitone. Great name. Esther was awoken by her husband screaming and ran into his bedroom. Separate bedrooms. Trouble in paradise. One of them snores. All both.

Oh. It's real trouble in paradise. Oh, yeah. Mike's head had been hit 18 times. How do you know that? Did Mike count? The amount of contusions. Well, he hung on for a couple of hours.

There's no overlapping, is there? I can't believe it. He hung on for a couple of hours, but unsurprisingly, he did not make it. Blood splatter covered the majority of the room, including, according, again, to the Times, Picky-Yun newspaper, a painting of the Virgin Mary covered in blood. Terrifying. Very biblical.

The Times also claimed it was hard to tell exactly what he'd been. hit with because, quote, it was battered into an almost unrecognizable mass. Talking about his head. Oh, that's, that's yuck. Still feel like pizza, Jess? Yeah. Always. You kidding me?

How dare you? That was a dumb question. How dare you? I meant no disrespect. I'm furious. We're fighting now. Esther saw two figures in her husband's bedroom who both quickly fled. Two.

Did the Axeman have an accomplice? Was it Frank? Axeman. Okay, so that's the final murder. All in all 12 people were attacked, six of whom died. Axeman and Axeboy. So not a fantastic hit rate for a serial killer. And I'm very sorry to say that this is a mystery.

Oh, no. Dave. Dave. Oh, that is fucked. So we don't know. It could still be out there's what he's saying. He could still be out. If he's a ghost.

Dave. If he's a tepid, he could still be out there. You know I'm terrified of tepid. We don't know 100% who or what the Axeman was and why he killed, but there are, of course, theories. Before we get into them, do you have any yourselves? Mole people. I don't know how many times I have to say this.

Mo Mo Moly, what was it? Moly-Oli-O. Come on, man. Yeah, well, it's got to be, it's got to be something to do with the Italian grosses, right? Yeah. That's too big of a coincidence. But how are there so many of it?

of them. Yes. Large population. And there was a seven-year gap. So how many in the first session and the second? What was someone was doing something in that middle section? Did nobody audit the local grocers and see who was suddenly doing quite well for seven years and then maybe had a bit of a recession and then started axing people again?

I reckon that's a question. Or they were over the season won some war or something. Or in jail, maybe. In jail, right. I reckon you got theories here. I've got a few theories. The first one is quite Atlantic. It's spies.

One theory is that some or all of the murderers had to do with spies. Yes. Remember Harriet Lowe and her husband, Louis Bessima? She's the one that fingered many people before she died seven weeks later. First saying it was one of their workers. Then it was her lover. Then it was because he was a German spy. Well, authorities later found letters written in Yiddish and Russian, written by her lover, Lewis.

and it was speculated that he was in fact actually a spy. She was not cheating them. And perhaps this attack had nothing to do with the axe man. It was a spy man. Lewis was even arrested for this, but was later acquitted. So he was arrested for his lover's murder, but was acquitted. So perhaps this just discredits one of those murders, and this wasn't to do with the axe man, that this was a single.

He was catching in on that. But if he actually did that, that means he had to fracture his own skull with an axe, which is unlikely, but for a spy, not impossible, if you're trying to cover your tracks. You're going to bash your head. I mean, some people are desperate enough to do that. Bloody hell. I reckon that's a real noble act.

And my act. My act. So maybe that murder wasn't to do with it. Maybe. Oh, that just reminded me. I think it's obvious. It's obviously giblets. Jiblets did it.

Do you think? Remind me who Jibbis is. He's the big bearded man from the Lord of the Fries. Gimley. Oh, right, Lord of the Fries. Jimley. Gimley. Gimley.

Gimley. That doesn't ring a bell. Ghibli. And my act. That's very good for a character who you, I think you've seen. I'm sure. Are you impersonating other impersonations? Yeah. Because that's what I'm doing at this point.

Yeah. Because I haven't seen the film. With your Sean Connery? you know Gimlet Gimlet Gimli Gimley

Gimley I like Ghiblids I love that Jess straight away knew what you meant Oh yeah Ghiblets Well we just said And my axe

Right No anyway Who's the next one And underneath this When you edit it together Can you get that sort of Doo Bood do do

Do kind of music That they do under like Olden days Dating show things And behind door number three. Could you do that, Dave? I could, but Jess is also singing another song

so it would sound pretty bad right now. No need, I'm doing it. Carry on. Spanish free. Door number two. The craziest theory of all. The craziest theory is that the Axeman is a supernatural being. Well, that's not a theory.

He said it himself. I don't think that's crazy either. I think that seems the most likely. Well, everyone remembered, every time someone described the killer, but they said he was a large man who was also very light on his feet. How else would such a large man be able to fit through a tiny entrance chiseled through a back door? So he's taken off a little panel.

It's not that big. How else would such a large person get through? Can you say he just puts his arm through and unlocks the door? You said that before. He couldn't reach through because the tomato cans were there. That is very true. So. Well, case closed.

I said it was the craziest theory. And also, I'm a demon. How do I get in? Oh, I'm coming. from another dimension. Oh no, a door. Chisle, chisel, chisel. I'll chisel a little panel and then make myself shrink.

Oh, no, cans of tomatoes. Just fucking push him over. No, then they make a noise. Honestly, Dave. I mean, these people aren't waking up. That's another theory. He's chisling. No one has ever woken up and caught him in the act.

Yeah. And also have... He's chiseling. The first time anyone ever awakes is when he's looming over them with an axe. They open their eyes and go, what the fuck, he smashes it? It's almost like he has to go, hey. Yeah. Do you remember how your mum used to wake?

I'm like, hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. My grandma always told me, turn the light on. Don't touch me because I'll probably have a heart attack. Turning the light on would startle me.

Honestly, leave me alone if I'm sleeping. That's just a good theory. I think probably a handy thing for you guys to know. Just leave me alone. Yeah, I agree with that. So that's, I'm really glad you debunk that theory. I totally forgot that he had to just. He had arm.

Yeah, like, surely he'd just like walk through the wall. If he's a, if he's a demon. Supernatural being. Assume they can all do that. Surely. But if you, I mean, it's all bullshit. Otherwise, how supernatural are you? Yeah.

I'd say you're pretty natural. Yeah, average natural, to be honest. Your theories are making him feel like a natural woman. You make me feel. You make me feel like a, Natural woman. What does she go around? What does that mean? What does that mean?

Just natural. Don't shave my armpits. You make me feel like a nap. You make me feel like I don't shave my arm. I absolutely do, but you make me feel like I don't. You make me feel like there's hair where there isn't hair. That's very strange. All right, we've got a couple more theories.

One prevailing theory behind the Axeman murderers. And the one that probably speaks to me the most is that they stemmed from a feud between warring. mafia factions. Most of the victims were, of course, Italian grocers. New Orleans had more Italian immigrants than any other city in the south, as I said, many of whom were from Sicily. Were these attacks just early mafiosos taking out rivals? Possibly.

Nine years before the killing of the final victim, Mike Pepitone, he and his father, Peter Pepitone, was central... Peter Pepperton. I love it. Peter Pepper, Pippapist. Zach thought when I wrote his name out. So Mike and Peter Pepperton were central figures in the killing of D. Christina.

D. Christina had once leased the building from Peter Pepperstone for his own grocery. But when the lease expired, he took over the business next door and put up his own grocery place. A rival grocer. Christina was murdered by the senior Peppertone. Papa Pepperton. Papa Pepo.

That's not good. Hasn't the supermarket game changed. a lot. Oh, wow. Yeah. Why less murder? There's really only a couple of competitors, to be honest. Yeah.

So the big theory. Food works, obviously being the biggest. Yes. And IGA. It's true. Good for the internationals. They love both those references. Yeah, they'll probably think, yeah, why are they listing supermarkets?

Anyway, so the theory here is that senior pepperton and his son Mike had taken out this guy at D. Christina. And that Mike's murder. Papa Peter Pepetone. Was perhaps a retaliation for Papa Peter Pepetton. Peter Pepperton's. I heard he was famous for his perfect pancakes. Papa Peter Pepperton's perfect pancakes.

Is that true? Yeah. It's true. Papa Pepperton was known for his perfect pancakes. Because his secret ingredient was paprika. Pepper Pepper's perfect paprika pancakes. That's good fun. The only person that has since been really named as a suspect,

and this is the final part of the story, is Joseph Mumfrey. So this two links to the final killing of Mike Pepperton, son of Papa Peter Pepperton Mike Pepperton Who was famous for Panda cakes Panne cakes Panac cakes

Panacques panaccaics Panacotta cakes Oh yeah That sound good Don't I Mike Peppertone was found by his wife Esther After Mike died

This is a bit weird Esther remarried A guy called Angelo Albano That is weird Get into the weird bit Weirdly Two years to the day

After Mike's Axeman murder, her first husband, her second husband, Albano, disappeared. Well, she is not having much luck. Before their marriage, Angelo Albano had ended business dealings with a man called Joseph Mumfrey. After her second husband, Angelo's disappearance, this Joseph Mumfrey character randomly appeared at her home and demanded $500. A very large sum of money. If she didn't pay, he threatened to kill her the same way he'd killed her husband.

Sounds like you had a real axe to grind. High five, that's good. But guess what, Matt? You spoke over our high five, by the way. Can we go again? I'll let it in post. Can we go again? Matt, just make the sound of a high five with your mouth.

You can do it. Incredible. He is good. So Joseph Mumfrey. Sorry, I was clearing my throat for that first bit. Why? There you go. So let me clear my throat again.

Here we go. One last try. eh that was Dave's he's looking at me in display for that was not hand-on-hand action how was that coming through my head headphones it's amazing so Joseph Mumfrey oh it's confusing he says I'm going to kill you you know like I kill Jasmine you're going to give me $500 but guess what Esther she don't take no shit yeah she shot and killed Mumfrey fucking shooting him eight times okay Esther I mean it's hard to claim self-defense when you shoot eight times and soon that $8 was a lot back then

as well and they're asking for 500. I just wanted to say, Matt, shooting someone eight times would sound a little something like... Oh, he's warming up. Here we go. That was five, six maybe. Had to take a little moment to reload. Just in case she wasn't dead.

So, you know, like people say they're unlucky in love if they just can't find a husband, but she just keeps finding them and they die. It's crazy. She's lucky in a way. But then very unlucky in another way. So just to sum up, when Esther was arrested for the shooting of Mumfrey, the guy that had threatened her. Esther arrested.

She claimed she had, she claimed that Mumfrey had in fact been the axe man that had killed her first husband. Oh. And that she'd seen him running from her house the night that her husband, Mike Pipperton. She's saying this years later. Two years later. Yeah, two years later. To the day. But he's the guy she married?

No. I've lost track. There was too many interruptions. She married Angelo. Right. Okay, so she's married to Mike Pepperton. He's killed by the axe murderer. She marries a new husband.

He disappears. And then this guy called Mumfrey comes and says, I killed your husband. Give me money or I'll kill you too. She shoots him. And in her defences, he threatened me and also he was the ax man. And there were no more axe murders after this guy died. How convenient.

So she got off from the killing. She was acquitted saying it was self-defense. Great. It was later to say. discovered that Mumfrey had been blackmailing lots of Italian men in New Orleans. And I remember a lot of the ex-men victims were Italian grocers. Earlier in the century, he'd been sent to 20 years hard labor for setting off a bomb outside a grocery that refused to bribe him.

He'd also been in and out of prison, sort of correlating a little bit with the time in between the first and the second attacks. And as he said, after he died, there were no more axe murders. So he may be the killer, but the bottom line is we'll probably never know. No. That one feels like the one, right? I mean, in the way you've just told it. Well, I mean, there wasn't any other theories that maybe stood out here.

They could have been potential. Obviously, the killers, Molioli points towards some more underground assailants. I mean, how do you think they're getting, they just need a tiny little bit of space, a tiny little bit of space. Are you sure they're chisling, not burrowing through the door? David, are you sure? Well, they're doing a little bit of each They're using the chisel, but in their mouths

Adorable Moles also have poor eyeser, so that's why it's happening at night Yeah That's right And they also hate cans of tomato Finally, Perkins is right Finally, it's all falling into place I solved it

You're welcome, police It's good to solve the murder But I didn't thank the people that suggested this topic Two people did, thank you very much Because I'd never heard of it And I thought it was quite a cool topic Thank you to Ryan Baker from Auckland. Did you say this was cool?

Murdering is cool, Dave. Yeah, Shaka. And Scarlet Kelly from Perth also suggested this. Shuck a luck. Chakaluck to you. Shackaluck. Yeah, so what do you guys reckon? I, my God, David, I've already told you.

I've told you how I solved it. Oh yeah. Matt, can you also solve it? What was the question? What do you reckon? Yeah, I reckon. I think it was definitely the last thing you said. Nailed it.

Jess, mole people. Yep. So let me finish. I agree. I agree. It was mole people. But, um... Or a single mole person, more likely.

They work alone. And they always wear slouch hats. So cute. So cute. But that is the end of the report. That was great, Dave. I had a lot of fun. Mostly in the tangents, to be honest.

The axe murdering part wasn't that nice. It was a little bit. I mean, like I said, I did have nightmares last night. So I apologize. for that. Yeah, I can't. I can't wait to also have nightmares tonight. Thank you so much.

I mean, let's be honest, you'll probably just have a nightmare about not waking up in time and then relive the dream over and over again. And then still be jealous that he had a better dream than I did. Fuck, that's a good dream. Morse code TV show. I wouldn't tell people about that.

I just write it down and make a million dollars. Okay, can you edit it all out so I can make a million dollars? We'll do. All right, that is the end of the episode. And thanks for everyone for downloading in the first place. If you haven't listened to the show before, great to have you on board. We've got lots and lots of episodes. A lot of serial killers and other interesting stuff that you can check out in our back catalog.

We also have a thing called Patreon, which is a way that people that listen every week can support the show and keep us going. By giving us cold hard, kukukkakash. That's pretty much it. Patreon.com slash do go on pods for all your Patreon needs. And you get shoutouts, you get access to other stuff, things early before everyone else. And also... We get cold hard, kukkah, kikikik. Cash.

Also, you get bonus episodes two per month, two exclusive episodes just for the people that support us through that platform. And what do they have to give us in order to get all that? Love, attention. And cold hard. Kaka, Kaka. Yeah. I have an idea for this week. If you'll go with me.

I always have ideas and you always hate them. We either... Because they're always quite complicated. No, they're not. Shut up. How do you? We either give them a weapon or a murderer name. So it's like an axe or the X-Man or whatever.

I think murderer. Murder name? No, sorry, the weapon. Which becomes their name. Okay, sure, great. Which I think is cool. And by the way, what we're talking about is we like to thank by name some of those beautiful people that give us the cold hard cash through Patreon.com.

And we're going to thank them now and give them a murder weapon of choice. You're welcome. By the way, please do not kill with this weapon and then say we asked you to do it because we did not ask you to do that. Oh, good one, covering our butts. Yes. Good buck cover. No one should be a butt.

No one kill anyone. Of course, it's quite interesting to talk about it on a podcast, but in real life. Not a great idea. Crime doesn't pay. Terrible idea. Mumfrey got shot in the end, so let's remember that. Let's remember that. Also, this episode is dedicated to the world's Italian grocers, because I imagine that industry has been decimated by the Walmarts of the world.

You're not going to start an Italian grocer, are you? Because, I mean, so many of them get murdered. And you're asking for trouble. I'm not an idiot. I'm going to reinforce the back door if I do. Okay. Who wants to? to go first.

I think maybe Jess, you should because you have this idea. Okay. So I would like to thank

from Shetland in Scotland, as you can tell. Another one that's okay to do apparently. Yeah, I think so.

Okay. I've been there so I can do it. Right. That's how it works. Okay, good. I've been to Italy. Yes.

Yes. I've been to China. All right, here we go. I feel like, I think there's something, maybe it's something

about if the language is it, the native language is in your language. Great. So like Scottish is in English speaking country. Oh, so you can't do Chinese people speaking English. Look, I don't want to get all PC gone mad over here. But let's not be dicks.

So from Scotland, I would like to thank Ben Fulton Fulton Futon Couch. The Futon Couch Murderer. He suffocates him in there. The Futon folder. Oh, it folds a bit hard. Oh, I love it. Because also, like the Axeman, he only uses weapons that are available in the hands. He doesn't bring his, he doesn't B.Y.O. Futon.

Oh, it's weird because he does B.Y.O. Foton. He says, can you come outside? I lost the accent. He comes, folds and leaves. Yeah. And then I guess the policeman would arrive there in Shetland and say, it's murder. It's another murder. Murtter.

So thank you. Diagnosis, Mata. Get target. Get target. Target. Murder. So sorry, Ben. I can't quite do it there.

My, and my surname's Stuart. So it's fine for you. God, you've covered all bases. Any Chinese in you? I'm a real melting pot. I'd like to. And also, thank you, Ben. We appreciate your support from Shetland.

Sorry about our terrible access. I don't know if Dave mentioned it before, but you guys are the ones. You help make this show possible. Actually, very true. I'm giving us cold, hard, you may, I mean, we. Dollar bills. You know, you're making it sense.

sound dirty, Jess. Yeah, it is. But this is just how... Can I thank someone else? Yes. Who else? I'd like to thank from Nashville. Danielle Summers.

Oh, Nashville's great. I mean, Nashville's not that far from New Orleans. Not that far. Glass bottle. Oh, a bourbon. Is that what you're thinking? No, Summers, Somers B, cider, glass bottle. Wow, okay.

Well, okay, I reckon bourbon would have been there. Tennessee. Okay. Bourbon. Yay. Well, you did say glass bottle. Now I'm finally good enough for you, fucks. I liked how you left it open to everyone's imagination with glass bottle.

So the glass bottle killer. Oh. That is, oh, imagine. I don't reckon. You would take a couple of strikes. Yeah. I reckon a, I reckon a maybe better. I let me put this forward.

Just keep it simple. The botler. Oh, that's good. Yes. The botler. The bottle was struck again. Okay. She's from Nashville.

The bottle has struck again in Nashville. Could I thank you a couple if you don't know. I thank you, Danielle or Danielle. From Shrewsbury in Massachusetts. Oh. Charlie Hefferman. Charlie Hefferman from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. So it's not Heffernan.

Hefferman. With an M. There's an N. It's N-A-N. Hefam. Oh, right. The way I've got it written down here is the R and the N of forming an N.

Oh, Heffam, okay. Heffernan. It's the old eyes. Charlie Heffernan. He uses a cow's carcass. Oh, wow. That seems complicated. I mean, they used to put a horse.

Heifer. Heifer. Yeah. Heffernan. I mean, obviously, like, famous mafia traders putting a horse's head in the bed, but he puts a cow's head in the bed

and then proceeds to strike you over the head with the cow. With the rest of the, the cow. But it is an old grandma cow, so it's a little shriveled down. Putting her out of it misery. Easier to carry around with him as he does. Thank you so much, Charlie. Thanks, Charlie.

Massachusetts is so good. I'm not saying that right, I'm on. Massachusetts. It's a tough one. Massachusetts. That's right. That's what I said. Austin, Massachusetts. Yeah, you know what that's from? Yeah, that's right. Austin, Massachusetts. That's what I said.

No, what's that from? It's from a road trip. I have seen. He says, he gives the wrong city. So he says, Tom Green. Tom Green saying, oh, it's a good Tom Green. Yeah, I'm getting it now.

Is that a, it was, he's something, he got confused between Austin and Boston. Oh, God. Oh, got it. And I love, Geography joke. Yeah, right at my alley.

A bit of a wordplay and geography. Wow. Together last. From Riverview, Florida. That sounds beautiful. I love it. I don't know I'm saying great. Christian Goodyear.

Oh, we sometimes chat to Christian. Yes We do the online videos once a month Christian is often in the chance Yes So is Danielle I'm pretty sure But I would love Good to have you on board guys

I would assume And I didn't think Christian I would assume he'd be the tire killer I was going to say blimp Oh blimp Bimp kills better What does he take people up in the blimp? Or does he dive bomb in the blimp?

That is awesome Like it's coming slowly at you You just paralysed with fear It's like the Hindenberg killer. Yeah. Yeah. So the blimp. So what are you calling him then?

The blimp killer. Blimp boy. The bliller. Bliller. You know I love a portminto. Ghost face bliller. Love it. Ghost face bliller.

That's great. Thank you, Christian. Thanks, Christian. Thanks for nothing, Christian. Thanks for killing people with blimps. Well, I mean, they didn't do that. Oh, yeah, it's a hypothetical thing. That's a hypothetical thing we're putting on to them.

Yeah, that's right. Sorry, Christian. We're entirely responsible for that. that scenario. We're back to loving you again. I mean, I was the only one who got confused. All right, I'd like to thank now from Columbia, South Carolina, which is just south of one of our favorite states.

North Carolina. Correct. Did you know a little fact about... I missed that. I forgot why it's my favorite state. Remind me? Well, the ex-best basketball of all time, Michael Jordan. Oh, dethroned.

LeBron, is that what you're saying? Yeah, LeBron this week has won two playoffs. With buzzer beaters. Did you see his one today? I haven't seen it yet. It is ridiculous. Anyway, the ex-best. Oh, yeah, fucking hell.

Long way around there. Yeah, Michael Jordan, he played college ball. And he continued to wear his college shorts from his university team throughout his professional career at Chicago. And his university was, that's the key part here. You have forgotten. to mention. Well, yeah, I'll let you say the... The university was, of course, in North Carolina.

Right. Just north of Preston Jenkinson. Sorry, Preston. We really took a while then. We left you hanging there. So Preston, what's Preston's weapon of Preston Jenkinson? Preston. An iron.

Yes. That's... Oh, you think he's... Because they, you know, pressing clothes. It's an iron. Okay, okay, I'm going to go with that. Just irons your face. I was just going to say banana boy.

That's stupid, Dave. Dave, take the game seriously, please. Banana boy, he just leaves a banana out and people slip on them and then it looks like they just fell. Oh, do you think you'd get a name for that? And they fell into an iron. Yay! Where they were Preston.

I'm never trusting you with fruit. Preston Jenkinson. Thank you so much for your support. And finally, this week, I'd like to thank from Ventura or Ventura, California. Genet. Did you say that word the same two times? Ventura or Ventura.

No, Ventura or Ventura. Oh. California. Edit as appropriate, Janay. Janay Colton. And she uses a cult. A cult? Like a gun or...

Or like a baby horse. Or an entire cult. A cult. Or the occult. The occult. Or a yucalte. Yeah, it's probiotics. Yeah, proverbs.

Here, have these billions of probiotics. But I'm allergic, but I'm allergic. Too much for my system. Thank you, Janae Colton. I hope you have your cult in the US. I don't know. I'm really sorry, guys, for just steamrolling that game. I was so fucking good at it.

You are on it. I was on it today. And then when some of us tried with Banana Boy, you just really crushed our spirit. That was awful. That was very bad indeed. Now I'm feeling depressed. Normally there's no wrong answer.

Depreston. Yeah. Dave. You wrap up and then put yourself in time out, mate. That's not on. I think I just saved it. I'm going to say... I was going to say time out, but you have to wrap up.

So finish up and then you're going to sit in that corner for another 10 minutes. All right. I'm going to smash a sweet buzzer beater here. Save it. All right, well, guys, we do have to go. But for another week, thank you very much for listening to our voices. You can get in contact anytime with us. All the links to...

to how to suggest a topic and how to get in contact in the description of this episode. Thanks again for listening. And until next week, I will say, oh, goodbye. Later. Hi. Why don't they say you should be a singer? Very tired.

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