Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The Axeman of New Orleans Pt. 1

Episode Date: July 10, 2023

While the U.S. was wrapped up in the final days of World War I, New Orleans was facing an enemy right in their own backyard. In the early 20th century, a wave of fear rolled through Crescent City as a mysterious man began axing people in the dead of night while they were fast asleep. This episode originally aired March 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa, here with some big news for fans of our show. You can now listen to Serial Killers anywhere you get your podcasts. To our loyal listeners who've stuck with us over the years, thank you. We owe this incredible opportunity to you. And to anyone discovering the Serial Killers podcast for the first time, welcome. We can't wait to bring gripping crime stories straight to your favorite podcast platform, wherever that may be. If you're looking for ways to support the show, head over to Apple. podcasts to leave a review and let everyone know your favorite podcast is now available everywhere.

On a personal note, in my recording booth at home, I have dozens of wonderful reviews left by all of you. It means the world to me. Catch new episodes every Monday and listen free anywhere you get your podcasts. Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of violence and murder that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On the night of August 4, 1918, 28-year-old Mary Schneider was exhausted. She laid in bed, willing herself to sleep,

but try as she might she couldn't get comfortable. Mary was eight months pregnant, and between the sticky humidity of a New Orleans summer and the endless buzz of cicadas leaking through her bedroom window, she found herself laying awake. On those nights, she'd listened to Ed as he softly snored beside her, letting the sound of his steady breathing lull her to sleep. But tonight, Ed was gone, working the night shift at the Southern Pacific Wharf.

She was alone. Mary closed her eyes again and slowed her own breath, losing her thoughts in the hum of the cicadas. Then, finally, she drifted off. Some time later, the sound of the bedroom door opening, stirred her awake. Still hazy with sleep, she squinted in the dark, seeing if Ed had returned home. When she looked over to her bedside, her blood ran cold. There, silhouetted by the dim light of her bedroom window, Mary saw a dark figure looming over her. She screamed. The last thing

Mary saw was the glint of a blade, right before it slammed into her skull. Hey, I'm Greg Polson. This is serial killers. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're exploring the legendary New Orleans Axeman, a brutal murderer who remains unidentified to this day. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone.

You can find episodes of serial killers for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. The New Orleans Axeman murdered six known victims in Louisiana between 1918 and 1919, and is suspected to have attacked even more. This week we'll discuss the Axeman's first presumed crimes in the early 20th century. We'll also see how the media panic over the murders left the entire city of New Orleans gripped in terror. Next week, we'll follow investigators as they trace the Axeman's bloody trail, desperate to find the phantom killer. We'll also examine his final murders before his mysterious disembark.

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may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort, which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Many researchers and historians have speculated when they're, the Axeman began his reign of terror in the Crescent City. Some claim he first murdered victims as early as 1910 and in areas as far west as Texas. But many of these theories have been called into question or entirely disproven, the product of local lore, then actual historical fact. But according to historian Miriam C. Davis, author of Axeman of New Orleans, the Axeman's first documented kill most likely occurred in 1911. But at the

time he was nicknamed the Cleaver. 26-year-old Joe Davy was a handsome fellow, a young Italian immigrant with slicked dark hair and a mustache groomed just so, and in 1911 he'd had a banner year. His business, a small grocery store, was still new, and just five months earlier, he'd married his young wife, 16-year-old Mary, and now they were expecting their first child. Around 10 p.m. on Monday, June 26, 1911, Joe and Mary Davy turned in for the night after a long day of running the shop. As they climbed into bed, the couple beamed at each other. They couldn't help at marvel at their good luck.

Their store, their marriage, their baby, everything, it seemed, was working out for the Davies. But soon it would all come crashing down. In the early morning hours on Tuesday, June 27th, Mary awoke to a man standing in their bedroom. His features shrouded in the dark. He asked her where the couple kept their money, but she was too terrified to reply. Angered by her silence, he struck her over the head,

and Mary lost consciousness. When she came to, she was wounded, bleeding from the head, and the sheets were wet and warm, soaked in blood. Joe was lying beside her, his breathing ragged, and his skull cracked open. He'd struggled for his life for another 30 hours before passing away at a local hospital. Mary, meanwhile, survived. A widow at 16. Doctors concluded that Joe Davy's skull fracture was inflicted with a sharp-edged, though heavy blade,

almost in the center of the head, crushing through scalp and bone, just such an injure. as would have resulted from a blow with a butcher's cleaver. With no evidence left at the scene beside Joe Davy's mangled body, police were without a suspect. However, the few details Mary managed to provide, while conscious, gave them a lead. From the dim light of the oil lamp in their bedroom, Mary could see that the man was white,

clean-shaven and wearing workman's clothes, and she clearly remembered his voice. He spoke clear, unaccented English. Based on the nature of Joe's murder and Mary's description of the killer, police were certain they knew who they were dealing with. In the fall of 1910, less than a year before, two similar attacks had been carried out by a shadowy figure the newspapers dubbed the Cleaver. Those victims all survived their assault,

but like Joe, these other victims were also Italian grocers. Whoever the Cleaver was, it was now clear to police that he was specific. specifically targeting Italian immigrants. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Though the motivations of the Cleaver, later dubbed the Axeman, are unknown. The most plausible theory is that his attacks were ethnically motivated.

Essentially, they were hate crimes. Psychologist Kalina M. Craig Henderson describes hate crimes as a form of violence sparked by the perpetrator's prejudice against a particular demographic of people. This bias could be based on anything from race or ethnicity to religion or sexuality. And though there are many different theories that attempt to explain why perpetrators carry out hate crimes, studies have shown that the answer lies in a combination of factors. Political science and behavioral researchers, Donald P. Green, Lawrence H. McFalls, and Jennifer K. Smith concluded that broad social forces, such as modernization, integration, or economic downturn can lead to a surge in hate crime. In the early 20th century, an influx of Italian immigrants to New Orleans

meant that many white, non-immigrant residents found themselves competing for resources. housing, jobs, and education, things that they enjoyed almost exclusive privilege to, were suddenly harder to come by. And in the case of the Cleaver, he believed the Italians were to blame. But Italian immigrants had been woven into the fabric of New Orleans long before the cleaver claimed Joseph Davy's life. After the abolishment of slavery in 1863, a wave of Italians, many from Sicily, immigrated to the south to work as laborers on farms and plantations.

Because they worked alongside black laborers, the two minority groups became associated with each other. This soon made Italian immigrants the subject of prejudice among white southerners, and Sicilians in particular were considered suspicious, ignorant, and of undesirable character. Sometimes they were even targeted by lynch mobs. Then they began to climb the economic, ladder. By the early 1900s, many Italian laborers had saved their earnings and opened small businesses within New Orleans. They established a thriving community in the decaying homes of the oldest part of the

city, the French Quarter. There they settled in the lower part of the district near the Mississippi River. Later, this area would be dubbed Little Palermo. Many of the shops the Italians opened there were grocery stores. According to historian Miriam Davis, by 1900, at least 27% of the city's population were Italian, with many of them finding success as grocers. This economic success is most likely what fueled the Cleaver's crimes. Like Mary Davy had told police, the intruder was a white man who spoke non-accented English and wore workmen's clothes, meaning he was most likely a non-immigrant laborer. Exactly the demographic that would have felt threatened by the Italian population's success. A common cause or catalyst of hate crimes stems from what psychologist Kalina Craig Henderson

calls deep-seated resentment, and oftentimes this resentment is born of jealousy. As a native-born white man, struggling with blue-collar work, the Cleaver could have resented the Italian's economic security, and he may have carried out his attacks. as a sort of salve for that resentment. Craig Henderson goes on to explain that a hate crime is a way for perpetrators to elevate their self-image by symbolically asserting their dominance or superiority over a group. For the Cleaver, each crime became a way to validate himself

and his place in New Orleans' social hierarchy. But the slaying of Joseph Davy was a new escalation for the Cleaver. Up until that point, the phantom attacker hadn't claimed a life, But as soon as the press caught wind of the crime, Joe's murder became a citywide affair. Local newspapers jumped on the opportunity to sensationalize the Grizzly case. The day after the attack, the Daily Picayune published a headline announcing, Fiendish Cleaver abroad again. Soon after, the governor of Louisiana announced that a $500 reward would be given to anyone with information leading to the murderers' capture.

In light of the public attention, the New Orleans police were under the gun and found themselves having to assure citizens that they'd find the killer in their city. Chief of detectives Jim Reynolds told reporters, I'm deeply concerned about the Davy affair. This murderer must be captured. Neither men nor money will be spared in bringing the fiend to justice. Soon, Chief Reynolds employed the expertise of their so-called Italian specialist. Detective John Dantonio, one of the first suspects Reynolds and Dantonio pursued, was the mafia. For decades, mafiosas had run rampant among New Orleans' Italian immigrant population. The police assumed that Joseph Gaffey was the victim of a vendetta or a blood feud.

But there was no convincing evidence that pointed to organized crime, and the mafia, Dantoneo insisted, were efficient killers. They wouldn't have left Joseph clinging to life. life. They'd finish the job. Detectives also pursued the idea that the murder was the product of a robbery gone wrong, but again, they lacked evidence. Joseph's killer had left the scene without taking a single item, including Mary's jewelry, which was left out in plain sight. Detective D'Antonio realized the cleaver wasn't some run-of-the-mill criminal. They were dealing

with a true fiend, someone whose motives weren't financial or personal. They were purely driven by an urge to kill. And so, after a series of dead-end leads, detectives simply waited for the cleaver to give in to his desires and strike again. The trail was going cold on the Joseph Davy murder, and fresh blood would have to be spilled before they could pick up the scent. But weeks went by without incident. Then months, still the killer didn't show. As time moved on, so did the people of New Orleans. Reports about the cleaver faded from headlines, and all traces of New Orleans' phantom killer disappeared.

But seven years later, the cleaver would reemerge from the shadows, only this time with a different name. Coming up, New Orleans is introduced to The Axeman. Thanks to our sponsor BetterHelp. Today I'm sitting down with Hesu Joe, licensed therapist and head of clinical operations at BetterHelp to discuss mental health, the human experience, and my journey with therapy. Hesu, can you tell me about online therapy? How does it work? And is it effective? It's not that different from traditional in-person therapy. It's just you're not

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OSA, and obesity to improve their OSA. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Zetbound contains terseptitide and should not be used with other terseptite-containing products or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pins or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2.

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blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsened kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99 or visit setbound.lily.com. Now back to the story. In the early 20th century, New Orleans was haunted by a violent fiend called the Cleaver. For months, this faceless criminal broke into the homes of Italian grocers and brutally attacked them while they slept. But in 1911, the Phantom Cleaver committed his first actual kill. The murder of 26-year-old Joseph Davy sparked a highly publicized investigation to find the man responsible. But months passed and the trail went cold. The cleaver had seemingly disappeared into thin air. But seven years later, in the spring of 1918, he came back

with a vengeance. On May 22nd, Andrew Maggio was drinking. Earlier that day, the 28-year-old had received his draft card. He'd just been conscripted overseas to fight in World War I. Scared out of his wits, the young man went to the local bar to forget his troubles in a pint. Around 3 a.m. the next morning, Andrew stumbled home to the corner of Magnolia and Upper Line Streets, where he lived with his older brother Joseph and his wife, Catherine. Once inside, he fell into the bed and passed out.

Around 4.30 a.m., still groggy from booze, Andrew woke up to an odd sound. It came from the other side of the shared wall that divided his room from Joseph and Catherine's bedroom. Listening closely, he realized what it was, groaning. Even coming out of a drunken stupor, Andrew knew something was deeply wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to open his brother's bedroom door. Instead, he sprinted down the street to his older brother Jacob's home and begged him to come back to the house. When they approached the back door, the two brothers stopped dead in their tracks. The door had been left ajar, and one of its wooden panels had been removed.

Someone had broken in. Hearts pounding. The brothers entered anyway and walked down the hall to Joseph and Catherine's bedroom. Jacob knocked softly, but there was no answer. the two brothers steeled themselves and opened the door. Inside the room, a heavy scent lingered, damp and metallic, and as soon as their eyes adjusted to the dark, the brothers saw a horrific tableau. Their sister-in-law, Catherine, laid on the floor in a pool of blood.

Her throat slit so severely she'd been nearly decapitated, but Joseph, miraculously, was still alive. Andrew and Jacob rushed to the blood-soaked bed where their brother gasped for breath, clinging to life. The brothers rang the police station and called for an ambulance, but by the time they'd arrived,

Joseph Maggio had lost his struggle with death. Over the next few days, detectives scoured the property for evidence. In the bathtub, they found a murder weapon, a bloody axe that had belonged to Joseph Maggio. They also discovered a second weapon, a stainless steel straight razor found in the neighbor's rose trellis. At this, detectives immediately turned their attention to the two Maggio brothers. Andrew Maggio was a barber by trade, and the discovery of a straight razor was especially incriminating.

And the fact that both men had waited so long before checking on Joseph and Catherine was deeply suspicious to detectives. So both Maggio brothers were taken in for question. And though they released Jacob fairly quickly, they kept Andrew. Despite the many telltale signs, none of the detectives connected the Maggio case to the brutal cleaver attacks seven years earlier. This was due in large part to a change in the force. Just a few years prior, New Orleans Chief of Detectives Jim Reynolds had been killed. And John D'Antonio, the Italian specialist, had since retired. Their replacements, the no-nonsense chief Frank.

T. Mooney and Italian specialist Arthur Marullo had no professional knowledge of those cases. But soon, a mysterious discovery would make the connection for them. Just a block away from the crime scene, detectives found a cryptic message chalked onto the sidewalk in a childish scrawl. It read, Mrs. Maggio was going to sit up tonight, just like Mrs. Tony. Investigators were baffled. They couldn't interpret what it possibly meant? Was it a message from the killer themselves, or maybe a prank done in poor taste by some neighborhood delinquents? But when local papers got a hold of the clue, they revealed the answer. The name Mrs. Tony was referring to the wife of Tony Shambra, an Italian grocer,

who seven years before, papers claimed had been one of the victims of the infamous Cleaver. After this realization, New Orleans newspapers were rampant with speculation. Was it possible that the Cleaver was back, stalking the city streets after seven years of dormancy? Or was this killer merely an imitator, a copycat? According to criminologist Ray Surrett, copycats are most often influenced by the media, whether through journalism or entertainment, by disseminating details of various crimes, the media unwittingly inspires imitators. However, Surret clarifies that exposure to these details does not,

not cause a crime to occur, but rather shapes its nature. Essentially, the media does not serve as a motivation or catalyst, but it does influence a pre-existing criminal's style. In the case of the Cleaver, it's possible that the Maggio's killer was actually a lesser-known criminal inspired by his methods. At the time, the attacks had garnered a fair amount of coverage from local newspapers. However, this still begs the question of why the imitator would have waited. it had been seven years to strike. After all, it had been nearly a decade since the Cleaver made headlines. So why now? It's less likely that the Maggio's murders were the work of a copycat than they were of the Cleaver himself. As we now know, serial killers will commonly act in cycles. These typically

include an active period of murder, as well as a dormant phase, in which they stopped killing for a stretch of time. And some killers have longer dormancy periods than others. But historian Miriam C. Davis gives another possible explanation that for the last seven years the cleaver had been imprisoned, most likely due to a less serious felony like robbery. And as the papers across the city speculated, nearly a decade of pent-up bloodlust had led the very same cleaver to the Maggio's doorstep.

But despite the rampant reporting connecting the Maggio's murder to the cleaver of the 1910s, detect us on the case, largely ignored this coverage for exactly what it was, conjecture. In their minds, the most plausible suspect was not some phantom killer, but the man right in front of them. 28-year-old Andrew Maggio. Police kept Andrew in custody as a material witness for the crime,

but at the time, law enforcement was less likely to question their suspects than they were to torture them. For days, Andrew was subjected to brutal interrogation, in a bare, sweltering room at police headquarters. And though he begged, they refused to let him attend his brother and sister-in-law's funeral. Instead, he endured hours of detectives screaming in his face, accusing him of butchering his own family. They threw his brother's blood-soaked clothes at him and demanded that he confess.

But each day, Andrew maintained his innocence, and finally, Chief Mooney arranged for his release. Their interrogation yielded nothing. Andrew Maggio wasn't their man. Just like before, the trail went cold. Then, almost exactly a month after Joseph and Catherine Maggio's murder on June 26, 1918, another immigrant grocer was attacked with an axe. But this time, they were Polish.

Early that morning, during an already humid New Orleans summer, delivery man John Zonka pulled his wagon up to Lewis Bessemer's grocery store. It was a routine stop, and Bessemer, a Polish immigrant, was a loyal customer. But that day, the store was inexplicably closed. Confused, Zonka made his way around the store knocking at various doors and calling to anyone inside. And finally, 60-year-old Louis Bessamer appeared. Bessamer looked awful, exhausted and pale. But more alarmingly, he was bleeding from a still fresh wound on his head.

But Bessemer brushed off the injury, telling Zonka that it was nothing, just an accident. When Zonka asked Bessamer if Harriet, his mistress, was hurt. Bessamer was bizarrely nonchalant. He told Zonka he didn't know. Inside, Zonka found 29-year-old Harriet Lowe, barely conscious, collapsed on a bed soaked in crimson. Her skull had been cracked open, and dark blood matted her long dark hair. As Sanka kneeled next to her, she could only whisper. Police were immediately called to the scene where they noticed telltale signs that linked the crime to the Maggio case.

The attack had occurred early in the morning. Nothing had been taken from the home, and the murder weapon, an old, rusted axe, was left at the scene. The axe's dull blade had most... likely saved their lives. However, a series of other bizarre details gave Chief Mooney doubts that this was actually a different attacker than the Maggio's killer. There was no forced entry, neighbors reported hearing no screaming or signs of a struggle, and Harriet's injuries were much more severe than Bessemer's. Bessemer was left with nothing but a long gash above his eye, dealt from a single blow. Harriet, however, had been struck on her

arms and chest multiple times and sustained two blows to the head which split open her skull. In addition to the extreme severity of her wounds compared to her husbands, there was the question of the Polish grocer's bizarre, nonchalant attitude. When John Sanka had arrived at the scene, Bessemer seemed not to care about his wife's well-being. Suspicious, Mooney decided Harriet needed to be questioned. Harriet lay at the charity hospital with her head and torso wrapped in bandages. Her once beautiful face had been disfigured by her injuries, leaving one eye blind and the other constantly twitching. The combination of severe brain trauma and opiate painkillers made her delirious. As detectives interviewed her, she was disoriented

and even delusional. During their first spot of questioning, Harriet hazily recalled that a, quote, mulatto man had attacked her. Though neither Bessemer nor their neighbors confirmed seeing a mixed-race man in the area, police pursued the lead anyway, and soon they arrested Louis Ubechon, a light-skinned black shop assistant who occasionally worked at Bessemer's store. Though Ubechon was arrested and held for several days, police found no evidence linking him to the attack and released him. But it wasn't long before Harriet's drug-induced delusion sent detectives on yet

another goose chase. This time she accused her husband of espionage. Coming up, the cases surrounding the axe murders take a bizarre twist as detectives attempt to discover if their phantom murderer is also a spy. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L,

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But after the murders of the Magios, and the attacks on Lewis Bessemer and Harriet Lowe, detectives had seemingly lost their course. First, they arrested the wrong man, and by July of 1918, they found their murder case had turned into an investigation of espionage. While recovering in the hospital from the critical head injuries she'd sustained in her attack, Harriet Lowe made a shocking accusation. She told detectives that Lewis Bessemer was not actually a Polish grocer, but a German spy, a charge that detectives took very seriously in the midst of the First World War. The papers had a field day with the new revelation. The Times-Picayune published a headline reading,

Hatchet Mystery may lead to Spineast, and rumors of Bessemer's shady background began to surface. Neighbors claimed that Bessemer spoke more than a dozen, languages and was secretly wealthy. He traveled frequently and sold his groceries at suspiciously low prices. Many thought it odd that a local grocer would be so well-traveled and multilingual. They began to wonder, was Bessemer's shop nothing but a front for his espionage? Once again, speculation flooded the press. Had Lewis Bessemer attacked Harriet because she threatened his spy work in some way? But later, as her drug-induced, induced Hayes began to clear, Harriet recanted her espionage accusations.

Then, after returning home from the hospital, her mental state deteriorated. She spent hours kneeling and praying. She claimed to have been visited by Jesus Christ. In August of 1918, doctors determined that an operation was necessary to relieve pressure from Harriet's brain. This surgery was successful, but she contracted meningitis. A week later, knowing she was on her deathbed, she summoned Chief Mooney and reconfirmed her accusation against Bessemer. She told Mooney with absolute certainty that Bessemer had attacked her with the axe unprovoked. And she added, he was stark naked.

Ten days later, she died. The day of Harriet's death, police charged Louis Bessemer with attempted murder. Though he was acquitted months later, due to a lot of... lack of concrete evidence. Detectives realized that Bessemer wasn't the Cleaver killer they were looking for. Because while Lewis Bessemer sat in a jail cell, the real killer struck again. On the night of August 4, 1918, 28-year-old Mary Schneider was eight months pregnant, alone at her home in the St. Claude District, where she woke to a sound in the middle of the night.

That's when she saw a figure of a man looming over her bedside, The last thing she remembered was screaming before losing consciousness. Luckily, Mary's sister who lived next door, heard her sister scream and ran to her aid. She found Mary with a head wound and several broken teeth, but her attacker had fled the scene. Mary was rushed to the hospital where she survived and gave birth to a healthy baby girl days later. But when she reemerged from an opiate-induced fog, she had no help. helpful information for detectives. In the darkness, the only details she could make out of her attacker was his hulking shadow. Then the rest just went black.

An examination of the crime scene proved just as confusing. While the attack on Mary Schneider included some of the telltale signs of the Cleaver's handiwork, other details were entirely different. There was no sign of forced entry, and a broken lamp was determined to be the attacker's weapon, not an axe. And most baffling of all was the fact that unlike almost all of the killer's other victims, Mary Schneider was neither a grocer nor Italian. Detectives began to believe that Mary Schneider's attacker was just an ordinary burglar who'd panicked. Nothing as vicious as their phantom killer. But the journalists of New Orleans weren't so easily dissuaded. In the days after the attack, headlines appeared across the city with

declarations of the killer's return in bold print. But this time, they'd given him a new name, the Axeman. Newspapers all over New Orleans christened him, glad to have a name for their once anonymous Phantom Killer, and his new moniker sold papers like hotcakes. The Times Picayune announced, police believe Axeman may be active in city, and copies flew off the stands. Once again, Then New Orleans was launched into a spiral of rampant speculation. Regardless of who actually attacked Mary Schneider, the papers were convinced that a serial killer was still on the prowl. Then, like a sinister self-fulfilling prophecy,

the headline summoned the axeman from the shadows. Less than one week after Mary Schneider's attack, on August 10th, 1918, he set out to butcher his next victim. On the corner of Tanti and Gravier Street, sisters Pauline and Mary Bruno lay fast asleep in the small, cramped cottage they shared with their uncle, 31-year-old Joe Romano. Joe was a barber on Canal Street, while 15-year-old Pauline worked at a candy factory. 13-year-old Mary ran the small family grocery at the front of the cottage. The Bruno's were a far cry from the X-Man's typical upper-middle-class victims.

Their tiny store hardly qualified as a proper grocery, and the family was just barely making ends meet. But that night, the phantom killer wasn't particularly discerning. Around 3 a.m., Pauline woke up to a sound coming from behind her bedroom wall. She could hear a commotion coming from her Uncle Joe's room. Someone was bumping about, banging into furniture. Then it stopped. Pauline sat up in bed.

And as she did, she saw a strange man standing in the doorway. He was tall, heavyset, and wearing a dark suit. Pauline screamed. This woke up Mary. When Pauline's younger sister also saw the stranger, she screamed too. As the teenage girls shrieked in unison, the man stood frozen in their doorway. Then he fled. When the girls went to check on their Uncle Joe, he had stumbled into the parlor in a state of shock.

blood streamed down his neck and his hands as he held his wounded head. The girls helped him into a chair. He instructed them to call an ambulance before going unconscious. By the time the medics arrived, he managed to walk out of the house himself. But two hours later, Joe Bruno succumbed to his injuries and died. Joe had suffered a single blow to the head. His doctor concluded that the weapon must have. have been extremely sharp because the blade had cut clean to the brain. Later, detectives found

the murder weapon, a bloodied axe, left on his bedroom floor. If detectives had any doubt that the violent attacks on Italian grocers in the city were connected, after Joe Bruno's murder, all uncertainty evaporated. And the people of New Orleans, especially the city's Italian community, were gripped with fear. predicted some Italian grocers closed shop temporarily, too terrified to tempt fate. And this is perhaps exactly what the Axeman wanted. As we discussed earlier, the New Orleans Axeman was most likely motivated by prejudice, specifically against economically successful Italian immigrants.

But while his attacks can be explained as an attempt to assert dominance to validate his self-image, they may also be symbolic. According to psychologist Kalina Craig Henderson, hate crimes are often committed to send a greater message to other members of the victim's community, an ominous warning. By striking fear into these communities, the perpetrators of hate crimes hope to indirectly control this group, ultimately minimizing them, if not driving them out entirely. And the Axeman's message was heard loud and clear. So loud, in fact, that not just the attention. community was affected. All of New Orleans was terrified that their family would be next. That August, citizens were hurrying to buy guns, preparing themselves should the Axeman come

their way. Parents and spouses began standing guard over their families at night. Others joined forces. They formed neighborhood night watches, rotating in shifts. In August of 1918, men and women sat up at night restless, wondering if the Axeman would, come hacking at their door. Soon, Norlinian saw visions of the phantom killer everywhere. Rumors spread like wildfire of mysterious men lurking in the shadows. But not all of this gossip was unfounded. That summer, copycat criminals started staging home robberies a la Axeman all over the city.

They chiseled through doors, robbing their victims blind, and leaving behind a discarded axe to throw the cops off their trail. Soon, the New Orleans PD was flooded with leads for potential ax-man crimes. But in a sea of imitators, how did they know which of these break-ins were staged and which to pursue? The city descended into pure chaos. And detectives were under the gun. It had been three months since the Maggio's murders in May of 1918, and police had yet to arrest a single promising suspect.

At the time, Chief Frank Mooney was reportedly receiving scathing public criticism. For the rest of the summer of 1918, New Orleans was immersed in a waking nightmare. Every night, citizens went to sleep wondering, who wouldn't wake up the next morning? The entire city was plagued by dread. All the while, the Axeman was biding his time in the shadows, and when he reemerged, he would, ensure that the people of New Orleans never forgot his name. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back with part two.

We'll follow the Axeman's most brutal rampage and the resulting investigation. For more information on the New Orleans Axeman, amongst the many sources we used, we found the book, Axeman of New Orleans, a true story by Miriam C. Davis, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of Serial Killer. of serial killers for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week.

Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Anthony Valsick, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Aaron Larson. This episode of serial killers was written by Alex Garland, with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon,

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