Serial Killers: The Axeman Of New Orleans

The Axeman of New Orleans
The boogeyman is a known figure all around the world, everyone has different interpretations of it and it’s typically something a child is afraid of in their nightmares, but this boogeyman was real and terrorized a whole city. A case with many twists and turns that will eventually lead to nothing. Getting away with twelve attacks and six deaths, the Axeman of New Orleans suspected as a member of the mafia, a German spy or even a demon from hell(Serial Killers 2017).
A killing spree that lasted eighteen months started on the day of May 23rd, 1918 (Buzzfeed 2017). Catherine and Joe Maggio were violently “axed” in their peaceful slumber with their throats slit, the only things found at the crime scene? A bloody axe,

The next suspect was shockingly a victim... or was it? Anne Lowe had at first claimed a “mulatto” was what the suspect looked like then later on changed her words and pinned it on her own husband, the reason? That Besumer was a German spy and Lowe had found out so he tried to take her out. A clue that can be correlated to this would be the axe used belonged to Louis, but he was found innocent. The third and most popular suspect, Joseph Mumfre, a supposed enemy of Mike Pepitone. He showed up to Esther Pepitone to threaten her saying “you’ll end up like your husband”, then he died because Esther was having none of it and shot him. Esther was acquitted for his murder because there were many clues correlating Mumfre to Mike Pepitone. Of course, in a state of hysteria anyone could be the axeman killer according to police. Chief Mooney arrested Lewis Oubicon and later Charles Anderson because they were black and had one false statement from Lowe. There was no evidence whatsoever so they were released. The police continued with their senseless arrests of another black man, family members, friends and neighbors. Police were stumbling through the darkness apprehending people but this did not prevent

The most popular theory stems from the case of Mike Pepitone with motives of the mafia. Taking a look at the victims, most of them were italian grocers and in 1910-1915 was the Italian mafia war. It began when Paul Dicristina tries to kill the city’s crime boss Moressi, it ended when moressi was killed himself, there were many shootings during this war but the important factor is the guy who killed Dicristina had the last name Pepitone. In the case of the Maggios, a message was written in chalk outside of their home, “ Mrs. Joseph Maggio will sit up tonight like Mrs.Tony”. The Sciambras were shot by an intruder on the morning of May 16, 1912 and the suspect went by the name of Joseph Mumfre, shedding light on the fact this could be an extended revenge of the mafia war. Another thing to consider is that Esther later married Angelo Albano who had previously ended a business partnership with a man, Joseph mumfre. Angelo had went missing 2 year after Mike’s death and then this is the time when Joseph tried to threaten Esther and she shot him. Of course, this was only circumstantial evidence. Another theory is the suspected German spy, Louis Besumer. Police had found letters from and to Louis written in Yiddish and russian which led them to believe he was a spymaster for the keiser but this had nothing to do with the axeman and the attack had elements of the axeman written all over