The Axeman was almost certainly not a well-educated person. He was working class. He was probably a burglar," she says. "This was not a person who would be, at that time, well educated, but the person who wrote that letter was extremely educated."

It wasn’t the axe murders that made the Axeman of New Orleans famous, but his seeming passion for Jazz music that led him to threaten the people of NOLA to play jazz in exchange for not targetting them. A large part of the book is an exploration of the culture of New Orleans – its music, its folklore, its French heritage, its unique racial mix – which of these elements did you find the most interesting and why? The Devil may have gone down to Georgia with his fiddle, but he sent one of his demons to New Orleans to promote jazz. When I see fit, I shall come and claim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with blood and brains of he whom I have sent below to keep me company.Stuff You Missed In History Class did a two-part miniseries on the Axeman in which they toyed with the idea of his murderous acts having begun prior to 1918. [29] Gauthreaux, Alan G.; Hippensteel, D. G. (November 16, 2015). Dark Bayou: Infamous Louisiana Homicides. McFarland. ISBN 9781476662954. But, more recently, some contemporary researchers believe that they have identified the Axeman of New Orleans.

The author included many biographical details of Louis Armstrong in the book – did these change the way you thought of Armstrong? If so, how? González Cueto, Irene (September 7, 2016). "Tocad, si queréis vivir: Jazz para el asesino del hacha - Cultural Resuena". Cultural Resuena (in European Spanish) . Retrieved October 12, 2016.Jazz music blared into the New Orleans air from both crowded clubs and homes where families huddled inside throughout the evening of March 19, 1919.

And That's Why We Drink, a paranormal and true crime podcast, did an episode on The Axeman on its 39th episode, "A Girl Named German and La La Land 1 1/2." Onto the fun part of every true crime case: Who was the Axeman of New Orleans? While there were a few people suspected of being the shadowy axe murderer, namely Andrew Maggio, the authorities were never able to get a conclusive or even remotely solid idea of who the Axeman of New Orleans was. Okay, enough credit. Serial killers have a penchant for delusions of grandeur and the Axeman was no different. The Axeman of New Orleans plagued the residents of New Orleans from May 1918 to October 1919. This serial killer’s weapon of choice was none other than an axe, though never the same exact one. And often, the Axeman of New Orleans would use whatever was available, like a hatchet, straight razor, or butcher’s knife. LastWeekTonight (June 2, 2019), Medical Devices: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), archived from the original on December 12, 2021 , retrieved June 12, 2019I 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…One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it out on that specific Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe.”

Crime writer Colin Wilson points to a man named Joseph Momfre, who was later killed in Los Angeles by victim Mike Pepitone’s widow. However, fellow crime writer Michael Newton searched New Orleans (and Los Angeles) records and found no trace of Momfre, nor Pepitone’s widow. But scholar Richard Warner stated in 2009 that the chief suspect at the time was a man named Frank Mumphrey, who used the alias Joseph Monfre/Manfre. Ray Celestin's 2014 novel The Axeman's Jazz is a fictionalized version of the Axeman of New Orleans's case. [26] Unsolved Murders, a true crime podcast, did a three-part miniseries on the Axeman of New Orleans, ending with their opinions of who the hosts think were responsible. [30] Similarly, Michael decides to inform on Luca in the corruption trial. Unlike Simone, he betrays the person close to him. Was Michael justified in doing this? Would you do the same in a similar situation? It was a young people's music, and many of the neighborhoods that produced jazz musicians were what demographers would call a crazy quilt," says Raeburn.

The Axeman was never caught, leading many to believe that he later resumed murdering people but with a different M.O to throw off investigators. Winner of the Historia Magazine Best Historical Crime Thriller of the Year — Mail on Sunday Books of The Year — Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of The Year — Finalist for the Académie du Jazz’s Prix Du Meilleur Livre De Jazz — Shortlisted for the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy […] Davis, Miriam C. (2017). The Axeman of New Orleans. Chicago Review Press Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-61374-871-8.