The Axeman of New Orleans
Summary
This episode of Gone South re-examines the unsolved Axeman murders that plagued New Orleans in 1918. Former editor James Karst sifts through archives to uncover the earliest attacks, the chilling modus operandi, and the city's panic, including the bizarre "Axeman letter" demanding jazz music. The investigation highlights Joseph Mumphrey, an alleged Black Hand extortionist, whose criminal past and eventual death at the hands of a victim's wife offer a compelling, though unofficial, resolution to the terror.Episode description
New Orleans. 1918. A killer the papers call “The Axeman” breaks into homes at night, mostly targeting Italian grocers, and attacks with an axe taken from inside the house. No robbery. No clear motive. Just terror. The case is never officially solved.
In this episode of Gone South, former Times-Picayune editor James Karst walks Jed Lipinski through what the archives actually show: the earliest attacks, the infamous Axeman letter demanding jazz music, and the overlooked suspect Joseph Mumfre, a Black Hand linked extortionist whose name keeps resurfacing.
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