The Index

The Axe Man

The Axe Man - Dirty Coast
IMAGE COURTESY OF THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, ACC. NO. 2008.0052.

The "Axe Man" is a serial killer who was active in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1910s. He is known for breaking into homes and attacking the occupants with an axe, killing several people. The identity of the Axe Man remains unknown, and the case was never solved by the police.

The Axe Man's killing spree began in May 1918, when he broke into a home in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans and killed a woman named Joseph Maggio and his wife, Catherine Maggio. Over the next several months, the Axe Man attacked several other homes in the city, killing several more people and injuring others.

The police and the public were in a state of panic as the attacks continued and many people in New Orleans began to lock themselves in their homes at night. The killer was known to target Italian-American families, and many in the city's large Italian-American community were afraid to leave their homes at night.

Despite the efforts of the police, the Axe Man was never caught and his identity remains a mystery. The attacks stopped in October 1918, and the Axe Man was never heard from again. Some believe that the killings were committed by a single individual, while others believe that the crimes were committed by multiple people.

The story of the Axe Man is part of the city's folklore and has inspired several books, articles, and a few movies.

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