Tales of the New Orleans Axeman

[sdreid]

About 20 years ago, there was also a novel that used the case as a backdrop entitled The Axeman's Jazz. I saw it at the store but didn't ever read it.

Has anyone read this book? I was wondering how closely it follows actual events as best we know them know.

[DVV]

Hi Stan,

That must be Julie Smith's novel, and I wish I could read it too...

I haven't even read the full content of the letter sent to the Times-Picayune...
If you have it, could you post it, Stan ?

Amitiés,
David

[sdreid]

Hi David,

The only place I've seen the full letter was on some web site which I don't remember. I'll try to find it if someone doesn't beat me to it. If the actual letter still exists, I'd really like to see that.

[sdreid]

Try this David.

https://www.prairieghosts.com/axeman.html

I think that's the full letter it contains.

[DVV]

Many thanks, Stan

Most interesting case indeed...and another piece of literature from Hell..
It certainly deserves a serious study.

Amitiés,
David

[sdreid]

Agreed! Maybe we'll finally get a book about the case now that the centennial is approaching.

[sdreid]

That's a pretty good site for the basics all on one page.

[DVV]

Hi Stan,

How do you see the first murder spree ? Same guy ?

I'd also like to know how serious was Rose Cortimiglia's injuries...

Why didn't the killer finish them off (Rose and her husband), although they'd seen him...?

I doubt the letter came from the real Axeman, but anyway, its consequence, that March 19 jazz night, is something extraordinary in history (wish I could go through the press reports).
Worth a study, and worth a movie.

Amitiés,
David

[sdreid]

How do you see the first murder spree ? Same guy ?

If you mean 1911 New Orleans ax murders, unless something has been found recently, I don't know that there's any evidence that they actually occurred.

[DVV]

As far as I understand Michael Newton, there are doubts re the 1911 murders described by the New Orleans States - unfortunately, no date for this article, but at a guess, it must be from 1918-19.

However (still from Newton): "Local records reveal that a victim named Cruti was murdered at home in August 1910, followed one month later by a vicious ax assault on Joseph and Conchetta Rissetto."

Obviously the New Orleans States had one name wrong (Rosetti instead of Rissetto), the other one correct (Cruti)...

Hmmm, what is Sugden doing ?

Amitiés,
David

[sdreid]

I might not remember correctly but I think I read somewhere that Cruti was shot. There must be a police record or something.

[DVV]

I don't know, Stan...
Newton said "murdered" without any detail.
But he is more precise (in the same paragraph that begins with "Local records...") about the Sciambras, "both shot at close range and thus divorced entirely from the Ax Man crimes."
Which apparently means that Cruti and the Rissettos could have been Ax Man victims...or that Newton couldn't gather enough info on Cruti, and chose to be vague ("murdered").

Amitiés,
David

[sdreid]

Hi David,

OK, well, I guess there are some open questions there. It would seem that there should be some newspaper stories, police reports, coroner's records or something to make the case one way or the other but who knows?

[sdreid]

As far as zeroing in on a suspect without getting into profiling, the survivors were fairly certain that he was a strongly built white male acting alone. The canonical murders began in May of 1918 so I think he was also not an especially young man otherwise he'd have been drafted into military service by then.

[sdreid]

By the way, the aforementioned Mrs. Maggio, was one Catherine Maggio.