The Trail of the Axeman of New Orleans
The murderer terrorizing the city of New Orleans during the 1910s was a shadowy figure, becoming even more so over time. Myths, urban legends, and lies attached themselves to the actual crimes that made so many people fearful whenever they saw the approach of darkness. These characteristics led to the killer becoming seen as something akin to a bloodthirsty fiend with supernatural powers. To remove the various fabrications, to arrive at a kernel of truth, these layers around the real events need to be wiped away, exposing the suspect’s true characteristics.
A Shocking Start
It was 13 August 1910 and New Orleans was sound asleep. Harriet Crutti did likewise, but around 3 AM something ripped her from her slumber (Davis 2017: 14). A stranger stood over her, waving a bloody meat cleaver while he demanded money. Coming to her senses, she saw her husband lying in a pool of blood, so she quickly gave the shadowy figure all the money in the box under her pillow. Satisfied with this, the man strode out of the room, took the Crutti’s caged mockingbird, and then made his way outside; he dropped the meat cleaver in the yard, jumped the fence, and then walked another block until he came to another stoop, where he freed the bird.
