The Axe Man of New Orleans

Author: Musa Kareem

Hell, March 13, 1919, Esteemed Mortal of New Orleans: The Axe Man.They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanais and your foolish police call the Axe Man.

This is a supposed quote from the infamous murderer known as the Axe man of New Orleans. If this is a genuine quote, it pretty much sums up the type of person we are dealing with here. Even if this quote isn’t genuine, the events that happened in New Orleans, 1918 through 1919 are creepy enough.

It’s the night of May 23rd, 1918; a couple named Catherine and Joseph Maggio are in their home,419 Magnolia St.and in that night, they became known as the first victims of the Axe Man.The story is the Axe Man crept through the darkness of the Maggio home, knocked the couple with an axe andcuttheir throatswithone of Joseph’s straight razors.Catherine was found almost entirely decapitated, while her husband suffered from multiple severe injuries.Their bodies were discovered by joseph’s brother, who lived with the couple.When the attack was investigated,the only leads that were found was a missing panel from the kitchen door and a bloody axe.This break-in was abnormal because no valuables or money were.The Maggio attack is only beginning of the many disturbing attacks supposedly committed by the Axe Man, some more gruesome or disturbing than others.

On March 10th,1919, the Cortimiglia family was attacked.Charles attempted to protect his family by engaging in a fight with the Axe Man. Charles Cortimiglia would lose that fight and the Axe Man would go on to attacking Charles wife Rose and their two-year-old daughter, Rose. Charles and Rose would survive the attack, but their daughter tragically didnot.Like all the other Axe Man attacks the only thing police found was the bloody axe the attacker used.The attacker was described as dark, tall,heavy-set, wearing a dark suit and a black slouch hat.Three days later, on March 13th, 1919, the letter quoted up above was sent to a New Orleans newspaper called The Times-Picayune.In the letter he would go on to threaten and insult the police.The most sinister thing about this letter is threat aimed towards the citizens of New Orleans.

Undoubtedly, you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to. If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night. At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens (and the worst), for I am in close relationship with the Angel of Death.

Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is:I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether region that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. 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.

This letter put fear in the hearts of the New Orleans citizens. On the Tuesday mentioned in the letter the people of New Orleans blasted jazz music in their homes and those who didn’t have a record player poured into local jazz clubs, just to stay clear from the Axe Mans wrath.What is interesting is the fact that no one was attacked on that night.The letter would also go on to spark the creation of a jazz song called“Don’t Scare Me Papa,” also known as the mysterious Axe Mans jazz.

October 27th,1919 was the last time the Axe Man attacked someone.He attacked and killed a man named Mike Pepitone. Mike was bashed in the head eight-teen times. He initially survived the attack but died only two hours later. After this the Axe Man seemed to just vanish from the city of New Orleans. He was never caught or even identified.

Work Cited:

BuzzFeed Multiplayer. “BuzzFeed Multiplayer: The Terrifying Axeman of New Orleans.” YouTube,2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrMGIqecu0Y&t=456s.

Kelly, Meghan. “The Axe Murderer Who Loved Jazz.” Wbur.com, 2018. https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2018/06/22/the-axeman-serial-killer-new-orleans

For more information check the links below:


The Axeman of New Orleans.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/la-axeman/2/.
This article is essentially a timeline of the Axe man’s murders and other important events related to the Axe man.

The Legends of History: The Axe Man of New Orleans (Serial Killer History Explained). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9iHBtN0DaE.
This video goes in detain of each murder done by the Axeman and his possible motivations.

“Criminal Profiles: The Axeman of New Orleans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8XX7k5Jt84
In this video the narrator goes through each one of the Axe man’s murders and attacks. He mentions the important dates in the story that is the notorious Axe man.

The Catacombs of Paris

by Micah Brewer

Photo by National Geographic, photographer Stephen Alvarez

Deep under the streets of Paris lie a labyrinth of tunnels stretching eleven-thousand square miles with walls lined of bones. The bones used to construct these come from the millions of people that were transferred to the catacombs from graveyards in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Graveyards such as Cimetière des Innocents, were considered threats to the public. The overcrowded graveyards were detrimental to the overall health and cleanliness of the city due to the smell of the graveyards and the bacteria. The catacombs are known for housing a few notable figures such as Madame Elisabeth, Simon Vouet, and Salomen De Brosse.

Some people who decide to venture off into the dark depths of the catacombs do not always return to the surface. Some individuals who have returned claim to hear the walls speaking to them after midnight. The eerie voices were encouraging them to lose their way by travelling deeper into the tunnels and suffer a horrible death. Catacomb explorers recovered video evidence of this. The video displayed a man wandering, without direction, deeper into the dark pathways of the Paris catacombs. Eventually, the man panics and drops the camera. He is then seen running off into a dark corridor. It is also believed that different cults steal bodies from morgues which are then brought into the catacombs for satanic rituals.

Catophiles is the name given to the people who enjoy being in the catacombs and exploring them. Catophiles often throw parties in the tunnels of the catacombs. Catophiles also journey into unmapped areas of the catacombs in search of naturally made swimming pools. To reach these pools they must venture into claustrophobia-inducing tunnels and wade through murky waters to reach a natural oasis.

Organized catacomb tours are offered to the public in Paris. A ticket can be purchased for as low as twenty-nine euros which is equivalent to thirty-three dollars and six cents in U.S. currency. It is best to stay with your tour group to reduce this risk of getting lost and to reduce the likelihood that the walls will start talking to you.

Works Cited:
Roger-Viollet, “The Origin of the Catacombs.” Les Catacombs, 2018, http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/catacombs

Hill, Jacob, “Ten bone-chilling facts about the catacombs in Paris.” Listverse.com, 2018, http://listverse.com/2018/05/14/10-bone-chilling-facts-about-the-catacombs-of-paris/

Cooney, Caroline H., “Ten chilling stories from catacombs around the world.” Graveyardshift.com, https://www.ranker.com/list/ghost-stories-about-haunted-catacombs/caroline-cooney, accessed 2018

Further research links:
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/forbidden-paris-the-secret-world-of-the-parisian-catacombs/
The link above gives you a more in-depth explanation of the history and structure of the Paris Catacombs.

https://epicpew.com/interesting-facts-catacombs-book-review/
The link above gives us more interesting facts about the catacombs.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/rome-catacombs/
The link above gives you insight into the Rome catacombs to compare and contrast with the Paris catacombs.

Resurrection Mary (Vanishing Hitchhiker)

Claire Turner

                Do you believe in a true ghost? After my research I now truly believe that Resurrection Mary is an alive ghost. To being her story, she lives in Chicago, Illinois in front of a catholic cemetery named RESURRECTION CEMETERY. No one knows who this beautiful girl is but people know how she died. Her death was horrible and painful, walking home from a dance at what is now O’Henry Ballroom. When she was hit by a car and left on the side of the road to die. As a ghost her appearance is so real like, she has long blonde hair and a white dress that has a yellow tint to it. People say that she is so warm, but cold to the touch (Kaczmarek).

                Some of the first encounter of her documented is in the late 1930s. The story is that she was dancing in the middle of the road when a man pulled over to ask if she needed a ride. She got into the car and said she needed to go to Anchor Avenue. A soon as the man pulled onto the street, he turned to the right and she was gone. She could not have jumped out! The car was going forty miles per hour and he would have noticed the door opening. At the beginning of the night was that she was in the ballroom. She was seen dancing with a man and spent the whole night with him on the dance floor.  When the night came to an end they we’re seen walking out together when she disappeared.

                This story has an amazing twist. No one knows who Mary was in her human life (Chicago Quirk). Some have guesses but there is always something that does not match up with the ghost like appearance, death time, and other things like that. Some think that she is the ghost of Mary Bregovy who died March 10, 1934, she was killed when a car she was in crashed into a structure (Johnson). But there is no reason she would be in a white dress, the family of Mrs.Bregovy was not in a white dress nor did she have blonde hair. Another possibility is that she may be the young bride, Mary Petkiewicz who died December 25, 1932 from a car crash (Johnson). However, no one has been able to prove who she was when she was alive, and I do not think anyone will be able too.

                Resurrection Mary is in fact real and has been seen dancing in the middle of the road in front of Resurrection Cemetery at night and many people have had encounters with her (Barlow). So the question is out. Would you stop and take her to Anchor Avenue or will you continue driving?

 Work cited:

·         Barlow, Kevin. “Investigators discusses Illinois hauntings.” Bloomington. 2014. News bank. Oct 12 2015.

·         Johnson, Ray. “There is Something about Resurrection Mary.” Ghost Village. N.p. 2009. Web.  October 12 2015.

·         Kaczmarek, Dale. “Resurrection Cemetery: Home to Resurrection Mary.” Ghost Research Society. N.p. Web. October 07 2015.

·         Resurrection Mary at the dance Hall. 1939. Unsolved Mysteries. wiki.com. Web. 20 October 2015.

·         “ Meeting Chicago's most famous ghost: Resurrection Mary.” Chicago Qurik. Chicago Tribune Archives. Oct 17 2011. Web. 07 October 2015.

Further Researcher:

Pairie Ghosts. Talks more about her past and how she died.

http://www.prairieghosts.com/whomary.html

               

Haunted Detectives. This website gives you all the information, the legend, eyewittnesscounts  and other sources.

http://www.hauntdetective.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53:resurrection-mary&catid=37:westside&Itemid=63

Grave Yards. Tells more about the actual cemetery and its history with Mary.

 https://graveyards.com/IL/Cook/resurrection/mary.html