In the sweltering summer of 1918, a palpable fear gripped the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. A mysterious figure, who would come to be known as "The Axeman," was in the midst of a terrifying spree, breaking into homes in the dead of night and brutally attacking residents as they slept. The city’s Italian-American community, particularly grocers, seemed to be the primary targets of his inexplicable rage.
In August, the shadow of the Axeman fell upon an elderly man named Joseph Romano, a male victim who did not fit the grocer profile but whose death would amplify the city's growing panic.
Joseph Romano, 80 years old, lived with his two nieces, Pauline and Mary Bruno. In the early morning hours of August 10, 1918, the two young women were jolted from their sleep by a commotion in the adjoining room where their uncle slept. Rushing to his side, they discovered a horrifying scene. Romano had suffered a severe blow to his head, leaving two deep, open cuts. As the nieces entered, they caught a fleeting glimpse of the assailant escaping. They described him as a dark-skinned, heavy-set man, dressed in a dark suit and a slouched hat.
Despite the grievous injuries, Romano was conscious when help arrived and was even able to walk to the ambulance. He was taken for medical care, but the severe head trauma was too much for the elderly man to overcome. Joseph Romano died two days later, becoming another victim in a string of violent, unsolved attacks that had begun in May of that year. His murder further solidified the terrifying reality that a serial killer was moving silently through the city's neighborhoods.
The investigation into Romano’s murder revealed the Axeman's chilling and consistent methods. Police found that a panel on the back door of the house had been chiseled out, allowing the intruder to gain entry without force. This signature technique had been used in previous attacks. In the backyard, investigators discovered a bloody axe, the presumed murder weapon, which, as in other cases, likely belonged to the victim's own household. The home had been ransacked, yet nothing of value was reported stolen, deepening the mystery surrounding the killer's motive. The attacks were not for material gain; they were driven by a desire for brutal violence.
The murder of Joseph Romano sent a fresh wave of terror through New Orleans. The police department was inundated with calls from frightened citizens reporting suspicious figures lurking in their neighborhoods and discovering axes inexplicably left in their own backyards. The public's fear was so intense that many residents began arming themselves, standing guard over their families through the night. The press dubbed the killer "The Axeman," and his legend grew with each attack and every sensational headline.
The Axeman of New Orleans was active between May 1918 and October 1919, credited with at least six murders and numerous other savage assaults. His victims were typically attacked with an axe or bludgeoned, and sometimes their throats were slashed with a straight razor. He communicated with the press, most famously in a letter promising to spare anyone in a home where a jazz band was playing on the night of March 19, 1919.
Despite a massive investigation and the arrest of several suspects over the course of his reign of terror, no one was ever convicted for the crimes. The identity of the Axeman of New Orleans remains one of America's most enduring unsolved mysteries. Joseph Romano's case, like the others, is officially unsolved. His death serves as a tragic chapter in a terrifying period of New Orleans history, a reminder of a time when a phantom killer haunted the city's streets, his motives and identity lost to time.
