Month: April 2021

About a month after your new husband goes missing there is a knock on the door.  You and your 18-year-old niece go and answer the door.  It’s your missing husband’s former partner, he strong arms his way in the door and demands, “You do one of two things, either give me $500 and all of your jewelry, or I’ll kill you like your husband.” 

You grab a pistol and shoot him, he doesn’t seem dead, so you shoot him again, a total of 11 times.  Then you grab all seven of your children and go sit on the front porch waiting for the police.  That’s what Esther Pepitone Albano did.  She shot and killed the man that she knew as Joseph Manfre/Monfre.

So who are these people?

Joseph Monfre, Manfre, Munfre (pick one)

Joseph Monfre/Manfre was a small-time criminal from Italy.  He was small time that is until he hit upon the Black Hand group.  Some believe that he was the leader of it, but at the very least he was high up the ladder.  In 1907, Joseph graduated from being a small-time crook to the big time!

December 10, 1907, Joseph Manfre was arrested for throwing a bomb at Carnello Graffagnini’s home.  They were fined $5,000 for writing threatening blackmail letters. The letters were written in Italian and translated the first one said,

“Dear Sir – It seems that you are undergoing great prosperity and, owing to our affairs, we need $1,000 at once.  Therefore, address yourself with the money to one of your mutual friends.  Otherwise, you will fare badly.  Do not think it over but act immediately.” 

A week later Graffagnini received a second letter,

” Dear Friend – It seems that you do not pay attention to our demands.  Better think about giving the money to a friend, who will call upon you and ask you if you have anything for him.  If you fail, your head will be blown off.  You will be given until the 15th of November to think it over.  Otherwise yourself and family will suffer.  The $1000 will save your life.” 

A few days later Monfre/Manfre entered Graffagnini’s store with another man and asked him if he had anything for him.  When Graffagnini told him no, Manfre asked if he was sure.  Graffagnini answered in the affirmative, Manfre left.  They returned the following Wednesday and just hung around the store for quite a while and left.  Graffagnini didn’t see Manfre on the day of the bombing.  The bomb did less damage than what was attended as it was thrown into some telephone lines where it hit the sidewalk instead of the house.

Joseph Monfre/Manfre arrested again, this time for bombing Joseph Serio’s grocery/barroom and home.  He was still out on bail awaiting the Graffagnini bombing.  When he was rearrested, his bond was increased to $2500 which he couldn’t pay so he was put in jail.

July 25, 1908 Monfre was found guilty of bombing Graffagnini’s store/home.  The jury was out for an hour and a half during which they ate lunch and had a smoke break. 

On the day that Joseph was to be sentenced, his attorney filed an appeal with the Louisiana Supreme Court for a new trial.  His sentencing was postponed for a week and the following week, Joseph was sentenced to 20 years at hard labor in the state penitentiary but pending his appeal the execution of the sentence was deferred.

Joseph’s case was denied by the State Supreme Court, so his attorney petitioned the Federal Supreme Court who denied hearing the case.  So off to prison for Joseph.

Joseph was in prison for 5 years of his 20-year sentence before he was up for parole, which was granted.  Just after receiving parole, Joseph is arrested again for the murder of Vincent Moreci.  He was let go for lack of proof.

He was arrested on May 18, 1918 for trying to extort $100 from Mrs. Cannatelle, threatening to kill her if she didn’t pay up.  Mrs. Cannatelle had him arrested.

There were many other people of Italian descent that received threatening letters.  Not trusting the police, they either took them to the Italian Vigilance Committee or did nothing about it.  The Italian Vigilance Committee did nothing, they didn’t take them to the police. 

Because of the letters and the follow-up bombings and murders, Joseph Manfre was the one of the prime suspects in the Axeman murders.  Mainly because of his various black hand attacks and when he was arrested once they found his address book with over 1,000 names of Italian immigrants living across the country.

Angelo Albano

Angelo Albano lived in New Orleans for a while and was married to Esther’s sister.  They had two children one who died. 

Angelo owned a grocery and barroom.  He was arrested many times for small crimes mostly having to do with his barroom.  Angelo was not licensed so he was arrested, he was licensed but only allowed to serve African Americans and sold to white people and was arrested.  He sold to women and was arrested.  He sold groceries and liquor on Sunday and was arrested. 

At one point he was arrested along with Joseph Manfre for some petty crime.  Finally, Angelo got fed up with it and moved to with his wife and child to Los Angeles where the laws about bars were supposed to be a little bit laxer. 

On October 27, 1921 Angelo left to go to the grocery store happy and humming, he kissed Esther on the hand and never returned.  Esther, although scared didn’t call the police until November 1 because she was afraid that the black hands would seek revenge against her, and they did.  

Mrs. Griffith the Albano’s neighbor knew Mumfre and asked him what he thought had happened to Angelo.  Mumfre answered, “Albano has a big house and plenty of money.  He is being held for some of that money.  His wife will be asked for it after things quiet down.”

Our Girl Esther Pepitone Albano

After Esther was arrested the police searched the house and the yard, based on an anonymous phone call they had received from a man with an Italian accent.  The man told them that Angelo was buried in his own back yard.  When the police tried to get his name, he refused because he said the Black Hands would kill him, too.  They found a hidden sub-basement in the barn in it were newspapers with the dates torn off and lime but there was no indication that a body was or had been there.

Esther was asleep in New Orleans, October 27, 1919.  She awoke when she heard her husband groaning.  Esther awoke and saw two men leaving.  Mike Pepitone had been killed with a circus tent spike.   At the time the murder was attributed to the Axeman, but most modern researchers feel that it was separate, no axe, and that it was Joseph “Doc” Mumfre that was responsible, whether because of a failed extortion attempt or a vendetta.

January 1921 Esther moved with her six children to Los Angeles where her sister lived and was ill.  Her sister was married to Angelo Albano and they had a five-year-old son.  Esther’s sister died and Angelo started pursuing Esther.  They were married in September 1921, and Angelo disappeared at the end of October.

After shooting the man she knew as Joseph Mumfre, the police found out that his real name was M.G. Leone.  Esther told the police that she knew that Joseph Mumfre was a member of the Black Hand group.  Leone/Mumfre’s family insist that there was a man in the Albano house that shot their father that Esther is protecting him.  Lena Manfre, these names, and aliases!  Anyway, Lena took Esther to court suing her for $50,000 for wrongful death.  Sounds like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

December 28, 1921 Esther had her first preliminary hearing in front of Judge Forbes.  The prosecutor was Deputy District Attorney Buron Fitts.  The prosecution hoped that the result of the hearing would be a trial for Esther.  Esther testified in her defense.  Her seven children were in the courtroom.  Because three of the shots were in Mumfre’s back, the judge held Esther over for trial.

Esther’s trial took place in April 1922.  Her niece testified, she testified, many of her neighbors testified.  When the case was given to the jury, they returned after forty minutes and acquitted her.

At some point Esther moved back to New Orleans.  She died in August 1940.  We need to remember Esther in her strength and determination to protect her children and her household from a man that she knew was a murderer and a criminal.  Bravo Esther!

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First the Axeman

New Orleans in 1918-1919 was held captive by a man known only as the Axeman.  This serial killer would break into the homes of Italian grocers and kill them with their own axes or straight razors.  Depending on what sources you read he injured or killed up to 12 people, and then just disappeared. Or he possibly moved to Birmingham Alabama where there were more than 20 people slain by an Axeman, most of the immigrant grocery store owners.

Immigration to Louisiana from Italy, mostly Sicilians began after the Civil War.  A lot of the African American former slaves moved up north or off the plantations to farm for themselves or work where they could make more money.  A new labor force was needed to tend the cotton and sugar cane fields.  The Sicilians turned out to be almost ideal.  They were hard workers, needed little to live on and saved their money.  The main problem was as soon as they saved enough money, they left to start their own businesses. 

Giuseppe Uddo was one of the more famous of these.  He immigrated from Italy in 1907 worked the fields for a while and then began selling from a horse-drawn cart.  He then started Progresso Foods beginning with canned Italian foods that were only found in Italy.

By 1918, almost 50% of all the neighborhood grocery stores were owned by Italian immigrants.

In 1910-1922 in and around the New Orleans area the Axeman appeared and killed a few people and then disappeared for six years.  In 1918 he reappeared and killed up to 12 people beginning with Joseph and Catherine Maggio on May 23, 1918.  They lived above their business which was a grocery and barroom.  They were asleep when someone broke into their home and slashed their throats with a straight razor.  He bashed them in the heads as he left.  These were terribly gruesome murders.  They were found by Joseph’s brothers who for a while were suspected of the murder.

The next victims of the Axeman were Louis Besumer and his mistress Harriet Lowe.  They were attacked in the morning of June 27, 1918.  They lived in quarters behind Louis’s grocery.  Louis was hit in the head just above the right temple, which resulted in a possible skull fracture.  Harriet was hacked over the left ear.  They were found by the unfortunate baker, John Zanaca, who was making an early morning delivery.  When the police investigated the living quarters while Louis and Harriet were in the hospital, they were both alive at this point. 

They found letters written in German, Russian and Yiddish and decided that Louis was a German Spy, remember World War I was still going on.  Harriet told the police that he was in fact a German Spy.  Then it came out in the papers that Harriet and Louis were not married so Harriet quit helping the police.  Harriet had surgery for her injuries and died two days later.  Her deathbed statement was that Louis had attacked her.  He was arrested and charged with murder, served nine months in prison awaiting trial and was acquitted after just a 10-minute jury deliberation.

This victim is my personal heroine!  Anna Schneider was attacked by the Axeman on August 5, 1918.  Anna was 28 and eight months pregnant at the time.  She woke up to find someone standing over her bashing her in the face and head.  Her face and head were covered in blood when her husband found her a little after midnight when he returned home from his job.  Anna gave birth to a healthy baby girl two days later.  What a woman!!! 

Joseph Romano was the next victim.  Joseph was elderly and lived with his nieces, Pauline and Mary.  They awoke on August 10, 1918 to a commotion in their uncle’s bedroom.  They rushed in and saw what they described to police as a dark-skinned heavy-set man wearing a dark suit and a slouch hat.  The man had given Joseph several blows to the head.  He unfortunately died two days later from head trauma.

This was the sixth axe attack/murder in four months.  New Orleans was under attack by a murderer they called the Axeman.  And then the murders stopped again. 

Unfortunately, they started again on March 10, 1919, with the Cortimiglia family.  The Cortimiglia’s lived across the Mississippi river in Gretna.  Charles, Rosie, and their two-year-old daughter Mary were all attacked by an axe.  Iorlando Jordano the grocer across the street heard the screaming and rushed across the street.  Rosie stood in the door, her head bleeding holding her dead baby.  Charles was alive but barely, bleeding all over the floor.  A bloody axe was found in the back yard and the back door had been broken.  Both Charles and Rosie suffered from skull fractures. 

Rosie accused the Jordanos of the attack, while Charles vehemently denied it.  First Iorlando was 70 years old and too weak to wield the axe with enough force to crack their skulls. Second, Frank the Jordano son, was over six feet tall and weighed more than 200 pounds.  He never could have fit through the panel that was broken out of the back door.  They were arrested anyway, tried, found guilty, and Frank was sentenced to hang and Iorlando was sentenced to life imprisonment. Rosie felt guilty and went to the police and recanted her statement.  Since her statement was the only evidence the Jordanos were released.

August 10 , 1919, Steven Boca was the next victim.  Steve too, was a grocer.  He woke up and found someone standing over him.  He lost consciousness and woke up to run across the street to his neighbors Frank Genusa.  His head had been cracked open.  Steven survived.

Sarah Lauman was the next to be attached on September 3, 1919.  Sarah was 19 and lived alone.  A bloody axe was found on the front lawn, so the neighbors broke into Sarah’s apartment. Sarah was unconscious and missing several teeth.  Sarah recovered but couldn’t remember anything about the attack.

Mike Pepitone, another grocer was the final victim on October 27, 1919.  His wife, Esther, woke up and went to his bedroom where she saw a large man with an axe running out of the room.  As most of the others, Mike had been hit in the head with the axe and there was blood splatter all over the room.  The Pepitones had six children who were luckily unharmed.

A few months later Esther moved to Los Angeles and there the story continues…