The sausage ghost legend also takes place on Ursulines Avenue. ), The Trunk Murders and Sausage Ghost of 1920s New Orleans, JUSTICE STORY: Handy man with a knife flies off the handle, Amid Roaring Twenties New Orleans, a brutal French Quarter murder shocked the city, Ronald DeFeo Jr. The Amityville Murders. Look, said Gwen, holding up these objects. This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others. No purchase necessary. Healy borrowed a neighbors telephone, requesting a second reporter before suggesting that it might be appropriate to alert the coroner. His 1941 appeal for a pardon was rejected by the governor and in 1944, he briefly escaped from the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Meanwhile, in terms of the homicide rate, New Orleans captured the crown for . Headlined Bodies Found in Trunks, it tells the ghastly end of Theresa and Leonide Lonie Moity. Between 1920 and 1945, only 1.3 percent of local killers slaughtered their victims with axes or machetes, and no other New Orleans killer hacked off his victims' heads and limbs. HOURS Not so fast! The content may not be suitable for all readers. New Orleans Woman's Brother Accused of Murdering Her Crime New Orleans Woman Found Dead in Car Trunk Was Allegedly Murdered by Her Brother The brother of a missing New Orleans woman. ", Found amongst the dead woman's things was a manuscript, written in pencil, submitted and rejected fr, At the exact same time the papers had side-by-side national stories about Velma West, the flapper murderess and it was 180 degrees from the Moity coverage. In a closet, police found two small traveling trunks packed with the expertly butchered corpses of two young women. It was the fall of 1927 when housekeeper Nettie Compass entered the apartment on 715 Ursulines Street near downtown New Orleans. Excepting his prison escape, the wardens 1957 letter claimed that Henry was one of the best prisoners weve ever had. He continued to paint in prison, his portrait of Huey Long even making its way into the Baton Rouge governors mansion, where it hung for many years. Mortified, Henry ran back out to the street, and there he succumbed to the siren song of the bottle, for the first time going into a speakeasy and falling into a whiskey jug. Despite their poverty, the author writes of living happily with her husband and their young children in her small hometown. Had a great time with David. (, Henry Moity was found guilty and sentenced to concurrent two life terms in prison for the Trunk Murders, but he was given considerable leniency and was able to escape. A pair of gruesome murders in the French Quarter, remembered as the New Orleans Trunk Murders, was one of the most violent crimes in 1920s New Orleans. Clothing that investigators believed had been tossed from the trunks to accommodate the womens remains was strewn about the tenement alongside discarded human remains. (Photo: Lauren George). After getting out of prison, Henry moved to California in hopes of restarting. Henry began his sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary on July 6, 1928. He boarded an Illinois Central train car, like the one seen here, and fled to St. Louis. A photograph shows Governor Nichols and Royal Streets in 1928. We just did the ghost tour with Jonathan, and he was wonderful! If I ever get my hands on that Joe Caruso, Ill chop him up into little pieces, not big pieces like my wife, but little piecesmy God, Ill make him look like something thats been run through a sausage mill!. When Nettie Compass entered the second-floor apartment at 715 Ursulines Street on October 27, 1927, she stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes fell on traces of blood right outside the residence. Recounted, among other places, in Lyle Saxons collection of Louisiana folk tales, Gumbo Ya-Ya, The Sausage Ghost legend tells of mid-19th-century German immigrants Mr. and Mrs. Hans Muller, who opened a sausage factory on the ground floor of their property at 725 Ursulines Street, just a few doors down from the building where the Moity family lived. The frantic cleaning lady was soon joined by two insurance men who were conveniently nearby and who, in turn, tipped off local reporter, George William Healy. A great experience and tour all around! There was no place like New Orleans in the Roaring 20s. One that stands out is "He smoked cigars as he related it, a far off smile in his eyes, looking as little like a murderer as your child that plays with his toys on the kitchen floor; looking, indeed, very much like a child himself, for as he continued to talk, the innocences, the little traits that only a child has, began to show forth, became more and more marked." Throughout his trial and imprisonment, he insisted that he still loved his wife, even claiming to be married in the 1940 US Census, years after her death. When I pulled up the trunk lid, a womans body, arms, and legs severed from the torso, was exposed. Before New Orleans Superintendent of Police Thomas Healey could find either man, Joseph turned himself in, telling investigators his brother killed both women. Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Email . Eventually, Mueller began to have an affair with the woman which made his wife angry. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Seemingly inspired by some details of this case, particularly Henrys background as a butcher, the story goes that a German immigrant opened a sausage factory on Ursulines Street. Both couples and their young children lived in the small apartment. The victims, both in their mid-20s and both originally from New Iberia, were Theresa and Leonide Moity and were married to the brothers Henry and Joseph Moity. Read about how William Dorr crossed the country to commit a remarkable murder. In his 1976 memoir, Healy described their discovery: We found red stains on the floor and saw a large trunk in a bedroom, partially open. "Marriage is a life sentence. Her naked body was found severed in half on the streets of Los Angeles, California. He was the poor man who'd been driven to this. In New Orleans of the 1920s, even people of modest means might afford domestic assistance. He attempted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, largely leaning on the idea that the two things that drove him to kill were whiskey and the cruelty of his wife. Then he cut up the bodies, stuffed them in the trunks, and left the house. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Other stories say that the hard work took a toll on his wifes physical appearance and he no longer found her attractive. While the story of Henry Moity came to an end in 1957, the peculiar circumstances of the murder lives through the urban legend of the Sausage Ghost of Ursulines Street. Less than a decade after his pardoning, he shot his then-girlfriend and was sentenced to another 5 years in prison for attempted murder. She had barely set foot inside before encountering traces of blood. Return Details: 1100 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA. But she was 21, abused by her husband, violently, repeatedly, and in public, including earlier the day of the murder. Blood-soaked mattresses where the victims had lain. The California court sentenced the Louisiana man to five years in Folsom Prison, unaware of the concurrent life sentences a New Orleans court handed down two decades earlier. Megan is bringing you her very first deep dive in a well known case from her educated perspective. The man hired the driver to drop him one hundred miles away at the train station in Hammond, Louisiana. Neighbors were suspicious of the wifes disappearance and even more disturbed by the behavior of Mueller, who was said to be wandering at night, wringing his hands and seeming to be hiding from some invisible being. On March 26, 1948, Governor Jimmie Davis signed the pardon. The superintendent of the prison was not all concerned because he thought Henry would come back since there was a chance he was going to have his sentence reduced because he was drunk at the time of the incident. "We're taking . This was the last of 3 walking tours, hands down Dave was the best. There's no way to really paraphrase this next bit, so: "One night, soon after, he heard a "thump! She called out for help until two men nearby noticed and alerted the police. Authorities recovered a gold wedding band buried in a deep gash in one of the victims backs. He was underweight and bedraggled and he quickly admitted who he was. The couple came with next to nothing and had created a successful business. The all-male jury couldn't decide if that was a valid defense or not, and compromised on a verdict of "guilty without capital punishment," rejecting the prosecution's death penalty recommendation. NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A jury in Orleans Parish Criminal Court listened to the chilling 911 tape of a woman just moments before she was brutally murdered in New Orleans East. You'll see where it all happened, understand the history behind it, and how the echoes of gruesome crimes still cry out. All rights reserved. Resting on the torso was a bloodied cane knife, of the type used on sugar plantations. Places He dismembered his wifes body and ground the remains up, making her into sausage and then selling that sausage to his customers. Two couples had serious marital problems, and a few days before Halloween in 1927, the home became the site of an infamous crime In his confession to the District Attorney, Henry admits that he considered killing himself and the children, but changed his mind when he imagined his wife running around with Joe Caruso and the rest of them., A newspaper report of the crime at 715UrsulinesAvenue. After getting out of prison, Henry moved to California in hopes of restarting his life. When the Folsom Prison inmate died in 1957, word reached Louisiana. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. In his confession Henry detailed his motives for the killings, while also insisting that his mind had been warped by alcohol. Saxon credits a "Miss Rica Hoffman" as "remembering" the story, "which occurred in the city some years ago.". The afternoon before the murders, he told the housekeeper, Nettie Compassthe woman who later discovered the victimsthat he should take a pistol and shoot both of those basterds [sic]. Later that evening, Nettie said she saw Henry, Theresa, Leonide, and the children leave the apartment in good spirits. This is our very first virtual live show from July 23, 2020 held at AS220 in Providence RI. (Photo: Times-Picayune). Lonie had married Joseph Moity, 33 and Theresa had married his brother Henry, 29. In the summer of 1944, Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate number 18038, a trustee on a routine run to the Angola post office, flagged down a taxicab. Not for the faint of heart! The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. New Orleans recorded 266 homicides in 2022 a 116% increase from 2019, according to the New Orleans City Council crime database. This is our very first virtual live show from July 23, 2020 held at AS220 in Providence RI. Dr Marys Monkey How The Unsolved Murder Of A tor A Secret Laboratory In New Orleans And Cancer Causing Monkey Viruses Are Linked To Lee Harvey Assassination And Emerging Global Epidemics is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Unlike many daring prison breaks, this one was quite boringwhile running an errand at the post office for the prison, he simply hailed a cab and fled to California. The limited information about Theresa Moity and her sister-in-law, Leonide Moity, comes primarily from the testimonies of those involved in the investigation and the tabloid-style press coverage. On the afternoon of Thursday, October 27, 1927, Nettie Compass entered the second-floor apartment at 715 Ursulines Street to do some cleaning. Neighbors reported bitter fights over money, constant accusations of infidelity, and wild drinking bouts in the household. For social distancing, we will continue to take out much smaller groups than other tours (we always have! On that same page Barbara Brooks, "Editor of Advice to the Lovelorn" says she "Sees Tragedy As Result of Bedraggled and Besmirched Love.". around his boiler vat. Police report offers few leads in Becky Gary case, Fallen Hammond officer Fred Karlton remembered, DNA may identify Lady in the Lake after 36 years, Dixie Mafia con artists extorted Carlos Marcello, Interstate shootings, history repeating itself, Arrest made in 13-year-old cold-case homicide, 41-year-old pot box murder still unsolved. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Upon. MURDER SUSPECT SEIZED WITH HOSTAGE; Buried Body Discovered . He also believed that Leonide had been a negative influence on his wife so he killed her as well. Cumulative murders by day Lonie and Theresa were not shy about how disappointed they were in their marriages. After discovering a pool of blood at her feet, she ran from the apartment screaming and caught the attention of a few neighbors and the police. In 1934 Henry was made a trusty of the prison, meaning he was given responsibility for special assignments and was less heavily guarded than other prisoners. Mikko was a great guide and answered some follow up questions I had and suggested some podcasts that referenced some of the stories he told. Right: Later in life, Henry Moity made news again, when he was found in St. Louis after escaping prison. "She wouldn't even sweep the stoop!" After his release, the convict moved to Los Angeles, California, where he shot a woman in the chest, puncturing her lung and leaving her to suffocate in a hotel room. While it may blend in with its surroundings today, the inside of this place was the site of one of the most gruesome crimes in the history of the city: the Trunk Murders of 1927.Come with me as I take you there and tell the story of this twisted double murder, bore out of a jealous mania held by one man who lived there. New Orleans Trunk Murders. Hear more true crime tales as you walk down this famous French Quarter street. Note: This article contains detailed and graphic depictions of violent crime. Though details differ between the Sausage Ghost legend and the trunk murders case, Henry Moitys November 2 proclamation through the bars of his prison to Times-Picayune reporters certainly nags the question: If I ever get my hands on that Joe Caruso Ill chop him up into little pieces, not big pieces like my wife, but little piecesMy God, Ill make him look like something thats been run through a sausage mill!. Texarkana Moonlight Murders & The New Orleans Trunk Murders Morbid Jul 25 2020 1 hr 27 mins Looks at this! - Listen to 201: Episode 201: The Murders of Louis Gumpenberger & Betsy Faria by Crime Curious instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. Theresa and Leonide also worked, expressing frustration at having to manage their children while taking on sewing jobs to bring in necessary cash. New Orleans recorded 266 homicides in 2022 a 116% increase from 2019, according to the New Orleans City Council crime database. Her cautionary tale, presented as a personal letter, speaks of finding joy again after a failed marriage. Back in the 1920s, a pair of horrific murders took place on the 700 block of Ursulines Avenue in the French Quarter of New Orleans. One night as she was sweeping up the floors he came behind her and strangled her to death. Henry had previously been a butcher before landing in New Orleans, so the method and motive all lined up perfectly to convict in court. backlog intangible asset; west metro fire union contract. Any required or suggested items listed on your confirmation email. Already jealous and seeing suitors around every corner, he flew into a rage, but vowed to forgive her if she would just be a "good" wife. Henry was tried separately for each murder and found guilty. The Times-Picayune from October 1927. Two couples had seriou They'd greet everyone with a smile, and happily called out their regular customers' names as they walked through the door. This isn't emphasized so much in the New Orleans papers, because, frankly, the city had respectfully declined to participate in Prohibition. The property is shown in this 1960s photograph. All rights reserved. His brother Joe had already left his wife behind and vacated, convinced she, too, was running around on him. Love Me Not: The New Orleans Trunk Murders Shockingly Wicked Podcast At the end of the Roaring Twenties, New Orleans was rocked by one of the grizzliest murder scenes the city had ever seen. Leonide was murdered by her husbands brother, Henry Moity, along with Henry's wife, Theresa. In the mid 1800s, Hans Mueller immigrated to the United States from Germany with his wife. When he returned home and found the women already asleep, trunks packed for the next day, he knew they truly meant to leave. Buried in a deep gash on one of the victims backs, the coroner found a gold wedding band. One of the most amazing instances is above, "How Jealousy Turned a Devoted Husband Into a Demon," but there are many more. The money, the booze, and the passions flowed freely. He then fled into the swamps. George Provosty, then superintendent of prison camps in Louisiana, seemed unconcerned. This story is usually included in The Historic New Orleans Collections Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History, a tour that explores the darker aspects of the city'shistory. On a Thursday, October 27, 1927, Housekeeper Nettie Compass entered the second-floor apartment at 715 Ursulines Street in New Orleans and stepped into a pool of blood. What To Expect Additional Info Confirmation will be received at time of booking Wheelchair accessible Minimum age is 16 years Near public transportation The group . They had even been seen in town walking together and holding hands. "What stoop? It was great to hear his local perspective on all the stories he shared. 715 Ursulines Avenue was the home of the Moity brothers, their wives, and children. Henry had begged his way onto the ship using a false name, but the crew recognized his tattoo from the newspaper stories about the crimes. Henry had begged his way onto the ship using a false name, but the crew recognized his tattoo from the newspaper stories about the crimes. thump! The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. With jessica arcement, rob barrere, jolene dufrene, nicholas gernon. The first step for the investigators was to question the womens husbands. As reporters and police took stock of the grisly tableau, there was one thing notably missing: Henry Moity. I am trying to resist the urge to editorialize, but a few things need mentioning about the coverage. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it. Offer subject to change without notice. Afterward came the grim work of cutting up the bodies, as Henry stuffed the women into the trunks they had packed hours earlier. Was a bloodied cane knife, of the 1920s, even people of modest means might afford assistance! 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