Henry also admitted to the murders being premeditated. It contained a second womans body. Despite his two-year sojourn, the Louisiana Pardon Board recommended his release in 1947. Fingers and teeth were left strewn on the floor and blood was everywhere. There was no place like New Orleans in the Roaring 20s. Henry scooped up his kids, hailed a cab and dropped them with his sister without a word about what had happened. The most horrific part of all, however, was found inside a closet. Look, said Gwen, holding up these objects. Superintendent Healy radioed the seven vessels sailing out of New Orleans that day, asking sailors to look for a dark bushy-haired man with very dark brown eyes and a tattoo on one arm featuring a nude woman with a flower in her hair. And then one night Theresa flashed a $5 bill (worth about $70 today) at her husband, telling him she knew how to make more money than he ever could, insinuating she was flirting with other men to gain their favor and money. 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. housekeeper Nettie Compass entered the apartment on 715 Ursulines Street, description given by Dr. George Roeling (the Orleans Parish Coroner at the time) confirmed the brutality of the scene, he was found two days later while trying to make his getaway on a freight ship, initial conviction of Henry Moity was swift. (Mobile Users:. In the back bedroom there was an identical scene, with the addition of a sugar cane knife sitting in the trunk. The French Quarter of the 1920s was a diverse, working-class neighborhood. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). 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. Mardi Gras partiers shared whether they feel safe in New Orleans after the city was labeled a murder capital after recording the second-most homicides per capita among major U.S. cities. Required fields are marked *. The facade of 715 UrsulinesAvenue by day. He went to Theresas bedroom and stabbed her. 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. (THNOC, gift of Mrs. Charles Belik, 1987.25). 1100 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA Open in Google Maps End of tour is near this location. 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. Back in prison, he died in 1957 of a stroke, ending the story of the New Orleans Trunk murders. The Historic New Orleans Collections Williams Research Center. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Alaina covers the Texarkana Moonlight Murders and goes over all the fine details with her 1940's magnifying glass! This story appears on THNOCs tour Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History, which explores the darker side of New Orleans history. 00:23:15 - With Mardi Gras being on Tuesday (February 16th) I wanted to bring you a story, or three, straight from the French Quarter. Responding officers uncovered the full horror of the murder scene: two small traveling trunks packed with the expertly butchered corpses of two young women. The victims, later identified as Theresa and Leonide Moity, were both in their mid-twenties and natives of New Iberia. After getting out of prison, Henry moved to California in hopes of restarting his life. It is not often that we bring heavily covered cases to the podcast but even if you have heard this ca. From there he caught the Illinois Central Panama Limited en route to Chicago. (Photo: 9 Incredible Meteorite Craters That Look Straight Out of 'Deep Impact', The Married Woman Who Kept Her Lover in the Attic, Sydneys Jazz Age Criminal Queens Ruled the Streets With Razors. . He was sentenced to life in prison. Look at how kind he could be- how tender! (Photo: A newspaper report of the crime at 715UrsulinesAvenue. In a closet, police found two small traveling trunks packed with the expertly butchered corpses of two young women. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. She Sid great for getting put on the spot. Seller of Travel Ref. ), 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. In new orleans, a young mother is found shot and burned in the trunk of her car. You'll see where it all happened, understand the history behind it, and how the echoes of gruesome crimes still cry out. The murders of Theresa and Leonide Moity were hardly typical New Orleans homicides. The city recorded the most homicides per capita among major U.S. cities in September, but Jackson, Mississippi, unseated it as the murder capital by the end of the year. The money, the booze, and the passions flowed freely. 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. New Orleans Trunk Murders. Two couples had serious marital problems, and a few days before Halloween in 1927, the home became the site of an infamous crime that is still featured on ghost tours today.</p><p>Take a break from serious world with the . TERMS & CONDITIONS In March 1928, Henry was convicted of Theresas murder and sentenced to life in prison. Ironically it is next door to the Moity apartment. Clumps of hair lay on the floor, caught in the shadows cast from Ursulines Avenue. Joseph Moity turned himself in to the authorities as soon as he heard about the discovery. From the time the Moitys moved in, Theresa and Caruso were pretty thick, Henry claimed in his confession to the District Attorney. . she charged into the apartment and sighted several objects on a bed. This isn't emphasized so much in the New Orleans papers, because, frankly, the city had respectfully declined to participate in Prohibition. Back in the 1800s, a young German couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hans Mueller, opened a sausage factory in New Orleans. One night, the owner killed his wife and disposed of her body by grinding it into sausages that he then sold in his shop. The quotes tell you everything you need to know about the feelings about 'modern women.'. 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. Before coming to New Orleans, police believed, Henry had worked as a butchers assistant. In one of the bedrooms they found a blood soaked mattress with severed fingers. 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. At first he maintained that the murders had been the work of a redheaded Norwegian seafarer, whom he had been forced to assist. 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. New Orleans' infamous trunk murders revisited 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. New Orleans' most infamous serial killer was never caught. Two couples had serious marital problems, and a few days before Halloween in 1927, the home became the site of an infamous crime that is still featured on ghost tours . They believed he was planning a getaway on a ship. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. He predicted Henry would soon return of his own accord, since he had served 16 years of his sentence and had a chance of being pardoned due to temporary insanity (due to his consumption of alcohol) at the time of the killings. 00:23:15 - With Mardi Gras being on Tuesday (February 16th) I wanted to bring you a story, or three, straight from the French Quarter. On Saturday, October 29two days after the womens bodies were discoveredcrewmen of the freighter Gem reported Henry Moity to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff. PATREON: www.patreon.com/exploreoregonINSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/pdxfilmexplorerFACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/exploringportlandTIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theamateurhistorianREDDIT SUBREDDIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/the_amateur_historian/ WORDPRESS BLOG: https://stevetheamateurhistorian.wordpress.comIn the iconic French Quarter of New Orleans there stands, still today, a rather modest two-story residence along Ursuline Street. 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. 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!. At a Los Angeles hotel in 1956, Henry shot his girlfriend Alberta Orange in the chest, puncturing her lung. Blood-soaked mattresses where the victims had lain. He was a model prisoner and was given many privileges. Then he cut up the bodies, stuffed them in the trunks, and left the house. 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. After getting out of prison, Henry moved to California in hopes of restarting. 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. Dr. George Roeling, the Orleans Parish Coroner, told reporters that the killer or killers bludgeoned the women with a lead Billy club, before using a machete to decapitate them and amputate their arms and legs. Megan is bringing you her very first deep dive in a well known case from her educated perspective. There was no place like New Orleans in the Roaring 20s. (The Charles L. Franck Studio Collection at THNOC, 1979.325.6081). By the 1920s the neighborhood, especially in the areas closer to Esplanade Avenue, was heavily populated by first- and second-generation Sicilians, who joined the racially and ethnically diversecommunity. (, The building at 715 Ursulines Street still stands today, in a block that has been the site of more than one gruesome crime. State License Fla. He boarded an Illinois Central train car, like the one seen here, and fled to St. Louis. Henry died of a stroke in 1957 while serving his term at Folsom. The same line about Theresa Moity not sweeping was even used on Velma. A butcher by trade, Mueller established a sausage factory at 725 Ursaline Avenue. The group . 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. 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. Resting on the torso was a bloodied cane knife, of the type used on sugar plantations. Theresa, however, put up a struggle before succumbing. It being a difficult trade, his wife had become a crone before her time, and Hans' eye was turned by a young girl. Her cautionary tale, presented as a personal letter, speaks of finding joy again after a failed marriage. HOURS Pictures of him with his sainted mother and father in jail, not to mention him cuddling his children. 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. Return Details: 1100 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA. Allows using the site with your screen-reader. The Times-Picayune from October 1927. 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. She was supposed to be cleaning the home of the two Moity women and their husbands, Henry and Joseph Moity, but instead she stumbled into a horrible crime scene. The rent was always late, there wasn't enough food, and things were getting dire. Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Email . The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. She just relaxed and the blood rushed. 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