The Axeman of New Orleans held his namesake Louisiana city in his iron grip of terror from May 1918 to October 1919 before disappearing as quickly as he had appeared. In a letter evidently penned by his murderous hands, he had declared himself to be an incorporeal demon as opposed to an actual human killer, and confidently stated that he would never be caught - and indeed he never was. The Axeman may have eventually disappeared, but it seems that the legions of Hell were not entirely finished with Louisiana yet. Just twenty years later, another demonic figure appeared in Algiers, just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. This demon wasn't a killer, however, and instead acted as more of a trickster figure. Nonetheless, it was still capable of keeping the city hostage in a state of panic and bewilderment. Sit back, turn down the lights and get ready to hear the tale of the Algiers Devil-Man...
Bad Times in the Bayou State[]
Someone's rather striking costume depicting the Devil-Man in question.
The demon in question first made his presence known in September of 1938. He was described as being a truly outlandish entity - with long black horns, eyes like those of a chicken and bright pink ears resembling sunflowers. He could disappear at will or just as quickly morph into a baboon. He would fly around the city, insulting wandering women and wrecking unprepared homes and bars. This rowdy spectre apparently named himself the Devil-Man.
The first notable incident involving the horrifying hooligan took place one night when a husband and wife were driving home from an enjoyable night of dancing and they were stopped by an unidentified man who asked them if they could give him a lift. The wife 'did not like his looks' and thus his request for a free ride was denied by the couple. However, it was clear that the figure would not be taking no for an answer - for the couple needed only to drive onwards ten miles to have another encounter with the same man. Becoming nervous, the couple threw their liquor out of the vehicle. In what almost seems like a distinctly unnerving comedy routine, the same man stopped them again after another ten miles had elapsed in their journey - but this time didn't even try to ask for a place in their car and instead revealed his supernatural nature to them, leaving absolutely no room for uncertainty as he effortlessly morphed into a horned demonic entity. Terrified, the wife fainted and her husband desperately tried to get back to their house without being dragged to Hell, continuing to drive as best he could. The Devil-Man made his fourth and final appearance to the traumatised couple a few miles still further on into the journey - this time riding a brown horse next to the car. The car managed to outflank the demon and his steed, and thus the Satanic spectre was left behind in the Louisiana darkness.
The couple told their neighbours about the bizarre and terrifying event, and these neighbours felt it appropriate to swiftly report the existence of this potentially dangerous individual to the local police. It seems that the police took this report rather seriously, and soon began an extensive search for the kooky character. They found him several times, apparently, but each time they were pipped at the post by his outlandish supernatural abilities. When they fired their guns at him, their bullets would only be returned to them by hairy hands. Soon the Devil-Man progressed on to causing widespread disruption, insulting African American women in the streets, and eventually there were so many reports and so much chaos caused by these reports the Sergeant Holm of the Algiers police announced that anyone who had even claimed to have seen the Devil-Man should be arrested.
However, as racial discrimination in the American Deep South would often dictate, the only actual arrest made during this period was of a 'wild-eyed' black man who said his name was Clark Carleton. However, this time it seemed as if they had actually gotten the right man despite their likely bias. He claimed that he had originally come from Arkansas, and that he had been sent to this 'latitude' by a great spiritual monarch he named as King Zulu. This King Zulu was not the same as the blackfaced prom king known from New Orleans' Mardi Gras, but rather a 'great benefactor and advisor to Neptune, who comes only to those who speak his language' - which Clark said he did very fluently. He also announced that he wasn't the Devil, but was actually greater than the aforementioned Biblical antagonist.
It was at this point that George Horil, the white proprietor of the Paradise Inn, stepped into the narrative and tried to protect Carleton from the police. He substantiated some of the man's story by claiming that Carleton had come into his inn and asked for food. Carleton had apparently announced that he was from the hills of Arkansas, and that his ears 'look like they are waiting for to hear the up yonder spirits' and that his eyes 'look like they are looking for the moon' - whatever that might've been intended to mean. He said that even the Devil would feed him, and so Horil relieved his desperation by giving him a piece of pie, some milk and a sandwich. Horil admitted that Carleton 'did look funny'. At this point, he was stood outside Horil's inn when some school-children appeared and started teasing him for his odd looks. They taunted him to such a degree that he became angry and threatened that if they didn't leave him alone he would set the Devil on them. The children responded to this by starting to chant 'Devil-Man', which drew a crowd to the scene and prompted Carleton to run away in fear.
According to Horil's story, this event spawned something of an urban legend. The rumours grew to include Carleton disappearing into the graveyard opposite the Paradise Inn, and other owners of beer parlors began saying that this Devil-Man had also visited their establishments in order to buy whiskey before mysteriously vanishing. These people often claimed that the besieged man would come back to their joints, prompting mobs of monster hunters to appear with guns, hoping to catch sight of what they thought was a demonic entity. Obviously, many members of these mobs would buy drinks at these bars and so claiming that the Devil-Man was a regular customer became a perfect advertising tool for barkeepers wanting to make money. One fellow said 'if the Devil-Man takes me to Hell I want to be good and drunk'. This all prompted a desk sergeant at the Algiers police station to state 'There isn't any Devil-Man, not even the man we have arrested. He's just trying to make money'.
Despite Carleton languishing behind bars, it was clear to the over 200 people who called the police quarters to report Satanic activity on the night of September 13th, 1938 that the Devil-Man had somehow remained active. The Devil-Man was reportedly entering bars and terrifying bartenders into giving him free drinks by taking off his hat and showing them his horns. One caller claimed that the Devil-Man had been seen in the Big Apple, a popular rendezvous for African Americans in South Rampart Street, where he was apparently performing a specific dance which had been named after the club in question. It was beginning to seem as if there were multiple Devil-Men roaming around Algiers.
However, what might otherwise have been proof that he wasn't indeed the Devil-Man, Clark started ranting about his identity as the mysterious figure - once again proclaiming himself to be greater than the Devil before launching off on a decidedly unhinged and dramatic speech...
I came from the hills of Arkansas on September 6, 1938. I walked under the stars and Neptune guided me through the darkness of the night. I reached Port Allen, Louisiana, and from there I rode the ferry into Baton Rouge; then I came to New Orleans, still under the guidance of Neptune and possibly one of his assistant stars. I stopped at the Page Hotel. I came to New Orleans as the sun came down in the skies.
Yes, they got me in jail, but it's my spirit that is haunting the people, because I have not been treated right by the police. That's why I'm going to keep on troubling them. If I wanted to, I could get out of sight right now - I could disappear away from all of you.
It is interesting to note that a policeman told the source of this report that Clark had indeed managed to pull a disappearing act one day - breaking out before being later recaptured and presumably divulging the forthcoming further information on another occasion.
You want to know how I got my powers? Well, Neptune came to me in the form of a fishhook in June and May of 1937. I was reading my Bible at the time. Oh, yes, I'm a Baptist man, but I believe in the Divine, too. Neptune told me to walk straight ahead, that I would find two-headed man stranded on a rock. I found him but he disappeared. Then I knew I had the power.
I went to fourth grade in school. I ain't no amnesia victim, but I don't remember anything about my people or anything else about myself. Tonight I'm going to divide myself with Neptune and maybe when you come back I will be able to tell you more. But, please tell everybody that I'm not going to hurt anyone, my spirit is just passing around New Orleans and Algiers like a bird because I have been mistreated by the police.
It seemed that his spirit had not yet finished passing through Algiers, however, as incidents involving the devilish troublemaker would continue for a short while after the capture of Clark Carleton and his thrilling speech. Somebody shouted 'Devil Man!' in the basement of the Craig Negro Public School on September 24th of that year, triggering a riot-like expression of terror from everyone involved. The students ran from the building to their homes and families while screaming in panic. The teachers barred all the doors to lock themselves in, and disturbed parents later ran to the school looking for an explanation. Staunchly religious citizens differed in their opinions, seemingly, with one Sister Susie Mack saying that nobody should be interacting with someone calling themselves the Devil, while Brother Peter Williams of Mother Keller's Church instead declared that the church should still treat each man equally - 'be he devil or baboon'.
The final incident of this brief panic was perhaps one of the most baffling and disturbing in its implications. What was referred to as a 'Devil Baby' with 'horns 'n all' was allegedly born in one of the segregated African-American sections of New Orleans. Panicked whispers passed from door to door concluded that the Devil really had gotten them now. It seemed this was not the case, however, as all alleged Satanic activity disappeared from Algiers after this...
Source[]
'GUMBO YA-YA: Folk Tales Of Louisiana' by Robert Tallant and Lyle Saxon