meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Southern Mysteries Podcast

Episode 173 The Forgotten Eleven of New Orleans

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.81K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1891, fear and anger in New Orleans boiled over after the murder of Police Chief David Hennessy. Within months, eleven Italian immigrants were dead, their lives taken by a mob in one of the darkest and most violent moments in American history. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we revisit the events that led to the tragedy 💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTikTok @southernmysteriesInstagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources New Orleans Public Library – Records of the Board of Police Commissioners, 1890–1891 (detailing Hennessy’s murder, police leadership changes, and subsequent arrests). Library of Congress – Historic photographs of New Orleans docks and immigrant labor, 1891. Smithsonian Magazine – “New Orleans Apologizes for 1891 Lynching of Italian Americans” (April 2019). History.com – “The Grisly Story of America’s Largest Lynching” (2019). American Italian Cultural Center, New Orleans – Archival material on Italian immigration and the 2019 mayoral apology. New Orleans Times-Democrat, October 1890–March 1891 coverage (contemporary reporting on Hennessy’s murder, the trial, and the mob attack). United States Department of State – Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1891 (diplomatic correspondence with Italy following the lynchings). Reimagining Migration – “The Lynching of Italian Immigrants” (educational resource on anti-immigrant violence). Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) – The 1891 New Orleans Project (materials on commemoration and memorial efforts). John V. Baiamonte Jr. – “The Mafia and the 1891 New Orleans Lynching: The Question of Criminal Conspiracy” (Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, Vol. 21, No. 3, 1980). Italian Sons and Daughters of America – “Our Darkest Hour: Anarchy, a Lynch Mob and 11 Souls Lost.” All That’s Interesting – “The Tragic Story of the 1891 New Orleans’ Lynchings of Italians.” Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey there, I'm Shannon Ballard, the creator and host of Southern Mysteries.

0:05.4

This is an independent podcast made possible by the core support of patrons who appreciate

0:11.2

stories like the one you'll hear today. I want to say thanks to new episode patrons, Emily Smith of

0:18.3

Rembert, South Carolina, Loveda Roberts of Valia, Louisiana, and a warm welcome to new patrons who are supporting from

0:26.4

mysterious locations, Katie Gregory, and we will survive. A big thanks to you for your supports.

0:34.9

If you are new here and you want to join these wonderful folks in helping me

0:38.8

create Southern Mysteries, you'll receive access to the first three seasons of the podcast,

0:44.6

which are available exclusively on Patreon. Additionally, you can choose a support level that

0:50.4

grants you access to even more stories, including my monthly patron podcast, Audacious,

0:56.8

which focuses on some of the most shocking stories and scandalous crimes in American history.

1:02.9

You can join Southern Mysteries on Patreon and get immediate access to listen to more content now at patreon.com slash southern mysteries. Or if you already

1:14.4

have the Patreon app, just open it up and search for Southern Mysteries podcast. It was just before midnight on October 15, 1890, when gunfire shattered the stillness of Gerard Street in New Orleans.

1:41.3

Police Chief David Hennessy staggered toward his front door, wounded and bleeding,

1:48.7

while alarmed neighbors rushed outside. Before losing consciousness, Henness

1:54.1

Hennessy spoke a few final words, words that would spark outrage, deepen divisions,

2:05.5

and set the stage for one of the darkest chapters in New Orleans history.

2:11.0

Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring Southern history and true crime.

2:13.7

I'm your host, Shannon Ballard.

2:24.9

This is episode 173, The Forgotten Eleven of New Orleans. Nothing about David Hennessey's evening suggested it would end in violence. On October 15, 1890, the police chief left a meeting at

2:32.8

City Hall, stopped briefly by his office to tidy up paperwork

2:37.1

and speak with men on duty. Then he stepped out onto the damp streets of New Orleans. Rain had fallen

2:44.3

hard earlier that day, and the night air was heavy. Outside, Hennessy ran into his close friend,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Shannon Ballard, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Shannon Ballard and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.