While Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, has never been a stranger to violence, the reaction to police chief David C. Hennessy’s death in the late 19^th century was perhaps the wildest and most overlooked event of the time. Here’s the single craziest thing you never knew happened in Louisiana—and perhaps the most shocking moment in Louisiana history:

David Hennessy was born in 1858 and made New Orleans headlines when he captured a notorious Italian criminal, Giuseppe Esposito.

This arrest was significant because of the strong chokehold Italian crime families had over criminal justice in the city at the time. Later, when Joseph A. Shakespeare was elected mayor in 1888, he made David Hennessy his police chief.

After making changes in the police force for the better, Hennessy also continued to make enemies among the Italian crime families. He was seen as standing up for justice in the city.

On October 15, 1890, David Hennessy was murdered by several shooters after walking home from work.

Hennessy died a day later, and said that Italians shot him, although he did not say which ones. At the time, he was involved in a case where two Italian families, the Mantrangas and the Provenzanos, were battling for rights at the port.

Hennessy had been very popular among New Orleanians and there was immense pressure to find his killers.

Eventually 19 men were indicted for the murder and kept at the local prison. These trials did not go as planned, however. A series of acquittals and mistrials made locals believe that justice was not going to be served.

On March 14th, 1891, the largest mass lynching in U.S. history took place inside of the Parish Prison.

An angry mob gathered at the statue of Henry Clay and stormed the jail. They murdered 11 of the defendants in the David Hennessy murder trial.

Two individuals were hung over the crowd while nine more were beaten to death.

The murders, despite the mob, were actually well-planned.

The incident rocked America and had repercussions for years to come. It especially strained relations between Italy and America.

It also served to introduce the term mafia to America more generally and was a seminal event in the decades-long struggle between Italian crime families and local law enforcement.

David Hennessy’s tomb can be found today in Metairie cemetery, you can visit it knowing he was involved in one crazy thing that happened in Louisiana.

Louisiana has had some truly crazy things happen, but I think this is the single craziest thing to ever happen in Louisiana. What do you think is the most shocking moment in Louisiana history? Did you already know about this moment? Let us know your thoughts! And you should also check out some things about weird Louisiana.

Want to learn more about the history of Louisiana? Take a look at these books from our friends at Bookshop.org.