In 1834, a fire broke out in a luxurious New Orleans mansion. The flames revealed the truth behind Delphine LaLaurie's gruesome crimes.
She went down in history as one of the cruelest women in the history of the United States. Its bloody legend was born in April 1834. A fire broke out in one of New Orleans' luxury mansions. Its cause and aftermath led to a gruesome discovery that shocked the city's inhabitants.
The heroine of this scandal was born on March 19, 1787 as Delphine McCarthy . She came from a significant and wealthy New Orleans family, including city Mayor. Her origin and beauty very quickly began to attract the attention of men who wanted to marry her. However, Delphine turned out to be a woman bringing her sweethearted hearts… bad luck.
Wealthy Widow
Before she turned 30, she became a widow twice. Each time under quite mysterious circumstances. She started her first relationship at the age of 13 with Don Ramon de Lopez y Angulo , a high-ranking Spanish officer. The marriage did not last even four years. Ramon died for mysterious reasons on the way to Madrid when Delphine was pregnant with her first daughter. However, she did not remain a widow for long. As early as 1808 she married Jean Blanque , a wealthy banker, lawyer and merchant. The couple had four children. But neither did they live happily ever after. Eight years after their relationship, Jean died, leaving Delphine a wealthy and highly social widow.
Delphine LaLaurie went down in history as one of the cruelest women in the history of the United States
Our heroine entered into the third marriage nine years after the death of her second husband with a much younger doctor Leonard LaLaurie . In 1831, the couple moved to a stately home at 1140 Royal Street. It was managed exclusively by Madame LaLaurie. Although the couple were respected in society, unfortunately the relationship did not turn out to be successful. Ultimately, Delphine filed for legal separation due to mistreatment by her husband . This was to be confirmed by the woman's three children from the second marriage.
At the judge's decision, Delphine was left alone in the residence at 1140 Royal Street. But rumors circulated around the city that although she had asked for her husband to be separated from her bed and apartment, he was a frequent visitor to their former home. However, these were not the only stories heard on the streets of New Orleans about Madame LaLaurie.
A woman with a heavy hand
Delphine did not live in the mansion alone. As befits the American South, her ministry consisted of slaves. And it was how to treat them very quickly that unflattering stories began circulating . The woman was famous in the area for her tough hand towards the servants. While it was not unusual in this region of the United States, her methods were outraged . Example? The underage slave would rather throw herself off the roof than face Delphine's anger and whip.
The legal authorities finally took an interest in the LaLaurie case. However, the first investigation did not reveal any irregularities. In public, Delphine also tried to maintain an image of a woman who was polite to black slaves. She cared for their health and fought for their liberation. She would do it herself for two of them. Unfortunately, this did not silence the rumors circulating in the streets.
In public, Delphine tried to maintain an image of a woman polite to black slaves
Neighbors of 1140 Royal Street reported disturbing noises coming from the LaLaurie house . Delphine's slaves, seen stealthily, were supposed to appear extremely emaciated. All of this contributed to another lawsuit against the woman. As a result, LaLaurie was found guilty of illegal cruelty . She was forced to surrender nine enslaved servants. They were redeemed by her relative and after some time… returned to the residence. Soon, however, the woman's life was to be changed by an accident that shook New Orleans and made Delphine one of the cruelest women in history.
House of Horror
On April 10, 1834, a fire broke out in a house at 1140 Royal Street. It started in the mansion's kitchen. The firefighters arrived and found a 70-year-old cook chained to the stove . It was she who started the fire in the suicide attempt. She wanted to save herself from the atrocities that would await her for her bad behavior in the upper floor room. Nobody came back from there…
On April 10, 1834, a fire broke out in a house at 1140 Royal Street.
But that was not the end of Madame LaLaurie's mansion revelation. The owner of the house consumed by the fire, was to refuse keys to anyone ready to help save her slaves. Volunteers broke into the property. They found seven mutilated slaves chained to the walls. They were to be imprisoned for weeks. During this time, they were cruelly tortured. They had visible limb mutilations, head wounds, and skin tears caused by scourging. They were all exhausted. Some of them also wore spiked collars to keep their heads in a static position.
The survivors were taken to a local prison. They were put on public display to show Madame LaLaurie's degree of cruelty. As many as 4,000 people saw them by April 12th.
Birth of a legend
The news of what was happening at the house at 1140 Royal Street led the townspeople to storm the mansion. The torturer, however, was not caught. Delphine fled to Paris, where she spent the rest of her days in hiding. She died in 1849 at the age of 62. She was never punished for the crimes committed .
Among the methods used by Delphine LaLaurie was whipping
But that is not the end of Madame LaLaurie's story. Its legend lived on the streets of New Orleans all the time, growing in layers. The residence at 1140 Royal Street was destroyed by a storm and fire. After many years, however, it was rebuilt. Over the centuries, it has served various functions - from school to a luxury apartment building. It was also in the hands of Nicolas Cage for a while.
The house has also become a permanent fixture in local folklore. It can be found on the route of the most haunted places in New Orleans . The character of Delphine LaLaurie still inspires various artists. Appears in books, movies and series. And while her actions are now exaggerated and colored, the true story of Delphine's atrocity still ranks her among the most ruthless women in human history.