March 19, 1787 - Delphine LaLaurie
What brought Madame LaLaurie to public reckoning was not investigation or confession, but a fire — and the discovery it forced upon those who responded to it. For years she had moved through New Orleans society while subjecting enslaved people in her household to prolonged abuse hidden from view. She fled to France before justice could reach her, and the mansion associated with her name remains a French Quarter landmark, its history inseparable from what was uncovered there in 1834.
From Wikipedia
Marie Delphine Macarty or MacCarthy (March 19, 1787 – December 7, 1849), more commonly known as Madame Blanque or, after her third marriage, as Madame LaLaurie, was a New Orleans socialite and serial killer who tortured and murdered enslaved people in her household.
Born during the Spanish colonial period, LaLaurie married three times in Louisiana and was twice widowed. She maintained her position in New Orleans society until April 10, 1834, when rescuers responded to a fire at her Royal Street mansion. They discovered bound slaves in her attic who showed evidence of cruel, violent abuse over a long period. LaLaurie's house was subsequently sacked by an outraged mob of New Orleans citizens. She escaped to France with her family, and was never brought to justice.
The mansion traditionally held to be LaLaurie's is a landmark in the French Quarter, in part because of its history and for its architectural significance. However, her house was burned by the mob, and the "LaLaurie Mansion" at 1140 Royal Street was in fact rebuilt after her departure from New Orleans.
Further reading
- Madame Lalaurie, Mistress of the Haunted House
Explores the legend and documented history of Delphine LaLaurie, the New Orleans socialite whose 1834 fire exposed years of horrific abuse against her enslaved household members.
View on Amazon → - Mad Madame Lalaurie
A biography focusing on Delphine LaLaurie, the infamous New Orleans murderer whose crimes against enslaved people shocked the city.
View on Amazon → - The Lalaurie Horror
A narrative account of the 1834 fire that exposed Madame LaLaurie's torture of enslaved people in her French Quarter mansion, including reports of subsequent hauntings.
View on Amazon →
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