October 30, 2024 • 27 mins
What if the dark, twisted secrets of New Orleans could chill you to the bone from the comfort of your front porch? Join me, Carole Townsend, as I unravel the sinuous history of the Big Easy, starting with the notorious Madame Delphine LaLaurie. Known as one of history's most malevolent figures, LaLaurie's story is one of opulence masking unimaginable cruelty. Step into the haunted corridors of her infamous mansion, where tales of supernatural horror and unspeakable atrocities converge. Discover why her legacy remains one of the most haunting in Southern history, blending high society with horrific truths.
Curious about the spine-tingling blend of voodoo, witchcraft, and serial killers that make New Orleans a hotspot for the supernatural? This episode promises meticulously researched narratives that plunge deep into the eerie folklore and grim realities that shape this iconic city. From Delphine LaLaurie's sadistic acts to the rumored occult practices that surrounded her, we'll explore the sinister blend of privilege and madness that defined her. Subscribe and stay updated as we continue to uncover unsettling tales, like the grim fate of Corpsewood Manor's owners, that will leave you questioning the line between history and horror.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carole Townsend (00:05):
New Orleans, louisiana, is a city unlike any
other, draped in the mists ofmany rich cultures and
traditions, as beautiful and asmystifying as the Spanish moss
that whispers through its trees.
It's precisely because of theseblended cultures and mysterious
nuances that New Orleans isthought by many to be the most
(00:28):
enchanted and the most hauntedplace in the world.
There is no doubt that jazz,music, unparalleled dining,
mardi Gras, stunningarchitecture and colorful
history bring tourists fromaround the world every year, but
also know that voodoo, santeria, sorcery and witchcraft are
(00:54):
woven into the very fabric ofthe city, and millions travel to
New Orleans, especially theFrench Quarter, with a desire to
hear, feel and see the ancientinhabitants who still reside in
the city, though they've longbeen dead.
Of course, new Orleans is knownto most simply as the Big Easy.
(01:17):
It's also called the CrescentCity because the mighty
Mississippi curves around thecity in the shape of a crescent.
But there is a dark side ofthis beautiful, unique city.
Voodoo is still practiced here,vampires are said to come and
go through the centuries.
Bloody Mary herself called NewOrleans home.
(01:38):
A talented jazz musician andserial killer, the Axeman,
resided here, and the list goeson.
Tonight, however, I'm going toshare with you the story of New
Orleans' most reviled, most evilresident.
(02:01):
She was beautiful, she waswealthy and influential and she
was a sadistic serial killerskilled in the dark arts.
Here in the South we love ourstories.
We begin in childhood huddledaround campfires, whispering of
things best spoken in the dark,confiding in our small trusting
(02:25):
circles.
Why is that, do you suppose?
I have researched andinvestigated Southern history
for more than 20 years and Ibelieve it has to do with this
region itself.
There's a lot that hangs in theether here and much that is
buried deep in the soil here,and much that is buried deep in
(02:48):
the soil.
There's beauty here in theSouth and shame and courage and,
make no mistake, there is evil.
There's always been the elementof the unexplained, the just
out of reach that we can allfeel but can never quite
describe.
And the best place for tellingtales about such things is the
comfort and safety of an oldfront porch.
(03:10):
So I invite you tonight to comeup here with me, settle back
into a chair and get comfortable, Pour yourself a drink if you
like, and I'll share with yousome of the tales best told in
the company of friends, talesthat prove that truth really is
stranger than fiction, and I'llturn on the light.
(03:33):
You're going to want that.
I'm Carole Townsend.
Welcome to my front porch.
The following podcast containsmaterial that may be disturbing.
Listener discretion is advised.
(03:56):
There are many explanationsoffered up as to why New Orleans
is known for being home toghosts, spirits and wandering
souls.
Some believe that spiritscannot cross bodies of water.
The Mississippi River hugs thecity, and Lake Pontchartrain,
the second largest inland bodyof saltwater in the United
(04:18):
States, covers an area of 630square miles.
There are rivers and bayousthroughout Louisiana.
Waters, some say, trap spiritswithin the city.
In fact, new Orleans itselfsits 8 feet below sea level, so
perhaps there is some truth tothis theory.
(04:41):
There is a mansion that sitssquarely in the French Quarter,
at 1140 Royal Street, and italso sits atop the list of the
area's most infamous and mostevil places.
The LaLaurie Mansion wascompleted in 1832 in all of its
(05:02):
opulent neoclassical elegance,in all of its opulent
neoclassical elegance.
Imposing ironwork barred allbut those invited from the front
entrance and it guarded everybalcony.
Intricate mahogany carvings,elaborate ceiling, medallions,
imported chandeliers andextravagant furnishings graced
(05:23):
every inch of this Baroquebeauty.
The owners of this impressiveshowplace, dr Leonard, louis,
nicholas and Delphine Lalaurie.
Dr LaLaurie was Delphine'sthird husband and much younger
than his new bride.
Delphine had been widowed byher first two husbands.
(05:48):
Marie Delphine McCarthy was bornin 1870 to an aristocratic
white Creole family in NewOrleans and raised in
Spanish-controlled Louisiana inthe affluent French Quarter.
Delphine, as she was known, wasa dark-haired beauty with a
statuesque presence andporcelain skin.
(06:10):
She was educated in the finestinstitutions and was carefully
trained to exude graciousnessand refinement.
By birth and by marriages,delphine was a wealthy,
privileged woman.
In total, she had five childrenby her three husbands, four
(06:31):
daughters and one son.
Her marriage to Dr Louis Lollerybegan well enough.
He was young and handsome andhe was charming and well
connected, as was she, andtheirs seemed to be a match for
the ages.
Their marriage joined twowealthy and powerful dynasties,
(06:53):
and the pair was sure to leavean indelible mark on high New
Orleans society.
However, a few years into theirmarriage, the two grew distant.
Delphine, a bright woman,turned to her beloved books and
her fascination with the occultto fill the growing lonely hours
.
She had always been a youngwoman who strained against the
(07:17):
confines of her position, andthese escapes and pursuits
allowed her hungry mind to feed,ever aware of the importance of
appearances on the sociallandscape, the couple purchased
an unfinished house in theFrench Quarter.
Delphine threw herself into theconstruction and furnishing of
(07:39):
the house.
She spared no expense inselecting architectural details,
fine Asian fabrics and the mostexpensive china crystal and
silver.
Once the mansion was finished,the pair threw elaborate parties
and balls, and an invitation toone of their exclusive soirees
(08:02):
was a coveted one.
Delphine used philanthropy andcharity to further cement her
place among the upper crust ofNew Orleans society.
As is the case with mostsituations that seem too good to
be true, a dark cloud began toform and hovered over the La
(08:22):
Llorise, specifically overDelphine herself.
As was common among the wealthysouthern aristocracy, the La
Llorise owned enslaved people.
In fact, an entire section ofthe exquisite mansion was used
(08:43):
strictly for slave quarters.
Now, new Orleans was slightlydifferent from other southern
states with respect to its lawsgoverning slavery.
While the city was once thecenter of the US slave trade,
its laws for the treatment ofenslaved people were governed by
the French Louisiana Code Noir,a book of slave ownership
(09:07):
guidelines and laws issued bythe French government.
Some of the provisions of thatcode included mandatory
instruction in the Catholicfaith, and only the Catholic
faith for slaves, with strictobservance of Sunday as a day of
rest.
If a slave was found to beworking on a Sunday, he was to
(09:29):
be confiscated immediately.
Families of enslaved peoplewere not to be separated by sale
.
They were to be separated bysale.
They were to be given food andclothing allowances and harsh
disciplinary measures wereabsolutely forbidden.
Imagine people shock anddisbelief then when rumors began
(09:52):
surfacing about DelphineLaLaurie's mistreatment of her
charges in public.
Delphine went out of her way toshow kindness and concern for
African slaves, even manumittingor freeing two of her own at
one time.
But whispers that Delphine wasanything but kind to her own
(10:13):
enslaved people began flutteringup and down Bourbon Street and
throughout the French Quarter.
As hypocritical as it may sound, new Orleans aristocrats prided
themselves on their treatmentof the human beings they had so
callously purchased.
Guests at dinner partiescouldn't help noticing that the
(10:36):
LaLaurie's house slaves lookedhaggard and exhausted all the
time and that they seemedfearful and anxious in any
situation.
In fact, the very air insidethe mansion, some said, was
heavy and thick.
Surely misery lived here.
Neighbors said that they sawthe socialite Delphine digging a
(11:08):
grave in her garden late onenight.
Some of the enslaved people sheand the doctor had purchased had
gone missing withoutexplanation.
On occasion, anguished screamscould be heard coming from
inside the elegant mansion.
A young African girl named Leah, who was about 12 years old,
was tasked with brushingDelphine's hair.
(11:28):
One day she tugged a little toohard as the brush hit a tangle.
Furious Delphine snatched awhip from the bureau and chased
the girl throughout the house.
A whip from the bureau andchased the girl throughout the
house until, in utter fear anddesperation, the young girl
jumped to her death to avoid themistress's particular brand of
(11:49):
punishment.
Reportedly, delphine thendumped the child's body in a
well.
It was this horrible incidentthat prompted a visit to the
LaLaurie mansion by officials.
During that visit, theirobservations confirmed that the
LaLauries were indeed treatingtheir slaves cruelly.
(12:10):
This investigation forced thecouple to relinquish ownership
of nine of their slaves based onthe Code Noir ownership of nine
of their slaves based on thecode noir but relying on family
connections, wealth andinfluence.
Those same nine humans wererepurchased and returned to
(12:32):
their former place of residence,the dark Lalaurie mansion.
The Lalaurie's marriagecontinued to decompose until
Delphine filed for a legalseparation from her third
husband, claiming that he oftenbeat her.
The doctor willingly grantedDelphine the separation,
presumably knowing full wellthat the atrocities that took
(12:54):
place in the mansion would notstay hidden forever.
They never lived together againafter that separation, though
the doctor would return to themansion occasionally, his
purposes unknown.
Still, there are those whoclaim that Dr Louis Lalaurie
fully participated in thetorture of those he had
(13:16):
purchased and held captive inhis house.
The good doctor was rumored todabble in the use of
Haitian-influenced zombie drugs,drugs designed to enhance slave
obedience and compliance.
He was also said to havepracticed experimental surgeries
and sadistic torture on theslaves within the walls of the
(13:40):
grand house, all in the name ofresearch.
While this last has never beenproven beyond a shadow of a
doubt, the rumors and innuendossurrounding his complicity with
his cruel wife have persistedfor more than 150 years now.
Years now.
(14:09):
On April 10, 1834, the mask ofsocial propriety and elegance
was finally ripped from DelphineLaLaurie's beautiful face and
from that of her husband.
A fire started in the kitchenof the big house, and when
firefighters arrived arrived,they were shocked by what they
discovered.
The lala reese, 70 year oldafrican-american cook, was found
chained to the stove where thefire had clearly started.
(14:31):
She was emaciated and wasobviously very sick.
While the flames licked anddevoured the floors, walls,
expensive paintings, expensivepaintings and silk drapes,
delphine frantically tried togather as many of her precious
belongings as she could to savethem.
A crowd had begun gathering,many of them trying to help the
(14:54):
Lawleries by bringing water andby hauling out paintings and
other valuables.
But these same onlookers andvolunteers wondered aloud why
the servants weren't helping theelderly woman, once freed from
her chains in the kitchen,confided in firefighters that
she had intentionally set thefire in order to put an end to
(15:16):
Madame Delphine's crueltreatments.
As the brigade worked toextinguish the flames.
Put an end to Madame Delphine'scruel treatments.
As the brigade worked toextinguish the flames, they
eventually discovered thehorrendous truth about Dr and
Mrs LaLaurie.
Hearing screams and followingthem, a group of about ten men
discovered and tried to open alocked door, but Delphine and
(15:38):
the doctor refused to give themthe keys.
Louis LaLaurie, in so manywords, told the men that they
would do well to mind their ownbusiness.
Determined to rescue as manypeople as they could, the men
kicked their way through a walland what they found was nothing
short of horrifying.
I'm quoting here from April11th 1834 article in the New
(16:06):
Orleans Bee printed the dayafter the fire.
Quote more or less horriblymutilated, were seen suspended
by the neck, with their limbsapparently stretched and torn
from one extremity to the other.
(16:28):
They had been confined by thecouple for several months and
had been merely kept inexistence to prolong the
suffering.
End quote.
In the mansion, slave quarters,sequestered away from guests and
polite society, was a truechamber of horrors.
The Lalaurie's slaves werediscovered in conditions too
(16:52):
grotesque to attempt toadequately describe to you here.
Bodies in various stages ofdecomposition littered the stone
floor.
Stages of decompositionlittered the stone floor.
Others, barely clinging to life, hung suspended in midair,
gasping and swinging.
Still others had been soterribly mutilated that they
(17:15):
barely resembled human beings.
There is the account of a womanwhose limbs had been crudely
broken, amputated and reattachedto different areas of her body
so that she resembled a crab.
Several people, chained orcaged, had chunks of flesh
flayed from their bodies, thewounds festering.
(17:35):
Others had their mouths stuffedwith feces and sawdust, then
sewn shut and, perhaps mostappalling, some had holes cut in
their skulls and were foundwith sticks protruding from the
holes so that Delphine couldgive their brains a stir when
she saw fit.
The stench and the horrorstunned and sickened onlookers
(17:59):
and volunteers.
The scene, the pitiful cries ofdesperation and horror, shocked
and enraged an entire city.
In no time the crowd that hadgathered became incensed and
they tore through the burnedmansion and ashes and
surrounding area demanding thelife of Madame Delphine Lalaurie
(18:22):
.
The enraged onlookers destroyedwhat furniture, paintings and
valuables the fire hadn'talready consumed, determined to
find and to hang the monster whohad perpetuated these
unspeakable deeds.
But during the commotion,Delphine and her husband had
summoned her carriage and hadslipped away unseen.
(18:45):
The couple made a frantic dashout the Bayou Road, boarded a
schooner and crossed LakePontchartrain to the town of
Mandeville.
They remained there long enoughto put their business affairs
in order and to assign power ofattorney to their sons-in-law.
From there they traveled toMobile, alabama, then to New
(19:08):
York City and on June 24th theyset sail for France.
Once they settled in Paris,they were joined there by
Delphine's unmarried adultchildren.
Within a few years, dr LaLaurieleft for Cuba.
He was never reunited with hiswife and son and he died in
(19:29):
Havana in 1863.
While living in Paris with herchildren, delphine frequented
health spas in the PyreneesMountains.
She rented expensive lodgingsin a fashionable district and
continued her lavish lifestyle.
But her son-in-law in NewOrleans, who had been put in
(19:51):
full charge of her money, hadstopped sending her any.
He had sold the mansion for$14,000, less than half the
purchase price.
He had sold some of theenslaved people that had
survived her treatment, but 19of them were unaccounted for.
Had they perished?
(20:11):
Were they considered tooincapacitated to work?
We do not know, which issurprising, as enslaved people
were considered the property oftheir owners.
Meticulous records usuallyreflected their whereabouts.
Delphine was not concerned withthe matter at all, as she had
(20:31):
never made provisions for theiremancipation, even after her
cruelty had been revealed to anentire city.
Furious with her son-in-law,delphine threatened to return to
New Orleans to see about heraffairs and to get a full
accounting of her money andproperty.
Probably because of failinghealth, she never followed
(20:52):
through on that threat, at leastnot while she was alive.
No one is really sure how herlife came to an end.
One version of her end claimedthat a wild boar gored her to
death during a huntingexpedition and that her body was
returned to New Orleans forburial.
A more likely story is thatDelphine died after a long
(21:15):
illness at her home in Paris onDecember 7, 1849.
Her funeral took place the nextday at a nearby church.
She was temporarily interred ina cemetery in France, but
caretakers' records show thather remains were indeed exhumed
in 1851 for transportation toNew Orleans.
(21:39):
In 1873, a simple grave markerwas discovered in New Orleans'
St Louis Cemetery no 1.
That cemetery plot is said tohave belonged to Delphine's son.
He is believed to havepurchased this site before
having his mother's bodyreturned from Paris, and she is
(22:01):
probably buried there.
Probably.
What happened within the wallsof the mansion on Royal Street
while the LaLauries lived there?
What happened to the woman whowas born into aristocracy and
never wanted for a single thing?
Some say that the doctorhimself performed the twisted,
(22:23):
cruel experiments on the captivehousehold workers.
More, however, believe thatDelphine herself had developed a
voracious appetite for tortureand cruelty aimed at her
helpless victims, even smearingtheir blood on her face as a
youth potion.
Had Delphine Lalaurie indeedentered into a pact with the
(22:48):
devil, trading her soul and thelives of more than 100 enslaved
human beings for her own beauty,wealth and amusement?
Some accounts claim this to betrue.
Had her studies of the occulttwisted her vision, or had they
warped her very soul.
Was she completely mad?
(23:08):
This is another question, myfriends, which will never be
answered.
While the LaLaurie Mansion, asDelphine designed it, burned to
the ground in 1834, as Delphinedesigned it, burned to the
ground in 1834, the structurehas since been rebuilt and
(23:28):
remodeled several times.
It has served as a school, anapartment building and an
antique store down through theyears.
Actor Nicolas Cage bought thehouse in 2006 for $3.4 million,
but lost it to foreclosure justthree years later.
Houston millionaire MichaelWhalen then purchased the
(23:49):
10,000-square-foot eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom home for $2.1
million in 2010, and he sparedno expense in repairing and
restoring the remarkablestructure and elaborate details
In July 2024,.
Records indicate the mansion isagain on the market for $10.25
(24:12):
million.
The active real estate listingdescribes double parlors, a
billiard room, a 2,000-bottlewine cellar and a speakeasy all
for the courageous new owner.
Though ghost tours in the BigEasy often include the LaLaurie
Mansion as one of its stops,visitors cannot go inside as it
(24:35):
remains a private residence.
Even so, tales abound of therestless, tortured spirits that
haunt the sprawling house andabout the cruel and sadistic
mistress whose ghost walks thehalls and grounds of the now
infamous LaLaurie Mansion andits nightmarish chamber of
(24:56):
horrors.
Madame Delphine LaLaurie was aserial killer.
Of that assertion there can beno doubt.
But there was something else toher gruesome legacy A level of
privilege, depravity, crueltyand sadism that is difficult to
(25:17):
imagine.
Visitors gather outside thehome at 1140 Royal Street in the
French Quarter, frequentlylistening to ghosts or guides as
they speak in hushed tones ofDelphine's crimes.
Was she insane?
Was her rumored involvementwith voodoo to blame for her
(25:38):
shocking wickedness?
Or was the one-time toast ofhigh New Orleans society simply
bored, frustrated anddisappointed with her lot in
life, choosing to fill her daysnot with kindness but with the
misery of others who wererendered helpless by the laws of
the day?
Join me next time as we explorethe strange story of Corpsewood
(26:04):
Manor, located in the mountainsof North Georgia.
The couple who built and ownedthis unusual castle died
horrible deaths.
But what exactly led to thosedeaths?
Theirs is indeed an unusualtale, and some say it's a tale
of their own making.
(26:27):
I'm Carole Townsend, veterannewspaper journalist and
six-time award-winning author.
You can find me on social mediaand check out my website at
caroltownsendcom.
As always, thanks for listening, and if you're enjoying these
tales of Southern history andlore, I hope you'll tell your
(26:47):
friends.
Subscribe to this podcast onSpotify, apple Play, iheart and
anywhere you listen.
My team and I researched theLalauries and their merciless
crimes using the following worksMadame Delphine Lalaurie,
published by Cryptic ThrillerReads.
(27:08):
The Dark Secrets of MadameDelphine Lalaurie by Angela
Morris.
Inside Lalaurie Mansion, newOrleans' famous house of torture
and murder.
By Kalina Fraga and the website64parishesorg.
New Orleans, louisiana, is a city unlike any
other, draped in the mists ofmany rich cultures and
traditions, as beautiful and asmystifying as the Spanish moss
that whispers through its trees.
It's precisely because of theseblended cultures and mysterious
nuances that New Orleans isthought by many to be the most
(00:28):
enchanted and the most hauntedplace in the world.
There is no doubt that jazz,music, unparalleled dining,
mardi Gras, stunningarchitecture and colorful
history bring tourists fromaround the world every year, but
also know that voodoo, santeria, sorcery and witchcraft are
(00:54):
woven into the very fabric ofthe city, and millions travel to
New Orleans, especially theFrench Quarter, with a desire to
hear, feel and see the ancientinhabitants who still reside in
the city, though they've longbeen dead.
Of course, new Orleans is knownto most simply as the Big Easy.
(01:17):
It's also called the CrescentCity because the mighty
Mississippi curves around thecity in the shape of a crescent.
But there is a dark side ofthis beautiful, unique city.
Voodoo is still practiced here,vampires are said to come and
go through the centuries.
Bloody Mary herself called NewOrleans home.
(01:38):
A talented jazz musician andserial killer, the Axeman,
resided here, and the list goeson.
Tonight, however, I'm going toshare with you the story of New
Orleans' most reviled, most evilresident.
(02:01):
She was beautiful, she waswealthy and influential and she
was a sadistic serial killerskilled in the dark arts.
Here in the South we love ourstories.
We begin in childhood huddledaround campfires, whispering of
things best spoken in the dark,confiding in our small trusting
(02:25):
circles.
Why is that, do you suppose?
I have researched andinvestigated Southern history
for more than 20 years and Ibelieve it has to do with this
region itself.
There's a lot that hangs in theether here and much that is
buried deep in the soil here,and much that is buried deep in
(02:48):
the soil.
There's beauty here in theSouth and shame and courage and,
make no mistake, there is evil.
There's always been the elementof the unexplained, the just
out of reach that we can allfeel but can never quite
describe.
And the best place for tellingtales about such things is the
comfort and safety of an oldfront porch.
(03:10):
So I invite you tonight to comeup here with me, settle back
into a chair and get comfortable, Pour yourself a drink if you
like, and I'll share with yousome of the tales best told in
the company of friends, talesthat prove that truth really is
stranger than fiction, and I'llturn on the light.
(03:33):
You're going to want that.
I'm Carole Townsend.
Welcome to my front porch.
The following podcast containsmaterial that may be disturbing.
Listener discretion is advised.
(03:56):
There are many explanationsoffered up as to why New Orleans
is known for being home toghosts, spirits and wandering
souls.
Some believe that spiritscannot cross bodies of water.
The Mississippi River hugs thecity, and Lake Pontchartrain,
the second largest inland bodyof saltwater in the United
(04:18):
States, covers an area of 630square miles.
There are rivers and bayousthroughout Louisiana.
Waters, some say, trap spiritswithin the city.
In fact, new Orleans itselfsits 8 feet below sea level, so
perhaps there is some truth tothis theory.
(04:41):
There is a mansion that sitssquarely in the French Quarter,
at 1140 Royal Street, and italso sits atop the list of the
area's most infamous and mostevil places.
The LaLaurie Mansion wascompleted in 1832 in all of its
(05:02):
opulent neoclassical elegance,in all of its opulent
neoclassical elegance.
Imposing ironwork barred allbut those invited from the front
entrance and it guarded everybalcony.
Intricate mahogany carvings,elaborate ceiling, medallions,
imported chandeliers andextravagant furnishings graced
(05:23):
every inch of this Baroquebeauty.
The owners of this impressiveshowplace, dr Leonard, louis,
nicholas and Delphine Lalaurie.
Dr LaLaurie was Delphine'sthird husband and much younger
than his new bride.
Delphine had been widowed byher first two husbands.
(05:48):
Marie Delphine McCarthy was bornin 1870 to an aristocratic
white Creole family in NewOrleans and raised in
Spanish-controlled Louisiana inthe affluent French Quarter.
Delphine, as she was known, wasa dark-haired beauty with a
statuesque presence andporcelain skin.
(06:10):
She was educated in the finestinstitutions and was carefully
trained to exude graciousnessand refinement.
By birth and by marriages,delphine was a wealthy,
privileged woman.
In total, she had five childrenby her three husbands, four
(06:31):
daughters and one son.
Her marriage to Dr Louis Lollerybegan well enough.
He was young and handsome andhe was charming and well
connected, as was she, andtheirs seemed to be a match for
the ages.
Their marriage joined twowealthy and powerful dynasties,
(06:53):
and the pair was sure to leavean indelible mark on high New
Orleans society.
However, a few years into theirmarriage, the two grew distant.
Delphine, a bright woman,turned to her beloved books and
her fascination with the occultto fill the growing lonely hours
.
She had always been a youngwoman who strained against the
(07:17):
confines of her position, andthese escapes and pursuits
allowed her hungry mind to feed,ever aware of the importance of
appearances on the sociallandscape, the couple purchased
an unfinished house in theFrench Quarter.
Delphine threw herself into theconstruction and furnishing of
(07:39):
the house.
She spared no expense inselecting architectural details,
fine Asian fabrics and the mostexpensive china crystal and
silver.
Once the mansion was finished,the pair threw elaborate parties
and balls, and an invitation toone of their exclusive soirees
(08:02):
was a coveted one.
Delphine used philanthropy andcharity to further cement her
place among the upper crust ofNew Orleans society.
As is the case with mostsituations that seem too good to
be true, a dark cloud began toform and hovered over the La
(08:22):
Llorise, specifically overDelphine herself.
As was common among the wealthysouthern aristocracy, the La
Llorise owned enslaved people.
In fact, an entire section ofthe exquisite mansion was used
(08:43):
strictly for slave quarters.
Now, new Orleans was slightlydifferent from other southern
states with respect to its lawsgoverning slavery.
While the city was once thecenter of the US slave trade,
its laws for the treatment ofenslaved people were governed by
the French Louisiana Code Noir,a book of slave ownership
(09:07):
guidelines and laws issued bythe French government.
Some of the provisions of thatcode included mandatory
instruction in the Catholicfaith, and only the Catholic
faith for slaves, with strictobservance of Sunday as a day of
rest.
If a slave was found to beworking on a Sunday, he was to
(09:29):
be confiscated immediately.
Families of enslaved peoplewere not to be separated by sale
.
They were to be separated bysale.
They were to be given food andclothing allowances and harsh
disciplinary measures wereabsolutely forbidden.
Imagine people shock anddisbelief then when rumors began
(09:52):
surfacing about DelphineLaLaurie's mistreatment of her
charges in public.
Delphine went out of her way toshow kindness and concern for
African slaves, even manumittingor freeing two of her own at
one time.
But whispers that Delphine wasanything but kind to her own
(10:13):
enslaved people began flutteringup and down Bourbon Street and
throughout the French Quarter.
As hypocritical as it may sound, new Orleans aristocrats prided
themselves on their treatmentof the human beings they had so
callously purchased.
Guests at dinner partiescouldn't help noticing that the
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LaLaurie's house slaves lookedhaggard and exhausted all the
time and that they seemedfearful and anxious in any
situation.
In fact, the very air insidethe mansion, some said, was
heavy and thick.
Surely misery lived here.
Neighbors said that they sawthe socialite Delphine digging a
(11:08):
grave in her garden late onenight.
Some of the enslaved people sheand the doctor had purchased had
gone missing withoutexplanation.
On occasion, anguished screamscould be heard coming from
inside the elegant mansion.
A young African girl named Leah, who was about 12 years old,
was tasked with brushingDelphine's hair.
(11:28):
One day she tugged a little toohard as the brush hit a tangle.
Furious Delphine snatched awhip from the bureau and chased
the girl throughout the house.
A whip from the bureau andchased the girl throughout the
house until, in utter fear anddesperation, the young girl
jumped to her death to avoid themistress's particular brand of
(11:49):
punishment.
Reportedly, delphine thendumped the child's body in a
well.
It was this horrible incidentthat prompted a visit to the
LaLaurie mansion by officials.
During that visit, theirobservations confirmed that the
LaLauries were indeed treatingtheir slaves cruelly.
(12:10):
This investigation forced thecouple to relinquish ownership
of nine of their slaves based onthe Code Noir ownership of nine
of their slaves based on thecode noir but relying on family
connections, wealth andinfluence.
Those same nine humans wererepurchased and returned to
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their former place of residence,the dark Lalaurie mansion.
The Lalaurie's marriagecontinued to decompose until
Delphine filed for a legalseparation from her third
husband, claiming that he oftenbeat her.
The doctor willingly grantedDelphine the separation,
presumably knowing full wellthat the atrocities that took
(12:54):
place in the mansion would notstay hidden forever.
They never lived together againafter that separation, though
the doctor would return to themansion occasionally, his
purposes unknown.
Still, there are those whoclaim that Dr Louis Lalaurie
fully participated in thetorture of those he had
(13:16):
purchased and held captive inhis house.
The good doctor was rumored todabble in the use of
Haitian-influenced zombie drugs,drugs designed to enhance slave
obedience and compliance.
He was also said to havepracticed experimental surgeries
and sadistic torture on theslaves within the walls of the
(13:40):
grand house, all in the name ofresearch.
While this last has never beenproven beyond a shadow of a
doubt, the rumors and innuendossurrounding his complicity with
his cruel wife have persistedfor more than 150 years now.
Years now.
(14:09):
On April 10, 1834, the mask ofsocial propriety and elegance
was finally ripped from DelphineLaLaurie's beautiful face and
from that of her husband.
A fire started in the kitchenof the big house, and when
firefighters arrived arrived,they were shocked by what they
discovered.
The lala reese, 70 year oldafrican-american cook, was found
chained to the stove where thefire had clearly started.
(14:31):
She was emaciated and wasobviously very sick.
While the flames licked anddevoured the floors, walls,
expensive paintings, expensivepaintings and silk drapes,
delphine frantically tried togather as many of her precious
belongings as she could to savethem.
A crowd had begun gathering,many of them trying to help the
(14:54):
Lawleries by bringing water andby hauling out paintings and
other valuables.
But these same onlookers andvolunteers wondered aloud why
the servants weren't helping theelderly woman, once freed from
her chains in the kitchen,confided in firefighters that
she had intentionally set thefire in order to put an end to
(15:16):
Madame Delphine's crueltreatments.
As the brigade worked toextinguish the flames.
Put an end to Madame Delphine'scruel treatments.
As the brigade worked toextinguish the flames, they
eventually discovered thehorrendous truth about Dr and
Mrs LaLaurie.
Hearing screams and followingthem, a group of about ten men
discovered and tried to open alocked door, but Delphine and
(15:38):
the doctor refused to give themthe keys.
Louis LaLaurie, in so manywords, told the men that they
would do well to mind their ownbusiness.
Determined to rescue as manypeople as they could, the men
kicked their way through a walland what they found was nothing
short of horrifying.
I'm quoting here from April11th 1834 article in the New
(16:06):
Orleans Bee printed the dayafter the fire.
Quote more or less horriblymutilated, were seen suspended
by the neck, with their limbsapparently stretched and torn
from one extremity to the other.
(16:28):
They had been confined by thecouple for several months and
had been merely kept inexistence to prolong the
suffering.
End quote.
In the mansion, slave quarters,sequestered away from guests and
polite society, was a truechamber of horrors.
The Lalaurie's slaves werediscovered in conditions too
(16:52):
grotesque to attempt toadequately describe to you here.
Bodies in various stages ofdecomposition littered the stone
floor.
Stages of decompositionlittered the stone floor.
Others, barely clinging to life, hung suspended in midair,
gasping and swinging.
Still others had been soterribly mutilated that they
(17:15):
barely resembled human beings.
There is the account of a womanwhose limbs had been crudely
broken, amputated and reattachedto different areas of her body
so that she resembled a crab.
Several people, chained orcaged, had chunks of flesh
flayed from their bodies, thewounds festering.
(17:35):
Others had their mouths stuffedwith feces and sawdust, then
sewn shut and, perhaps mostappalling, some had holes cut in
their skulls and were foundwith sticks protruding from the
holes so that Delphine couldgive their brains a stir when
she saw fit.
The stench and the horrorstunned and sickened onlookers
(17:59):
and volunteers.
The scene, the pitiful cries ofdesperation and horror, shocked
and enraged an entire city.
In no time the crowd that hadgathered became incensed and
they tore through the burnedmansion and ashes and
surrounding area demanding thelife of Madame Delphine Lalaurie
(18:22):
.
The enraged onlookers destroyedwhat furniture, paintings and
valuables the fire hadn'talready consumed, determined to
find and to hang the monster whohad perpetuated these
unspeakable deeds.
But during the commotion,Delphine and her husband had
summoned her carriage and hadslipped away unseen.
(18:45):
The couple made a frantic dashout the Bayou Road, boarded a
schooner and crossed LakePontchartrain to the town of
Mandeville.
They remained there long enoughto put their business affairs
in order and to assign power ofattorney to their sons-in-law.
From there they traveled toMobile, alabama, then to New
(19:08):
York City and on June 24th theyset sail for France.
Once they settled in Paris,they were joined there by
Delphine's unmarried adultchildren.
Within a few years, dr LaLaurieleft for Cuba.
He was never reunited with hiswife and son and he died in
(19:29):
Havana in 1863.
While living in Paris with herchildren, delphine frequented
health spas in the PyreneesMountains.
She rented expensive lodgingsin a fashionable district and
continued her lavish lifestyle.
But her son-in-law in NewOrleans, who had been put in
(19:51):
full charge of her money, hadstopped sending her any.
He had sold the mansion for$14,000, less than half the
purchase price.
He had sold some of theenslaved people that had
survived her treatment, but 19of them were unaccounted for.
Had they perished?
(20:11):
Were they considered tooincapacitated to work?
We do not know, which issurprising, as enslaved people
were considered the property oftheir owners.
Meticulous records usuallyreflected their whereabouts.
Delphine was not concerned withthe matter at all, as she had
(20:31):
never made provisions for theiremancipation, even after her
cruelty had been revealed to anentire city.
Furious with her son-in-law,delphine threatened to return to
New Orleans to see about heraffairs and to get a full
accounting of her money andproperty.
Probably because of failinghealth, she never followed
(20:52):
through on that threat, at leastnot while she was alive.
No one is really sure how herlife came to an end.
One version of her end claimedthat a wild boar gored her to
death during a huntingexpedition and that her body was
returned to New Orleans forburial.
A more likely story is thatDelphine died after a long
(21:15):
illness at her home in Paris onDecember 7, 1849.
Her funeral took place the nextday at a nearby church.
She was temporarily interred ina cemetery in France, but
caretakers' records show thather remains were indeed exhumed
in 1851 for transportation toNew Orleans.
(21:39):
In 1873, a simple grave markerwas discovered in New Orleans'
St Louis Cemetery no 1.
That cemetery plot is said tohave belonged to Delphine's son.
He is believed to havepurchased this site before
having his mother's bodyreturned from Paris, and she is
(22:01):
probably buried there.
Probably.
What happened within the wallsof the mansion on Royal Street
while the LaLauries lived there?
What happened to the woman whowas born into aristocracy and
never wanted for a single thing?
Some say that the doctorhimself performed the twisted,
(22:23):
cruel experiments on the captivehousehold workers.
More, however, believe thatDelphine herself had developed a
voracious appetite for tortureand cruelty aimed at her
helpless victims, even smearingtheir blood on her face as a
youth potion.
Had Delphine Lalaurie indeedentered into a pact with the
(22:48):
devil, trading her soul and thelives of more than 100 enslaved
human beings for her own beauty,wealth and amusement?
Some accounts claim this to betrue.
Had her studies of the occulttwisted her vision, or had they
warped her very soul.
Was she completely mad?
(23:08):
This is another question, myfriends, which will never be
answered.
While the LaLaurie Mansion, asDelphine designed it, burned to
the ground in 1834, as Delphinedesigned it, burned to the
ground in 1834, the structurehas since been rebuilt and
(23:28):
remodeled several times.
It has served as a school, anapartment building and an
antique store down through theyears.
Actor Nicolas Cage bought thehouse in 2006 for $3.4 million,
but lost it to foreclosure justthree years later.
Houston millionaire MichaelWhalen then purchased the
(23:49):
10,000-square-foot eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom home for $2.1
million in 2010, and he sparedno expense in repairing and
restoring the remarkablestructure and elaborate details
In July 2024,.
Records indicate the mansion isagain on the market for $10.25
(24:12):
million.
The active real estate listingdescribes double parlors, a
billiard room, a 2,000-bottlewine cellar and a speakeasy all
for the courageous new owner.
Though ghost tours in the BigEasy often include the LaLaurie
Mansion as one of its stops,visitors cannot go inside as it
(24:35):
remains a private residence.
Even so, tales abound of therestless, tortured spirits that
haunt the sprawling house andabout the cruel and sadistic
mistress whose ghost walks thehalls and grounds of the now
infamous LaLaurie Mansion andits nightmarish chamber of
(24:56):
horrors.
Madame Delphine LaLaurie was aserial killer.
Of that assertion there can beno doubt.
But there was something else toher gruesome legacy A level of
privilege, depravity, crueltyand sadism that is difficult to
(25:17):
imagine.
Visitors gather outside thehome at 1140 Royal Street in the
French Quarter, frequentlylistening to ghosts or guides as
they speak in hushed tones ofDelphine's crimes.
Was she insane?
Was her rumored involvementwith voodoo to blame for her
(25:38):
shocking wickedness?
Or was the one-time toast ofhigh New Orleans society simply
bored, frustrated anddisappointed with her lot in
life, choosing to fill her daysnot with kindness but with the
misery of others who wererendered helpless by the laws of
the day?
Join me next time as we explorethe strange story of Corpsewood
(26:04):
Manor, located in the mountainsof North Georgia.
The couple who built and ownedthis unusual castle died
horrible deaths.
But what exactly led to thosedeaths?
Theirs is indeed an unusualtale, and some say it's a tale
of their own making.
(26:27):
I'm Carole Townsend, veterannewspaper journalist and
six-time award-winning author.
You can find me on social mediaand check out my website at
caroltownsendcom.
As always, thanks for listening, and if you're enjoying these
tales of Southern history andlore, I hope you'll tell your
(26:47):
friends.
Subscribe to this podcast onSpotify, apple Play, iheart and
anywhere you listen.
My team and I researched theLalauries and their merciless
crimes using the following worksMadame Delphine Lalaurie,
published by Cryptic ThrillerReads.
(27:08):
The Dark Secrets of MadameDelphine Lalaurie by Angela
Morris.
Inside Lalaurie Mansion, newOrleans' famous house of torture
and murder.
By Kalina Fraga and the website64parishesorg.
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