The woman was famous for lavish parties at which the cream of the city appeared, but the sublime dishes and preparation of the party each time was the merit of a group of 54 African Americans.
A twice widow, she bought the house in 1831, which was renovated into a three-story villa. Although the authorities of New Orleans repeatedly investigated her case (disturbing signals of cruelty were noticed, among others, by LaLaurie’s neighbors), the woman regularly committed bestial acts until April 1834. The conditions in which she held enslaved people were the subject of rumors and speculation. Eventually, the neighbors forced the local police to intervene. However, subsequent investigations yielded no results.
The 12-year-old pulled her hair too hard while combing it. The sadist was furious
Finally, the local community was shaken by the death of a 12-year-old girl who was also a slave of Delphine Lalaurie. According to historians, the child had inadvertently pulled Lalaurie too hard while combing her hair. The woman became furious and ran after the child with a whip. The terrified 12-year-old was chased onto the roof from which she fell. A neighbor was an eyewitness to the incident. The man later reported that the body of the 12-year-old victim had been buried.
The denunciation and eyewitness accounts led to LaLaurie receiving a symbolic punishment. However, it was scandalously low and really did not affect her in any way. Madame Macabre was only fined $300 for abusing slaves. She also had to give up 9 people who were held captive by her. It turned out, however, that the woman asked her friends to buy them and resell them back to her.
The tortures to which Delphine Lalaurie subjected the enslaved people did not see the light of day until April 10, 1834. On that day, a fire broke out in the house of the couple (the woman lived in a villa with her husband and children – ed.). According to witnesses, the family immediately ran away, taking the most valuable items. However, the attention of the neighbors was drawn to the fact that no one from the group of slaves escaped from the burning house. It wasn’t until the fire took over the upper floor that screams were heard. The door to the villa was then forced open to save the victims of the fire.
Beating, mutilation, torture and hanging from the ceiling
The rescuers then saw the cruelty committed by the sadistic owner of the residence for years. Slaves were found chained to walls and tables, some locked in small cages. Extremely starved, emaciated, abused people barely lived. According to some sources, these people had iron, spiked collars around their necks, which did not allow them to get close to each other. Numerous traces of physical torture, beatings and mutilations were discovered on their bodies. According to local newspaper reports, several people were found suspended by the neck from the ceiling, with torn and unnaturally stretched legs or arms.
The torture took place mainly in the attic. The degree of healing of the wounds indicated that the torture lasted for months. Some of the abused people could not be recognized at all. Some historical sources say that Lalaurie was supposed to conduct cruel experiments on enslaved people.
She never took responsibility for her actions
The investigation revealed that the fire was started by a 70-year-old cook. Chained to the furnace and abused, the woman had had enough of suffering and chose death.
Unfortunately, during the fire, the owners of the tenement house managed to escape. Delphine Lalaurie’s husband is also believed to have engaged in atrocious practices, but the couple has never been held accountable for their actions. Some sources say that they fled to Paris, where they lived until death, and the woman died exactly on December 7, 1849 in the capital of France. However, historians also argue about this. Some believe that eight years after the atrocities were exposed and the fire broke out, the sadist returned to New Orleans and died there. However, her body was never found, so the place of her burial and the exact date of her death remain unknown.
Sources: interestinghistorical.pl/historyofyesterday.com/the-line-up.com/ancient-origins.net/nola.com
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
