The Dark Truths of The LaLaurie Mansion
Fans and believers of the supernatural have probably heard of the famous, haunted landmark and tourist attraction: The LaLaurie Mansion located in New Orleans, Louisiana. While the landmark is known for allegedly being extremely haunted, the mansion holds a lot of darker truths.
New Orleans Historical claims that Delphine LaLaurie, also known as Madame Lalaurie, was a wealthy New Orleans socialite and slave owner; she first moved into the mansion in 1832 with her third husband Dr. Leonard Louis Nicolas LaLaurie, where she hosted many lavish parties.
Upon moving into the house, LaLaurie immediately took control of the large number of slaves that were used as servants and began her sadistic and horrid treatment of the enslaved workers, according to History.
Over the years, information about her mistreatment of enslaved people surfaced, and she had allegedly been investigated in 1828 for cruelty towards enslaved people, though no court records of this investigation have been found; however, there is documentation that claims that LaLaurie paid for legal services and sold a number of enslaved people following the investigation.
While living in the mansion, LaLaurie showed no mercy to her cruelty, even going as far as chasing a small enslaved girl with a whip until the girl fell off the roof of the house and died in 1833, to which LaLaurie tried to cover up, but police later found the body hidden in a well. Upon this incident, authorities decided to fine LaLaurie and force her to sell the enslaved people on the estate.
It is claimed that LaLaurie didn’t entirely follow through with this, instead arranging a secret plan where her friends and relatives bought the enslaved workers so she could sneak them back into the mansion where she would continue her torture, until one night in April of 1834.
On the night of April 10, 1834, a fire broke out at the LaLaurie mansion where firefighters discovered seven slaves who were horribly mutilated and locked inside a torture chamber. Firefighters found one of the enslaved people, a 70 year old woman, trapped in the kitchen during the fire because she was chained up, and she later revealed that she had started the fire in an attempt to escape LaLaurie’s torture. The woman led authorities to the attic where the seven slaves were found tied up with spiked iron collars.
Upon the start of the fire and learning of the torture and abuse of the slaves, LaLaurie’s neighbors became enraged and a crowd of 4,000 people gathered and ransacked the mansion, destroying what was left of it.
Not wanting to face the repercussions, the LaLaurie’s fled to Paris, where Delphine LaLaurie is believed to have died in 1842. Unfortunately, charges were never filed against LaLaurie but her reputation in upper-class society was destroyed.
