Mad Madame LaLaurie

by Victoria Cosner Love

  AUTHENTIC PARTICULARS

  The following deposition stating the material facts attendant upon the horrible disclosures at the late conflagration has been made by Judge Canongo before a magistrate—coming from the source it does, it is entitled to full credence. We shall make no comment, but let the document speak for itself.

  State of Louisiana

  City of New Orleans

  Before Judge Preval

  The Deponent declares that on Thurs. 10th, a fire took place on the premises of Mds. Lalaurie, that he repaired {rather?} as a citizen for the purpose of affording any assistance within his power; that on arriving, there he was apprised of there being in one of the apartments some slaves who were chained, and who were, from their situation, exposed to perish in the conflagration. That at first, he hesitated to speak to Mr. Lalaurie, but addressed some of the friends of the family upon the subject. That seeing, however, all the persons present apparently indifferent to the result, he determined upon addressing both Mr. and Madame Lalaurie, who replied to his inquiries of the truth of what has been alleged, that it was slander. That he thereupon felt constrained to make fresh inquiries into the truth of what he had heard. That Messrs. Montreuil and Fernandez were near him, and he desired them both to go into the garret to make the necessary search, observing that he himself had attempted to do so, but was almost suffocated by the smoke. That these gentlemen had come to him some time after and had told him they had made a regular search but had found nobody. That a gentleman he believed to be Mr. Felix Lefebrve, came to him and said he had broke the bars of one of the apartments and he had discovered some slaves, intimating at the time his willingness to point out the place. That accompanied by several persons he reached the spot pointed out, and that it deemed advisable that the doors which were locked should be broken open. It was accordingly done. That he entered, accompanied by the citizens with him, two negresses were found incarcerated whom he liberated from this den as it were. That several voices were heard that there were other victims in the kitchen, that he repaired thither, but found no one. That one of the negresses had an iron collar, very large and very heavy, and was chained with heavy irons by the feet. That she walked with the greatest difficulty that he was unable to examine the one behind. That one individual, whom he believes to be Mr. Guillotte, said to him he knew of another slave was confined. That he entered with this gentleman into another apartment, where, upon someone’s removing a mosquitoe bar, an old negress was found with a deep wound in her head. That she appeared to be quite feeble, too much so to be able to walk, that the deponent desired some of the persons present to have her removed to the mayor’s office, where the first two had been removed. That upon his (deponent) demanding of Mr. Lalaurie if he had any slaves in his garret, he replied in an insulting tone, “that there were persons who would do much better by remaining at home than visiting others to dictate to them laws in the quality of officious friends.”

  This is not exactly the horror show of medical atrocities that the story would eventually evolve into, but it is certainly horrible enough. And it provides an eyewitness to Dr. Lalaurie’s presence at the fire and his disregard of the helpless people perishing in his house. The story was ghastly enough to drive the Lalauries, despite their wealth and social standing, out of the country.

  The April 12, 1834 edition of the Bee newspaper, with its ongoing coverage of the fire and its discoveries.

  Louis’ character would be further tarnished early in the couple’s exile. Madame and Dr. Lalaurie went to stay for a time at his family’s estate in France. Madame’s son, Paulin, later wrote a letter to his brother-in-law, Delassus, in which he spoke of the bad treatment that his mother Delphine received at the Lalauries’ house. He referred to his stepfather’s family as “those riff raff Lalauries” and mentioned that Dr. Louis Lalaurie was present during the alleged incidents of cruelty against Delphine. Paulin told his father that Delphine was “forced to lie without a bed” and went on to call the Lalauries jean-foutre, or jackasses.

  Louis then disappeared from history for a while, and the Lalauries separated at some point. The last correspondence recorded from Louis Lalaurie was from Cuba in 1842, well before Delphine’s newly established death date. (See the sixth chapter.) He wrote to Auguste Delassus, his sonin-law by marriage to Madame Lalaurie, mainly to ask that some of his possessions be sent to him (translated by Larry Frank, Delassus–St. Vrain Collection, MHS):

  Havana 9 Oct. 1842

  Mr. Auguste Delassus, New Orleans

  My Dear Auguste,

  Perhaps I trouble you, but I dare believe that you would like to render me the service that I ask of you.

  You must have in your hands some works that I cannot bring with me; these are works of medicine (some belonged to my father). I would like you to have them delivered to me and at the same time, another object, that I want to possess very much, and which cannot be of any use to you—two diplomas, one of master mason, the other of [illegible] cross of the Lodge of the Friends of the Bourbons of Villeneuve-sur-Lot that belong to me along with an apron in leather, one in silk, with its cord and a cross. Please wrap them together, seal and deliver them to the captain who will deliver them to me by hand since this cannot pass through customs with the case containing the books. This last [item] you will put on the manifest, by sending me the bill of loading [sic], by mail, so that I can claim it immediately, but of that, if within 48 hours one hasn’t made entry into customs, he pays a penalty and double duties.

  Give me some news, about your father and your family, above all about your oldest son who is also mine; he will undoubtedly not remember he who marked on the right thigh, a remembrance that he will keep all his life. It is at this price he will conserve it. He will say that it is a sad individual who rendered him into existence (i.e. brought him into this world). I will learn, with much pleasure, that you are happy. If you believe that I can be of some assistance to you here, make use of me in all surety.

  My respects to your venerable father, greetings to your Jeanne, caresses to your children, and believe me your all-devoted servant and friend.

  Dr. L. Lalaurie

  Address Dr. L. Lalaurie

  Havana

  (no such building)

  Also give me news of the good and respectable Mrs. Widow Derbigni [sic], your aunt, to whom I pray you to offer the assurance of my respect. Vale.

  Louis’ death date has not been verified. The search for death and birth records in Cuba is a hard process if you are not in the country. Searches have to be done church by church, and the researcher needs to be able to narrow the search down in years. This proved impossible for us, and it is hoped that future historians will ascertain Louis Lalaurie’s date and place of death. Havana, Cuba, is probably a good place to start, as it was also a common stopping point between France and Louisiana.

  In 1850, a passport application appeared verifying that Louis Lalaurie of New Orleans was a citizen of the United States (a handwritten document, signature illegible). It is believed that the passport was issued to Louis and Delphine’s son, Jean Louis Lalaurie. Jean Louis was six years old at the time of the fire. Based on letters written by Delphine’s family, he was with them in Paris early on. It is believed that Jean Louis returned to New Orleans with his mother in the 1840s.

  Letters Jean Louis wrote from France on behalf of his mother show an articulate and respectful boy. It appears that he had hearing problems as a young child. He underwent therapy that apparently worked, because after his twelfth year his hearing issues are not mentioned in letters again.

  It appears that Jean Louis moved back and forth between Paris and New Orleans and took over the family matters. Correspondence with his uncle, Delassus, shows a maturing young man eager to make business ventures. An 1850 census has “J Laloire” living in New Orleans. This alternative spelling could be a deliberate attempt to shield his soiled family name. More likely, though, it is a typo or perhaps a different family altogether.

  Throughout the
1850s, Jean Louis corresponded with Delassus about business, bills and matters pertaining to the family. A large amount of the correspondence is dedicated to business transactions that Jean Louis undertook with Delassus and the Denis family. He certainly did not seem to be hiding from his family name. Whether he faced any repercussions from his mother and stepfather’s infamous reputation is completely unknown. He remained unmarried throughout his life.

  In 1870, an article in the New Orleans Times tells of a duel between Jean Louis Lalaurie and his cousin, Lucien Debuys. Jean Louis was wounded, and rumors circulated that he was bleeding to death. The rumors were untrue; he recovered from his wound. His death is recorded in the New Orleans, Louisiana Death Record Index as December 13, 1883, at the age of fifty-five.

  A Marie Lalaurie, two years old, has a death records index entry in 1872. This particular record does not state who her parents were, but no other Lalauries show up in the records. Further research may indicate that this was Jean Louis’ illegitimate daughter—and Madame Lalaurie’s granddaughter.

  Chapter 5

  Exiled in Paris

  As his only reply, the doctor pointed to the place of Madame de Larcy, (as Lalaurie was called in this story), which was empty. At that moment, the sound of a carriage was heard: everyone hurried to the window…a caleche, driven by a negro, appeared and passed rapidly under the balcony. Madame de Larcy was seated there, calm and proud, holding in her hand a bouquet of heliotrope.

  –L. Souvestre, 1838

  After her flight from New Orleans, Madame Lalaurie set up residence in Paris. It is assumed that she stayed at one of the family homes of the Macartys or possibly at the Pontalba residence (the Tallyrand building), which was once used as the French Consulate in Paris. She had her six-year-old son by Louis Lalaurie, Jean Louis, with her. She also had three of her adult children by Jean Blanque: her daughters Pauline and Laure and her son Paulin.

  What could have been an early report of Madame Lalaurie appeared in Le Courier des Estates-Unis on December 8, 1838. Written by L. Souvestre, who cannot be identified, the piece related the story as told by a Methodist minister, Dr. Miller. In this narrative, Dr. Miller is a guest at the French estate of Henri Vrain. (The Vrains were relatives of the Delassus family.) Dr. Miller recognizes a fellow guest, known to the others as Madame de Larcy, as the notorious Madame Lalaurie. After searching his troubled soul, he tells the other guests of her gruesome actions. Madame Lalaurie flees from the estate at the end of the tale and into obscurity once again.

  This narrative is melodramatic and reads more like a piece of short fiction than an account of an actual event. However, it is an interesting representation of what Madame might have faced in the tight communities of the French and French Creoles. (See more on the L. Souvestre story in the seventh chapter.)

  The Pontalba estate, probable residence of the Lalaurie family during their exile to France. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

  More probable, though, is that Madame was not hiding at all. She could not be prosecuted in France for what she had allegedly done in New Orleans. Her whereabouts were no secret. Jeanne (Delphine’s daughter by Jean Blanque) visited her mother in Paris in the late 1830s with her children and husband, Auguste Delassus, as shown by the numerous pieces of correspondence found in the Missouri History Archives. (Auguste Delassus wrote to his father about a deplorable trip they took to stay with the Lalauries at their estate in Aquitaine. Whether this is the same trip that spurred Delphine’s son Paulin to dub the Lalaurie family “jackasses” is unclear.)

  Madame Lalaurie gave power of attorney to Jeanne’s husband, Auguste Delassus, before she fled New Orleans. Eventually, Jeanne and Delassus separated. Auguste was settling the town of Delassus, Missouri, during the last years of Delphine’s life. There is correspondence between Delassus and Delphine regarding her financial welfare and her mental health. (One can only speculate about the inner demons that may have tormented Delphine. Did she feel guilt for her role in the atrocities of 1834? Was she suffering residual anxiety from her abusive marriage to Louis Lalaurie? Or was her complex psyche simply crumbling under the stress of her exile?) Reading Delphine’s correspondence with Delassus leads one to believe that she did not suffer from guilt. Any angst in the subtext of the letters is well hidden.

  Located in Aquitaine, France, the Lalaurie estate is now a bed-and-breakfast. Louis Lalaurie’s family chateau is the site of Madame’s humiliating visit as told by her son-in-law, Auguste Delassus. Lalaurie estate.

  Jeanne accompanied her mother back to New Orleans about 1842. Laure, Paulin and Pauline resided with Delphine in Paris as late as 1838; they probably fled New Orleans with her after the fire. But Laure maintained her New Orleans residence while she was in France and, by 1842, was back in New Orleans. Receipts show that she was living in the Vieux Carré.

  Directories indicate that two of Madame Lalaurie’s unmarried daughters, Jeanne and Pauline, returned to New Orleans to live next door to their mother in the mid-1840s. Her son, Paulin, returned to New Orleans and married Felicite Amanda Andry between 1851 and 1853. He fathered two children and died on September 22, 1868.

  Madame Lalaurie’s eldest daughter, Borquita, lived in New Orleans her entire life, and there is no evidence that she visited her mother during her exile.

  Madame Lalaurie thrived in Paris; she seemed to be able to thrive anywhere. She conducted business from France, paying her taxes and financing the repair of a residence in New Orleans (Faubourg Marigny) that was rented out. Records indicate that Madame returned to New Orleans and lived in this house until her death in 1857 or 1858. (See the sixth chapter.)

  As for Madame’s younger son, he starts to speak for himself as early as age twelve. Louis Lalaurie wrote to his uncle about joining his mother in the country after he had a surgery to improve his hearing. This indicates that Madame was living a life similar to her New Orleans existence—a residence in town, as well as a rural retreat. It would seem that Delphine had a busy social life and not many financial worries at this point in time.

  From about 1840 on, however, a different tone appears in Delphine Lalaurie’s correspondence to her son-in-law, Auguste Delassus. In a letter from the Delassus–St. Vrain Collection, she inquires repeatedly about her money and Auguste’s lack of response to her letters and expresses her angst over the situation:

  31 May 1842 ALS

  Lalaurie nee Macarty to Auguste Delassus

  My Dear Delassus,

  I don’t know what to attribute the delay to that you have caused in sending me the draft that you are announcing to me in the letter that you wrote to me via Doctor Thomas. What I can tell you is that I have found myself in a painful and most embarrassing position seeing that since the month of last June, I haven’t drawn on you. After having waited in vain for the various steamships, which have arrived for some time, that I would receive some news of my affairs, I have been obliged to put my signature out, still hoping that in the interval that would lapse until the due date of the promissory note, I would be able to receive some money; but what was my disappointment and my fears when I saw that my signature could be protested, for they could have been able to refuse to renew my promissory note. It was therefore necessary for me to take some money at an exorbitant premium: I paid 4,80 [piastres]: you see what an enormous loss I take. It is Mr. Artigue, son-in-law of Mr. Shiff, who will draw on you. The drafts will leave on the June 4 boat.

  I don’t know what to think about your silence toward me since my brother receives letters from you very often. You have announced the state of my affairs to me several times and since the departure of Placide for France, the time at which you were put in charge of them, I still have not been able to receive news of them. I earnestly pray you make the news arrive to me as soon as you receive this letter, and if the drafts that you were announcing to me haven’t left, to send me in place of the first sum asked for, fifteen hundred piastres to complete the five thousand piastres, which I need for my expenses for the y
ear. If the management of my affairs was distracting you from your other occupations, you could ask Placide to take charge of them. I hope that he will not refuse to do so.

  Tell Jeanne that I received her letter of 18 April, which gave me so much pleasure since it had been a long time that we were without news, and that which she gave me was good. I was very happy the children were over the measles and that you were all in good health at that time. Nevertheless, Delphine’s [Borquita’s] little Octave was still convalescing. I hope that he recovered completely soon after Jeanne Wrote me. Please witness to Delphine my satisfaction to have learned of her happy deliver, but tell her at the same time, that I was not so satisfied when I learned she was still pregnant. Nonetheless, I don’t love her dear little daughter less, whom I would like to be able, with all the others, to kiss and press to my heart.

  We have learned indirectly of the nominations of Placide as comptroller of the banks. They told us that it was worth four thousand piastres a year for him. Since this piece of news was announced to us by two people who learned of it by letters that they had received, we do not in delivering satisfaction that it must naturally inspire us with to expose us to disappointment to which one can often await in adding faith to the news which is distributed here. In the position of Placide, nine children, Jeanne and himself to support, I consider that a position [paying] four thousands piastres would be a great help to him. May the circumstances become favorable to him and may they repair, a little the losses that he has had.

  The news of the reunion of your father and the rest of you made me feel a great pleasure. His separation from his sister must have cost him a lot, but the circumstance that brought it will have without a doubt rendered it less painful by thinking that the company of his grandchildren would procure him a little more distraction. The presence of young people in a house always fills it with more gaiety and liveliness.