A prominent family – haunted by depravity.
The depraved mind of a wealthy hostess inflicted disgusting treatment on a large number of slaves… But their memory lives on inside.
Harrowing tales of maltreatment of slaves at the LaLaurie Mansion in Royal Street was a precursor to a haunting that relives the tragic lives of murdered slaves. Privately a vile and filthy woman, Madame LaLaurie was a celebrated society woman in public. Parties at her lavish home in the French Quarter were among the most sought after invitations in town.
Much like many of the wealthy and morally corrupt of the time, the household kept a large number of slaves. And if it is possible to harm a man more comprehensively than to take his freedom, these repulsive individuals also regularly tortured their emaciated captives.
A fire, reportedly set by a slave cook – who was allegedly kept chained to a stove, swept through the house one day. In the midst of the raging flames, a considerate neighbour sought to confirm the safety of several slaves who had recently been returned to the home after maltreatment saw them removed for their own safety. He found no solace.
As several men raced through the home in the aftermath of the fire, they discovered a locked door; behind which several tortured slaves were chained. Their reputation in ruins, the LaLauries fled to a nearby town. But it is said some residents stayed on…
In the night, it was reported the strangled cries of tortured slaves rang out. It is said a young slave girl murdered by the family roams the halls. It is a tale tainted by sorrow, a sad reminder of the disgusting depravity of recent western history.
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