1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: All right, do you love a good haunted house. We're 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: launching into October, the month of Halloween. You're not alone. 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,120 Speaker 1: There's a mansion in New Orleans with a terrifying past, 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: as well as a connection to an eccentric movie star. 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. What happened at the Lelori House? That's 6 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: next on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. Well, 7 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: a lot of us are attracted to big and kind 8 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: of scary old houses, and if folks think they're haunted, 9 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: they tell us horror stories of what happened there. And 10 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: I guess while we're thrilled, we don't necessarily believe it all. 11 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: Actor Nicholas Cage is infamous for his love of haunted 12 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: mansions and castles and his ability to buy them. Then again, 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: he also has an inability to keep up with the 14 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: payments once he does buy them. But a house in 15 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: New Orleans that he bought and then lost to foreclosure 16 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: has a really terrifying backstory. This is the true story 17 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: of what's called the most haunted house in New Orleans. 18 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: It's the early eighteen hundreds. New Orleans socialite Delphine Lolori 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: has a magnificent house, right in the heart of the 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: French Quarter. She lives there on Royal Street with her 21 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: much younger third husband, doctor Lewis Lelori. By the way, 22 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: you might recognize Delphine's name as well as the mansion 23 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: from Coven That was the third season of American Horror Story. 24 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: Of course, the show borrowed the house in Delphine's name 25 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 1: for the focus of the season. Actress Kathy Bates when 26 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: an Emmy for playing Delphine, who in the show was 27 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: recast as a witch, and in some ways that kind 28 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: of makes sense once you hear her real story. The 29 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: Lolories have a troubled marriage, most likely due to Delphine's 30 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: ferocious temper, and they had a troubled household as well. 31 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: Neighbors said Delphine's slaves didn't look well treated, though she 32 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: always seemed to be kind to them at public. They 33 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: said they heard screams and strange noises coming from the 34 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: mansion at all hours of the day and night. There 35 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: was gossip that she was cruel to her slaves. Eventually, 36 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: the town caught wind of it and sent a local 37 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: lawyer to the house to remind her about the laws 38 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: for the proper care of slaves. Now, mind you, this 39 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: was New Orleans in the eighteen thirties, so how they 40 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: treated slaves was a little bit of an issue here. 41 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: But the lawyer said he didn't see anything alarming, so 42 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: that was that. For the next three years, beginning in 43 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty one, records showed that there were twelve deaths 44 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: among Delphine's slaves, though they didn't report how those people died. 45 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: But one of those deaths was that of a child 46 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: named Leah. A neighbor says she saw the little girl 47 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: fall to her death from the roof of the mansion 48 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: while trying to run away from Delphine, who was chasing 49 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,959 Speaker 1: her with a whip. Apparently, Leah had been brushing Delphine's 50 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: hair and hit a snag, pulling her hair. Delphine was 51 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: enraged she came after Leah with the whip. After the fall, 52 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: the Lalies buried the little girl's body in the garden, 53 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: but now because a neighbor had seen it, there was 54 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: an investigation. The Lalories were tried and found guilty of 55 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: illegal cruelty as opposed to legal cruelty. What's that about. 56 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: Well as punishment, they were find three hundred bucks and 57 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: nine of their slaves were taken from them, but once 58 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: again ha money to the rescue. Those nine slaves were 59 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: returned to the mansion after Delphine bought them back through 60 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: a relative. Can you imagine what it must have been 61 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: like to escape that horror only to be returned to 62 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: the same house and the same people who had tortured you, 63 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: And it kept going. Further stories said that Delphine kept 64 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: her cook chained to the kitchen stove and even beat 65 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: her own daughters when they tried to feed that cook 66 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: and the other slaves. Imagine she's doing cooking for the family, 67 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: but she's starving. Despite the rumors, though, nobody went after 68 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: Delphine and that was it. Although for a period of 69 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: time her husband left their home, by eighteen thirty four 70 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: he was back. Then, in April of that year, a 71 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: fire broke out in the mansion's kitchen. When the police 72 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: and firefighters got there, they found that seventy year old 73 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: cook chained to the stove, just like the gossip had said. 74 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: She told them she had set the fire as a 75 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: suicide attempt because she was afraid of being punished by Delphine. 76 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,679 Speaker 1: She said that slaves that were taken to the attic 77 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 1: never came back. That's when firefighters found a locked door 78 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: in the attic. They tried to get in to make 79 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: sure everybody was evacuated. When the Lolories refused to hand 80 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: over the keys, they broke down the doors inside in chains. 81 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: They found seven slaves who had been horribly mutilated, chained 82 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: by the neck in heavy iron, spiked collars, emaciated, and 83 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: their skin literally torn to pieces with a whip. When 84 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: Delphine's husband was asked by a judge who came to 85 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: the scene what had been going on, Doctor Lelorie snapped, 86 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: some people better stay at home rather than come to 87 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: other people's homes to dictate laws and meddle with other 88 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,679 Speaker 1: people's business. The slaves said Delphine had tortured them for months. 89 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: Two of them died within days of being sort of rescued. 90 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: And why do I say sort of rescued. Well, amazingly, 91 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: the powers that'd be put those rescued slaves on display 92 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: in a jail where they were available for public viewing. 93 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: Within two days, up to four thousand people had shown 94 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: up to gawk at them, many saying they needed to 95 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: see it for themselves because it was so hard to 96 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: believe anybody could be so cruel. Almost immediately, an angry 97 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: mob came after the Lolories, but they managed to escape. 98 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: No one knew where they'd gone and if they'd gotten 99 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: out of the country, but they were never seen in 100 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: New Orleans again, at least officially. It seems Delphine and 101 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 1: her husband had apparently fled to the waterfront as the 102 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: fire burned in their mansion. There, they jumped on a 103 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: schooner took it to Alabama, where they caught a ship 104 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: to France. Years later, Delphine's son said that she had 105 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: wanted to move back to New Orleans, but most of 106 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: her five children, some in the US, some in France, 107 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: thought that was a very bad idea due to her reputation. Now, 108 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: as far as anybody can tell, she never resurfaced in 109 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: New Orleans. Did she fake her death in France and 110 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: sneak back into the US seems a bit unlikely, because 111 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 1: a gravestone was discovered years later in France showing she 112 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:47,279 Speaker 1: had died there in eighteen forty nine, when she was 113 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: sixty two years old. Hope you're enjoying the backstory with 114 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Please leave your review and follow or subscribe 115 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 1: for free to get new episodes delivered automatically. Feel free 116 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 1: to dm me if you have a story you'd like 117 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on 118 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a 119 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durant Group, and 120 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,679 Speaker 1: Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer 121 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 1: Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. 122 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out to me with comments and 123 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and 124 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the 125 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't 126 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: know you needed to know.