Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie

In 1834, Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie New Orleans’ mansion burst into flames. As LaLaurie busied herself saving her furs, jewels, and heirlooms (but not, tellingly, her slaves), neighbours supposedly heard cries of agony coming from her attic. When rescuers burst into LaLaurie’s home, they found several slaves bound and mutilated in the attic, showing signs of prolonged and sadistic torture.

It appeared that this was just the tip of a far darker side of Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie than the public was fully aware of (she was subsequently rumoured to have killed several of her slaves, including children) and an outraged mob ransacked the LaLaurie home soon after.

Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie escaped to France and the rest of her life is not well documented.