00:00Hello and welcome to the Dark Mystery Lounge. Today we are going to take a look at one of the oldest child abuse cases in this channel's history, the case of Aurora Gagnon in Quebec, a child that suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect her.
00:17By the way, apologies in advance, if I happen to screw up any French words, I will try to get the pronunciation as accurate as possible. Let's get started.
00:30Meet the Gagnon family. Tell us for Gagnon was born on July 11, 1883, was a farmer, lumberjack, blacksmith, and carpenter. He was a very influential man and considered wealthy.
00:46Marianne Evelyn Caron was born on March 6, 1885. She went by the nickname Emma, so that's what I'm going to call her to avoid any confusion.
00:58She was a gentle woman, in fragile health, and not very strict.
01:02They were married in September 1906, and lived on a farm in St. Philomene de Porteville, now simply known as Porteville, a small village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, 100 kilometers southwest of Quebec City.
01:20The couple welcomed their first child, Mary-Jean-Fernadette, on August 1, 1907.
01:27Then, Marie-Aurée Lucine, or simply known as Aurore, was born on May 31, 1909, followed by the birth of Lucine Therese on February 15, 1912.
01:41Then, Georges Etienne on April 9, 1913.
01:46His birth year varies depending on the source.
01:48Lastly, Joseph Telespore was born on April 9, 1915.
01:56Back in the day, it was normal to have children back-to-back, because infant deaths were quite common.
02:04Children would die from anything, due to medicine not being as advanced as it is today.
02:09So having many children in order for a couple of them to survive was normal.
02:13But still, the Gagnon house was full of life, with healthy and happy children, and a loving marriage.
02:22Until tragedy struck.
02:24Shortly after Joseph's birth, Emma became ill and was quickly diagnosed with tuberculosis,
02:30a disease that was a widespread public concern in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
02:38Nowadays, antibiotics are used to treat it.
02:41But back then, all they could do is isolate the infected person and hope for the best.
02:47Even though she was seeing doctors regularly in the home, Emma's symptoms got worse.
02:52So she was hospitalized in 1916.
02:57Telespore now had a problem.
02:59Without his wife at home to take care of their five children while he worked,
03:04he had to figure out what to do with them.
03:07He ended up sending them to their grandparents' house and or other accommodations.
03:11Not long after sending his wife and children away,
03:16Marianne Hood, a widow of one of Telespore's cousins, Napoleon,
03:22soon moved in with him to take care of the house,
03:25bringing two children of her own, Gerard and Georges Henry.
03:30People in the village learned of the strangers from Saint-Sophie
03:33and of the loss of four out of six children.
03:37And why Telespore was so quick to get rid of his own wife and children,
03:42only to bring a whole new family into the house.
03:46On November 6, 1917,
03:49two-year-old Joseph, whose health was frail,
03:52died of natural causes at St. Michael Archange Hospital in Quebec City.
03:59Then five-year-old Lucina died on November 13, 1917.
04:05Cause of death is unknown.
04:06But she was living in Leclercville, away from her family home.
04:12Then, on January 23, 1918,
04:15Emma died from her illness at the St. Michael Bewport Asylum.
04:20She was 32 years old.
04:22She was buried at the Forteville Cemetery.
04:26In an act of extreme coldness,
04:28only a week after his wife's death,
04:30he quietly married Marianne Hood.
04:32I mean, dang, he couldn't even wait until his wife's tombstone was up before moving on.
04:38The ink on her death certificate was barely dry.
04:41In the summer of 1919,
04:44Mary-Jean and Aurora moved back in with their father and new stepmother,
04:49who had just given birth to a daughter, Pauline, on June 8, 1919.
04:54Unfortunately, this is when Aurora's abuse started.
05:00It was small at first,
05:01smacking her for disobeying,
05:04then escalating to sticks,
05:06choking her with a strap,
05:07beating her with an axe handle,
05:09and even a whip.
05:12Marianne spread rumors around the village
05:14about Aurora being unstable and lying.
05:17She even lied to Telethore to get him mad enough to beat the little girl himself.
05:24Aurora was hospitalized for a severe leg infection
05:27that was caused by her stepmother branding her with a metal poker.
05:32She remained silent about her abuse out of fear.
05:35Upon her release, the beatings resumed.
05:39She was tied up and burned over and over again.
05:42George and Mary-Jean were forced to look out the window
05:46to see if anyone was coming,
05:48so Marianne couldn't get caught.
05:51She only stopped burning her after the room
05:53filled up with the smell of burnt skin.
05:56Her hair was burnt with a curling iron
05:58and was cut in a sloppy manner.
06:01She was forced to eat bread
06:03spread with highly caustic lye
06:05and on at least one occasion
06:07was made to swallow excrement.
06:10Aurora was forced to sleep
06:12on a thin straw mattress in the attic
06:14which was cold and dusty.
06:17Even though some of the villagers
06:18believed the lies being spread around town,
06:21others were not convinced
06:23because they heard the screams coming from that house.
06:27Concerns were brought up to the priest
06:29and Justice of the Peace
06:30but nothing was really done.
06:32All they would do is tut-tut about the abuse.
06:36The most severe injury happened
06:38when she was struck in the head
06:40with a pitchfork handle
06:41sending her into a coma.
06:44On February 12, 1920,
06:47a doctor was called to the Gagnon house
06:50but Aurora wouldn't survive the night.
06:53Her suffering came to an end at 7pm.
06:56She was only 10 years old,
06:58just four months away from her 11th birthday.
07:01The autopsy that was conducted
07:03was eye-opening
07:04as to what the little girl went through.
07:07She had wounds all over her body,
07:10face, and head.
07:12The worst was on her scalp
07:13which was caked in dry blood and pus
07:16and her left thigh was swollen.
07:19The skin on her hands and wrists
07:21had been ripped down to the bone.
07:2454 wounds in all.
07:26This little girl went through pure hell.
07:28Aurora's funeral took place
07:31on February 14, 1920.
07:35The mass was led by
07:36Father Ferdinand Massey.
07:38After the funeral,
07:40Telusfor and Marianne
07:41were arrested and charged
07:43with killing Aurora.
07:48The trial for Marianne Hood
07:50began on April 13, 1920.
07:54Neighbors, doctors,
07:55and even her family testified.
07:57The most revealing testimony
07:59came from Willie Hood,
08:02Marianne's brother.
08:03He recalled that when Marianne
08:04was an adolescent,
08:06she was diagnosed with meningitis.
08:09She survived the illness,
08:10but it affected her brain.
08:12She was a mean-spirited person
08:14who seemed normal on the surface,
08:16but when she became pregnant,
08:18something in her would shift.
08:20She would lash out
08:21at whichever child had upset her.
08:24Although this doesn't excuse her actions,
08:26it does paint a picture
08:27as to why she did what she did.
08:30And wouldn't you know it,
08:31Marianne is pregnant
08:32during part of Aurora's abuse
08:34and during the trial,
08:36due to give birth
08:37in a few months.
08:39The most damning testimony
08:40came from Mary-Jean,
08:42who recalled the abuse
08:43Aurora had to endure
08:45and the other kids
08:46were threatened to keep quiet
08:47or they would get the same.
08:50She also recalled
08:50that even her own stepmother
08:52threatened her to keep quiet
08:53and not to testify
08:55or she would get a beating
08:57worse than what Aurora got.
08:59But,
08:59Mary-Jean was tired
09:00of keeping silent
09:01and knew that her father
09:03and stepmother
09:03couldn't hurt her anymore.
09:05That seemed to seal her fate.
09:07On April 21st, 1920,
09:11Marianne Hood was found
09:12guilty of murder
09:12and sentenced to death
09:14by hanging.
09:16Two days after his wife's conviction,
09:18on April 23rd, 1920,
09:20the trial for Telesphora Gagnon
09:22began.
09:23Although there weren't
09:25as many people
09:25testifying in his trial,
09:27the other two children,
09:29George and Gerard,
09:30testified
09:31to the horrors
09:32that they witnessed
09:33and the fear instilled in them
09:34not to speak about it
09:36or risk getting punished
09:37just the same.
09:39The fact that Telesphora
09:40wasn't home a lot
09:41and his wife manipulated him
09:43with lies about Aurora
09:44to encourage him
09:45to participate
09:46in the beatings.
09:48It seemed to work.
09:49On April 29th,
09:51Telesphora was found
09:52guilty of manslaughter,
09:54not murder.
09:55He was given
09:55a 15-year-to-life sentence.
10:02On September 29th, 1920,
10:05two days before
10:06she was scheduled
10:07to hang for her crimes
10:08due to public pressure,
10:10her sentence
10:11was commuted
10:12to life in prison.
10:14On July 8th, 1920,
10:16she gave birth to twins
10:17while in prison,
10:19a girl and a boy.
10:20They were taken away
10:21to St. Vincent de Paul Cresce.
10:24Unfortunately,
10:25the little girl
10:26named Joan d'Arc Gagnon
10:28died on February 3rd, 1921.
10:32The little boy's fate
10:33didn't seem any better.
10:35Named Roc-Jean Gagnon,
10:38he was transferred
10:39to a hospice
10:40for the mentally ill
10:41in Beaupree,
10:42although no trace
10:43of his stay
10:44had been found.
10:46As for Marianne's daughter,
10:47Pauline,
10:48she was sent to live
10:49with Telesphora's parents.
10:51Her whereabouts
10:51are unknown.
10:53Telesphora got out
10:54of prison early
10:55due to good behavior
10:56in 1925.
10:58He went back
10:59to St. Benjamin de Porteville,
11:01but this time
11:02as a recluse,
11:03to a different house
11:05and lived
11:05a different life.
11:07Even though
11:07his child was murdered,
11:09his other children
11:10were sent away
11:10never to see them again.
11:13He still wrote letters
11:14and love letters
11:15to Marianne in prison.
11:17He was still
11:18under her spell,
11:19but the letters
11:20went unanswered.
11:22Marianne was dealing
11:23with a battle
11:23of a different kind.
11:25She was released
11:25on July 3rd, 1935
11:28for health reasons
11:29as she suffered
11:31from breast
11:31and brain cancer.
11:33She died on May 13th, 1936
11:36in her sister's home
11:38in Montreal.
11:39She was 46 years old.
11:41It seemed like
11:42the spell was broken
11:43and Telesphora
11:44moved on with his life
11:45and got married
11:47for a third time
11:48two years later
11:49and had a son
11:50who died in infancy.
11:51Telesphora and his family
11:54unsuccessfully
11:55tried to stop
11:56the release
11:57of the 1952 film
11:59on the grounds
12:00that it would damage
12:01their reputation,
12:02but to no avail.
12:04He died on August 3rd, 1961
12:06at the age of 78.
12:09He is buried
12:09in the Fortevilla Cemetery.
12:12Marianne grew up
12:13to become a teacher.
12:14She went by her middle name
12:16Fernadette.
12:17She got married
12:18to her husband
12:18Clovis St. Martin
12:20in 1932.
12:21She went on
12:22to have four children.
12:24Marianne died in 1986
12:26and was buried
12:27at St. Joseph's Cemetery
12:29in Shawinigan.
12:31She was 78 years old.
12:33George Etienne,
12:35who was not living
12:36at the house
12:36when everything happened,
12:38went on to get married
12:39in 1944.
12:41It is unknown
12:42if he had any children,
12:44but George lived
12:44a long and happy life.
12:46He died on April 23rd, 2005.
12:50He is buried
12:50in the St. Angus Cemetery
12:52in Sorrow.
12:53He was 92 years old.
12:56As for Marianne's two sons,
12:58George and Gerard,
12:59very little is known
13:00about their lives.
13:02Gerard changed his name
13:03and moved away
13:04from Fortevilla.
13:05If you were interested
13:06in watching one of the movies
13:08about Aurora's case,
13:09I would recommend
13:11the 2005 film
13:13Aurora,
13:14although some parts
13:15are very hard to watch,
13:16but it's still a good movie.
13:19Believe it or not,
13:20the Gagnon house
13:21is still there,
13:22not just sitting there empty.
13:24It's full of life again.
13:26After Tales 4 was sentenced
13:27and went off to prison,
13:30Ajator Gagnon,
13:31the neighbor
13:32and from a different family tree
13:34of the Gagnon family,
13:36bought the house,
13:36and it was passed down
13:38from generation to generation.
13:41Now his great-grandson,
13:42Pascal,
13:43who is married
13:44and father of four,
13:46lives in the house
13:46where little Aurora
13:48was murdered.
13:49They renovated the house,
13:51leaving the attic alone.
13:52He claims that it's not haunted
13:54and nothing unusual
13:55has happened.
13:56He says that people stop by
13:58and take pictures
13:59of the house,
14:00which he doesn't mind.
14:02He smiles when people
14:03try to pry information
14:04out of him about Aurora.
14:06He figures if her ghost
14:08is in the house,
14:09then she must be pleased
14:10with the laughter
14:11of little children
14:12filling the house.
14:14Thanks to the two plays
14:15and three movies
14:16that were made
14:17about Aurora's story,
14:19her memory
14:20will never fade.
14:21People visit her grave,
14:23leaving flowers,
14:24teddy bears,
14:25and other presents.
14:27She's buried
14:27not that far away
14:28from her mother
14:29in the same cemetery.
14:31She woke people up
14:33to a clear message.
14:34If you see something,
14:36say something.
14:37Make it your business.
14:39If someone would have
14:40spoken up for her,
14:42she could have been saved.
14:43She could have lived
14:44a long, happy life,
14:46maybe fallen in love,
14:47and had children of her own.
14:49But no,
14:50because everyone
14:51stayed silent,
14:52she's gone.
14:53The little girl
14:54who loved flowers
14:55and butterflies
14:55is only known now
14:57for abuse and tragedy.
14:59Rest in peace,
15:01Aurora,
15:02the little child martyr.
15:04I swear,
15:10everything about this case
15:11is straight up
15:12aggravating and frustrating.
15:14I mean,
15:14what the hell?
15:15Marianne should have
15:16had her hoo-ha sealed shut
15:18or ripped out
15:19of her body
15:20if she was such a danger
15:21while pregnant.
15:22Who knows what really
15:24happened to all those
15:25children who died
15:26that she gave birth to.
15:28I'm honestly convinced
15:29that she's a succubus.
15:31There's no other
15:32logical explanation.
15:33I mean,
15:34Telesphora agreed
15:35for her to move in
15:36while his wife
15:37was still alive
15:39and fighting for her life.
15:41Then gets married
15:42a week after she dies.
15:45Then turns a blind eye
15:46and a deaf ear
15:47to all the horror
15:48that the kids
15:49were going through.
15:50Even after they were
15:51both convicted,
15:52he still wrote to her
15:54like nothing happened.
15:56Like she didn't just
15:57kill his child
15:57and was happy about it.
15:59It wasn't until
16:00she died
16:01that Telesphora
16:02moved on
16:03with his life
16:04and married again.
16:05And the kids
16:06had to live
16:06the rest of their lives
16:07with that trauma,
16:09changing their names
16:10and moving away.
16:11You know,
16:11they were haunted
16:12by this
16:13until their deaths.
16:14If you found
16:15this video interesting,
16:16please like,
16:17subscribe,
16:17and all that jazz.
16:19Thank you for hanging out
16:20with me in the
16:20Dark Mystery Lounge.
16:22This is Phoenix
16:22signing out.
16:24Have a good evening
16:24and stay safe.
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