- 6 weeks ago
- #childabuseawareness
- #childdeath
- #crimestory
The tragic story of Aurore Gagnon from Quebec. Who experienced pure hell at the hands of her
dad and step mom. How staying silent is more deadly than speaking up.
#childabuseawareness #childdeath #crimestory
dad and step mom. How staying silent is more deadly than speaking up.
#childabuseawareness #childdeath #crimestory
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LearningTranscript
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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