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HISTORY: |
| 1780's:City maps show a house on the lot as far back as 1780 or earlier. The small dwelling consisted of bricks and wood. It was owned by a free black woman, Victoria Dutilliet (or Durrilet) |
| 1811: The small house was sold to a woman by the name of Francois Darby who lived in the house until her death in 1816. |
| 1836: September 1, current structure constructed by Frederic Roy for Joseph Coulon Gardette, a dentist from Philadelphia, who cam e to New Orleans during the Spanish rule and created a lucrative practice in New Orleans. The earlier house seemed to have disappeared. In the building plans of the current structure there is no mention of having to tear down any remaining structure before beginning construction. |
| 1839: Jean Baptiste le Prete purchases the house for $20,049 |
| Date Unknown: House rented to a brother of a Turkish Sultan |
| 1873: Citizen's Bank of Louisiana receives the house as a result of a lawsuit against J.B. le Prete and Mrs. J. Aldige and her husband. |
| 1882: Mrs. Marie Louise Rousset, wife Valsin Lemichm, purchases the house from Citizen's Bank. |
| 1883: House bought and sold twice - Also, transactions in 1886,1887, 1903, 1950, 1959, 1962. |
| 1940's: House used as home to the New Orleans Academy of Art - which was forced to close due to many of the students being drafted into the Armed Services. |
| 1966: House bought by Frank J. D'Amico and his partner, Anthony J. Veshich for $120,000. (current owners - the house has been restored by them and is currently divided into apartments. Frank J. D'Amico and his wife, Jean, live in the penthouse suite.) |
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STORY: |
| The
le Prete family were wealthy Creole plantation owners. They spent their
summers on their plantation in Plaquemines Parish on the banks of the
Mississippi River. The spent the Fall and Winter in their house on Orleans
Ave. and Dauphine St. when the French Opera Troupe would travel to New
Orleans. When the opera season approached, they would post one of their slaves
on the levee to keep watch for the vessel carrying the Troupe. When sighted,
word would be passed to the house and the family members would hurriedly begin
preparations to travel up the river to the city. When they would arrive at their
house on 716 Dauphine St., preparations would begin for the festivities and
lavish parties the were known for. Their happiness and festivities wouldn't
last long, however. One of J.B. le Prete's sons was carried off on horseback
when the levee gave way while he was keeping an eye on the "Father of
Waters". Although he was a good swimmer, he was washed away by the waters
never to be seen again. The friends and family who spent so many nights at the
parties gathered at the house for the final time to morn the lost boy. After
the son's death and another marriage, the family was scattered. Sometime
during the 1850's, a "Sultan" made his way to New Orleans. He sought
out le Prete for the use of his house in the city. Claiming to be a Sultan, he
moved into the house with a wealth of gold and jewels, harem women of every
hue and size, Arab boys for his "less orthodox desires", eunuchs
armed with large scimitars, and a vast entourage of servants, body guards,
etc. He set up the house and decorated it fit for a "Sultan's
Palace". He was known to have large parties, where opium dens were set up
and large orgies that every member of the house would partake in. There were
always guards at the front door, and there was always strange foreign tinkling
music and the smell of heavy incense that could be heard and smelled from the
street. This continued for awhile, until one morning after one of these lavish
parties that were shrouded in mystery... "Early one morning, a neighbor
walking past the house noticed the gate was unlocked. He was horrified at what
he saw next - a stream of blood oozing under the front door, down the step and
under the gate. The police were quickly summoned and prepared to enter the
house. As the front door, which was also unlocked, slowly swung open, the
officers were faced with a scene of carnage such as they had never seen
before. The smell of death and blood was so strong that several policemen
could go no further. The opulently decorated house now resembled a butcher
shop. Body parts and organs were strewn up and down the grand staircase. The
gorgeous wood floors were so slick with blood that is was hard to walk without
falling. Although none of the neighbors had seen or heard anything, every
person in the house had been chopped to pieces sometime during the night. The
mutilation was so complete that it was impossible to tell what parts went to
what body - heads, arms, legs and other pieces of the occupants were so hacked
and scattered that the victims were never identified . . . all but one, that
is. Just when the officers thought they had seen the worst, they ventured into
the courtyard. Here the horror intensified. Looking around the garden, one of
the officers spied what looked like a glove. On closer inspection, however, he
realized it was a human hand reaching from what appeared to be a freshly dug
grave. As the officers unearthed the body, they discovered that it was the
young Turk, the brother of the Sultan. He had been badly injured and then
buried alive. From the appearance of the body, the young man had a hellish
last few minutes of life as he choked and gasped on the clay and soil of New
Orleans. One hand was clawing desperately from the smothering earth of the
grave when he breathed his last." (quoted
from "The Harem Of Horror" nola.com)
The theory behind the 'who' and 'what' of this, one of New Orleans' most bloody and horrible crimes is as follows: The Turkish "Sultan" wasn't who he really claimed to be. He wasn't really a sultan at all, but the brother of a wealthy sultan. The treasure and women he brought with him were stolen from his brother. It seems that sometime during that night, the rightful Sultan arrived and slaughtered them all as revenge for what had taken place. There is also another theory that the "Sultan's" crew from the ship fearing the rightful sultan would avenge what his brother had done, had performed the brutal killings and looted the place to run away and become pirates. To this day there are still many accounts of the "Sultan's" figure being seen in the house, along with the smell of incense and the strange tinkling music. There have also been accounts of screams and wailing heard from in and outside of the house. |
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