Devil Baby

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Devil Babies come in all shapes and sizes and live all over the world some say. Tales of terror and horror through the generations tell many a strange tale of these wild savage children of Satan. Form the Devil Baby of Bourbon street, the Devil baby of hull house and the Jersey devil, American's have not heard the last of the spawn of satan through out it's history. He has been called the Devil bébé (Devil Baby), Diablo bebé (baby Diablo), Devil peu enfant (Devil Child), fils du diable enfant (Son of the Devil's child), le petit fils de Satan (The little son of Satan), and enfant le mal qui hante New Orleans (Evil child that haunts New Orleans) in the early 1800's.
New Orleans Devil Baby
Born in the shadows of the great looming Cathedral's spires. The New Orleans Devil Baby has haunted the streets of new Orleans reportedly since 1799. Some people think he is a mange ridden racoon or a escaped deformed baboon from the Audubon Zoo. This is the basis of the Bourbon Street Devil's Child stories. Or is it?
he most popular version of the Bourbon Street Devil Baby legend begins in the 18th century when from Ireland, and Italy many immigrated to Crescent City. A young Creole widower married a Plantation owner, a rich established man who wanted a male heir other then the three girls he already had from his first wife, to continue the Louisiana family name he had established. Consequently, the new wife was continually pregnant. After bearing six healthy female children, she was dismayed to be pregnant with her seventh child. She is said to have gone to a Voodoo Hoodoo Queen and asked to have a boy child.
But no one liked her husband especially the Voodoo Queen so she cursed the unborn child, declaring a preference to bear the Devil's child (or son) rather than another girl. Apparently, her wish was granted as the new child had horn, red eyes, cloven hooves, claws, and a tail. The horrific newborn proceeded to eat the neighbors children and was locked away in the attic garret room where it's parents held him captive, before escaping from to begin its reign of terror on New Orleans citizens. The Devil Baby's birthday was said to be on a Mardi Gras Day.
New Orleans the America's strong hold of Mardi Gras and Real Voodoo has always been a hot bed of Paranormal happenings and strange tales. From those of Zombies, Loup Garou's, Ghost, Grunch, Vampires and the birth place of the jazz.
La Nouvelle-Orléans, in Standard French; Nueva Orleans in Spanish) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. It is named after Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans, Regent of France, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. New Orleans is known for its multicultural heritage as well as its music and cuisine and is considered the birthplace Lucifer's son.
As a principal port, New Orleans had a leading role in the slave trade, while at the same time having the most prosperous community of free persons of colour in the South. The touch of Real Voodoo Hoodoo got a firm grasp on the city. Voodoo-ist like Sainte Dede , Dr. John and Marie Laveau prospered and their abilities of combating the devil and his powers over the residents an more then just a twice told tale. While Pirate's Alley is the subject of much legend and lore, some true, and much false, It is one of the "must see" locations of the French Quarter since it was a haven for pirates and voodooist and The Devil Baby in days past and for present day adventurers.
The large open garden behind the 215 year old St. Louis Cathedral is said to be the best spot to sight the Devil Baby. Stories of duels fought and much blood shed on the grounds is said to be why he haunts the spot or a spell or blessing of some sort keeps him close to the spot. An often told story tells that the Devil Baby was given to the priest of the Grand Cathedral to guard over. Held captive by the parish priest he would often escape and run wild in the streets wrecking havoc and frightening those that crossed his path.
St. Anthony’s Garden, sometimes called by locals the Devil Baby Playpen or simply the Devil's Garden. As this small plot of land was the traditional meeting place for duels and debts of honor. In this pleasant God blessed garden is where they say the Devil Baby hides at night to attack unsuspecting passerby's. At one point in history it was thought by locals as to be one of the very seven gates of Hell. One old New Orleans oral tradition tells that the Devil baby was born here in this very garden. It seems the mother of the Devil baby took refuge here in the late hours of her labor just before dawn in a Mardi Gras Day, only to leave the new born devil infant on the back door steps as an orphan to the church. True or not the tale is still chilling in it's description.
As dawn approached and the long early morning turned to day some were said to see a bloodied young woman staggering from the garden as the scream from hell could be heard coming from the low hedges.
The population of the city doubled in the 1830s, and, by 1840, New Orleans had become the wealthiest and third most populous city in the nation. The Union captured New Orleans early in the American Civil War. This action spared the city the destruction suffered by many other cities of the American South. And around this time stories of the Devil's baby birth were circulating in hushed tones throughout the city streets.
New Orleans also famously has the presence of its distinctive variety of Voodoo, due in part to syncretism with Roman Catholic beliefs, the fame of voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau, and New Orleans' distinctly Caribbean cultural influences. However, the exotic image of Voodoo within the city had been highly changed and diversified out of proportion to the small number of serious adherents to the religion. And the incorporation of the Devil Baby into it's myths of hoodoo - voodoo beliefs.
Born of a Slave girl some say, others state the horrid abomination to God was born of a French aristocrats daughter she was said to be addicted Absinthe. As the lurid story goes she frequented the many Absinthe bars of the city And drank it to the very hour she gave birth and abandoned the grotesque infant in Pirates Alley. His demonic cries are said to have disturbed the Ash Wedensday mass.
Some lurid tales say he was the result of experiments that Madame Delphine Lalaurie And her Doctor Husband and her husband performed with the help of Marie Laveau. A often told story is that Delphine Lalaurie kept this child locked in a second story room that faces Royal Street. His wild demonic cries could be heard in the streets day and night.
LaLaurie House, located at 1140 Royal Street. There is, indeed, a long and grim history associated with the house, and it is all traced back to Madame Delphine LaLaurie. It has been called the "Most Haunted House in New Orleans" by many locals and tourist alike.
Delphine LaLaurie and her third husband, Leonard LaLaurie, took up residence in the house at 1140 Royal Street sometime in the 1830's. The pair immediately became the darlings of the gay New Orleans social scene that at the time was experiencing the birth of ragtime, the slave dances and rituals of Congo Square, the reign of the Mighty Marie Laveau, and the advent of the bittersweet Creole Balls. Madame LaLaurie hosted fantastic events in her beautiful home that were talked about months afterward. She was described as sweet and endearing in her ways, and her husband was nothing if not highly respected within the community.
At the same time, it is said, Madame’s friendship with infamous Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau, began to grow. Laveau lived not far from LaLaurie’s Royal Street home and the two women became acquainted when Laveau did Madame’s hair occasionally. It is said that under Laveau’s tutelage, Madame LaLaurie began to act upon her latent interest in the occult, learning the secrets of voodoo and witchcraft at the hands of a might mistress of the craft. Many locals say this is when she became the wet nurse or the nanny to the Devil Baby!
It is said Madame LaLaurie stopped and took refuge at the Pilot House (still standing) located on the shores of Bayou St. John, Some say she left the Devil Baby there. And that later she boarded a merchant schooner and escaped under cover of darkness. Where is still a matter of some debate. Though many hold that she escaped altogether to France (and a grave plaque found in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 only two years ago seems to support this theory), others insist she escaped to the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and lived in secret for a time at Claiborne Cottage with the devil child who grew into manhood in what is now Old Covington. Still other accounts have her escaping to Lacombe, Louisiana, also on the North shore, where she is said to have reclaimed some of her wealth and station -- and more than a little of her old habits. The Devil Baby is said to roam the city at night looking for the lost to murder.
Dwelling deep in the verdant darkness of the piney North shore woods, it is said Madame’s anger at those who had stripped her of her previous life festered and grew along with her interest in the dark arts learned at Marie Laveau’s hand. Soon tales began to spread through the rural community of the “witch woman,” the “devil’s wife,” living among them and whose strange rituals filled the dark woods with fire and smoke and otherworldly chanting. An atmosphere of dread pervaded the little community and there were whispered stories of animal sacrifices and torture, of curses falling upon land and livestock, of children falling sick and wasting away, and soon the name of Madame Delphine LaLaurie began to be uttered again with fear and loathing. And none moved against her fearing that the Devil Child would kill them in their sleep.
The night of the great fire that destroyed the Haunted Lalaurie Mansion many believe he escaped into night and began to murder those that his Father Satan deems he should.
Another tale tells that she is said to have hid him away in the attic of one of the buildings that line Pirates Alley today. One tale tells that the Devil Baby was nursed on a mixture of goats blood and Absinthe by Marie Laveau or Delphine Lalaurie. This was done in her St Anne street house or on Royal street.
The traditional Devil Baby escape story tells that on one dark and rainy night as a hurricane beat down the levee's long ago, he escaped into the night. Biting through his heavy chains to run and hide under the the buildings that line Bourbon Street to this day.
Many people say they deam of the Devil Baby. And if you do you might just be in for a run of real bad luck if you do. To dream of holding the Devil Baby means that trouble is at your door. To dream of kissing the Devil Child on the face means your Lover is cheating on you with somone of the same sex. To dream of giving birth to the Devil Baby means that you will have a hysterectomy very soon.
And finally to dream of the Devil Baby being your child then you might as well get dressed for the grave as you read this.
Death of the Devil Baby
One of the most popular tales often told is that he died and is buried at the foot of the tomb of Marie Laveau.
One story tells that he was struck by lightening as he was forced by an angry mob one stormy night and he scaled the spire of the St. Louis Cathedral. and that God struck him dead with a thunderbolt that started the first great New Orleans Fire.
Another tale tells that Marie Laveau strangled him with her bare hands one night when he was teething. They say he drove her crazy biting her and her many children. Another tale tells that she left him locked away in her attic chained to the roof beams and was found dead mummified there when the Marie Laveau House building was demolished.
Devil Baby Second Line Umbrellas have been part of New Orleans culture for many years. Rarely seen out side the city the special made Voodoo Hoodoo blessed items are known as a effective weapon to keep him at bay to say the least. One old tale tells that a old Catholic Nun walking on Bayou St. John in the 1860's. It is said she beat the Devil baby to death with a umbrella. He then sunk into the cold black waters of the Bayou near where Holy Rosary Church stands today. Many say that's why no one swims in the bayou to this day because all that try drown. This because at one time the bayou was crystal clear when the devil baby died in it. The clear water turned black and murky.
Whether the stories or not many have claimed to see a demonic toddler roaming the Cemetery at different hours of the day and at night.