The Strange Case of Dr. Etienne Deschamps: Murder in the New Orleans French Quarter
Believing himself to be gifted with magnetic and hypnotic powers, Dr. Etienne Deschamps searched for the lost treasure of pirate Jean Lafitte. He just needed a young virgin to find it. Juliette Dietsh, poor, immigrant, and twelve years old, never stood a chance. In 1889, her unclothed body was found dead from an overdose of chloroform in bed next to a distraught, and equally nude, Deschamps.
In one of the first cases utilizing an insanity plea, the deranged dentist's heinous act made the legal authorities confront the question of his culpability. Should the clearly insane Deschamps be executed for his crime? Did he understand his crime? This incisive examination of the murder, trials, and conclusions invites readers to rethink this famous case.
Writer and historian Christopher G. Pe a began his career in the theater. The native New Orleanian was a nurse at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center and Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, and a professor of nursing at Nicholls State University for several decades. Pe a earned his degree in history from Nicholls State University and continued to teach until his retirement. He marries his interests in the dramatic, medicine, and history in his writings.
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