Strange Case of Dr. Etienne Deschamps, The: Murder in the New Orleans French Quarter - Hardcover

Pena, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1455621951 ISBN 13: 9781455621958

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

In the era of Storyville and Bellocq, one man heard the spirits calling.

  

Believing himself to be gifted with magnetic and hypnotic powers, Dr. Etienne Deschamps searched for the lost treasure of pirate Jean Lafitte. And he needed a young virgin to find it. Juliette Deitsh, poor, immigrant, and 12 years old, never stood a chance. In 1889, she was found dead from an overdose of chloroform in bed next to a distraught Deschamps. The deranged doctor’s heinous act made the legal authorities confront the question: Should the clearly insane Deschamps be executed for his crime? This incisive examination of the murder, trials, and conclusions invites readers to rethink this famous case.

About this title

About the Author

Writer and researcher Christopher G. Peña is a leading historian of Southeast Louisiana Civil War history. In addition to authoring numerous essays and articles on the history of the Pelican State, Pe&ntildea has published several books exploring various Louisiana historical sites, events, and figures.

  

Pe&ntildea received his bachelor of arts in both theatre and history from Nicholls State University and continued on to earn his associate of science in nursing from the same university. At the University of Texas Health Science Center, he completed both his bachelor of science and master of science in nursing. He also worked as an associate professor of nursing at Nicholls until his retirement in 2009.

  

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Pe&ntildea lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

From the Back Cover

Believing himself to be gifted with magnetic and hypnotic powers, Dr. Etienne Deschamps searched for the lost treasure of pirate Jean Lafitte—and he needed a young virgin to find it. Juliette Dietsh, a poor immigrant of only twelve years old, never stood a chance. In 1889, she was found naked and dead from a chloroform overdose in bed next to a distraught Deschamps. The deranged dentist’s heinous act made some members of the community question Deschamps’s sanity. This incisive examination of the murder, trials, and conclusions invites readers to rethink this famous case.

Writer and historian Christopher G. Peña earned a degree in theater before changing his focus to nursing, working for several decades at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center and as an associate professor of nursing at Nicholls State University. While teaching, he earned a degree in history. He marries his interests in drama, medicine, and history in his writings. Retired, Peña lives with his family in Knoxville, Tennessee.

From the Inside Flap

Was Dr. Etienne Deschamps a vicious murderer, or insane? The French dentist made his home in the French Quarter of New Orleans, but he employed more than just traditional dental procedures. Deschamps treated patients by using his supposed magnetic and hypnotic powers. Obsessed with the lost treasure of Jean Lafitte, he began a search for the perfect spirit medium to guide him to its hiding place.

Twelve-year-old Juliette Dietsh’s family came to rely on the charitable dentist, but Deschamps had more than generosity on his mind: he had found his medium. Deschamps repeatedly hypnotized, sexually molested, and finally anesthetized the girl with chloroform. Inevitably he made a mistake: too much chloroform, and Dietsh died.

This engrossing story explores Deschamps’s crime and his defense team’s effort to spare his life. The dilemma of whether he was guilty of capital murder or innocent by reason of insanity still haunts our justice system today.

Christopher G. Peña is a writer and researcher. One of the foremost authorities on Southeast Louisiana Civil War history, he has published several books and articles on the state. Peña earned his bachelor of arts degree in both theater and history from Nicholls State University, where he taught nursing for several decades. He lives with his family in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pelican Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1455621951
• ISBN 13: 9781455621958
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216