In the spirit....
In the "spirit" of Halloween... I will be posting a few of my favorite New Orleans ghost stories... ENJOY. Whenever i can I will also post photos of the locations and exact addresses.
One of the most mysterious ghosts in the French Quarter is that of the “Sultan”. He reportedly roams the halls of the four-story house at 716 Dauphine St., on the corner of Dauphine and Orleans Ave. A Times-Picayune article written on February 11, 1979, recounts the Sultan’s tale. There are discrepancies as to dates of the actual incident as well as when the house was even built.
New Orleans was one of the first cities to be taken over and occupied by the Union during the Civil War. This was a time in our history when even the wealthiest of Creoles were losing their fortunes. Often, those who owned large mansions would sell their properties for smaller homes or even rent out the homes to several families. Businesses were dying and Confederate money was no longer good. A man by the named of LePrete owned the large mansion at 716 Dauphine Avenue. The LaPrete family owned a plantation in Plaquemines Parish but used the spacious home in the French Quarter during the winter months, which was opera season in New Orleans. In fear of losing his plantation, he planned to rent or sell his second home. He was visiting New Orleans and discussing his financial concerns with some associates in a local pub. Overhearing his conversation, a man wearing a turban approached Mr. LePrete and introduced himself as an emissary of a Turkish sultan who had recently arrived in New Orleans. He explained to Mr. LePrete that the Sultan had quite a large family and was in dire need of a large home to rent. Mr. LaPrete was delighted to hear that the Royal family was interested in his home. The man offered for Mr. LaPrete to check his references that were banks across the city where the Sultan had deposited rather large sums of money. The following morning Mr. LePrete checked with the banks and indeed, the Sultan was quite wealthy. Mr. LePrete met again with the mysterious man in a turban and orchestrated the transaction. Immediately, the Sultan moved in with his family. His family consisted of many, many wives. There were woman of every shape, size and color among them. He had many children from these wives. The Sultan had a harem of not only women but also young boys. Over the two years he occupied the house in the city, it is said that he was known to kidnap women, girls and boys off the street and torture them into submission. He had an entire army of eunuchs to protect his family and harem. The guards would march the balconies and galleries of the house with scimitars.
He had bars put over the doors and windows of the house making it look for like a fortress. For two years, his parties were the talk of the city. Loud music and laughter rang through the building all hours of the day and night. The smell of opium and incense reeked through the doors and windows.
Two years after the sultan moved into the home, a woman who lived at a neighboring house was strolling by early one morning. As she passed the corner, she noticed that for the first time in two years, the home was quiet, no laughter, and no music. She stood for a few seconds on the corner, straining to hear any sign of life. She then became aware that there was a drip coming down off of the gallery. Looking up, she realized that it was blood. Running around to the front door, she observed blood pooling from underneath.
She reported the situation to police who had to enter the property by way of a battering ram. As the doors collapsed in, the police saw pools of blood trailing down the halls. As they wallowed through the congealed blood they saw that there were body parts strewn throughout the house. Legs, arms, heads, torsos, every member of the household had been cut into pieces. The woman, children and eunuchs alike, butchered into unrecognizable parts. They had to count heads in order to get an accurate count of the bodies.
The Sultan’s body was the only one that had not been cut up. His body was found in a shallow grave, one hand reaching through the freshly dug dirt. When they retrieved his body, there was so much soil shoved into his throat and esophagus, it can only be assumed that he was buried alive. The murder of the Sultan and his entourage is the biggest mass murder mystery in the city’s history. No one knows who committed the murders.
For years, the city blamed pirates for the crime. It was assumed that possibly they intended to rob him and ultimately murdered everyone. This story doesn’t carry a lot weight however. Pirates generally used pistols. Also, the largest trade for pirates was white slavery. It would have been far more profitable to kidnap the woman and children, even the eunuchs and sell them as slaves in the Caribbean.
A much more sinister explanation has since been derived. It is now suspected that this man, Prince Suleyman, was not a Sultan at all, but the brother of a Sultan. Up until the late 1800’s, it was customary that when a son was crowned Sultan, he would order his brothers and their families executed. With many wives and many children, it meant many heirs. Older brothers who gained the crown would insure that one of their own children would be heir to the crown rather than a brother. It is now believed that the prince was hiding in New Orleans with his family to avoid execution from his older brother, the real Sultan. Professional assassins from Turkey located him and were ordered to execute the entire household. The prince was probably drugged or knocked unconscious the buried alive. This is substantiated by the way the body was dressed in traditional Muslim funeral attire and dressing.
In the newspaper article of 1979, called “Life with an Exotic Ghost,” tales of the sultan’s ghost was recounted. Two residents of the home who had lived there during different periods, claim to have had encounters with the sultan. Both women claim to have seen the ghost of the sultan. One woman moved out of the home after hearing shrieking screams and gurgling sounds inside the house. A previous owner of the house, claimed she was visited nightly by the Sultan. She would awaken to a presence hovering over her. When she would look up, she could see his face peering down at her, with his turban still on his head. When she would scream or turn on a light, the apparition would vanish. A twisted tree grows in the courtyard in the site where the sultan was buried. Other residents throughout the years have claim to have heard the sounds of body parts hitting the wood floors at night. While others have merely seen the robe of the Sultan whip around a corner.
One of the most mysterious ghosts in the French Quarter is that of the “Sultan”. He reportedly roams the halls of the four-story house at 716 Dauphine St., on the corner of Dauphine and Orleans Ave. A Times-Picayune article written on February 11, 1979, recounts the Sultan’s tale. There are discrepancies as to dates of the actual incident as well as when the house was even built.
New Orleans was one of the first cities to be taken over and occupied by the Union during the Civil War. This was a time in our history when even the wealthiest of Creoles were losing their fortunes. Often, those who owned large mansions would sell their properties for smaller homes or even rent out the homes to several families. Businesses were dying and Confederate money was no longer good. A man by the named of LePrete owned the large mansion at 716 Dauphine Avenue. The LaPrete family owned a plantation in Plaquemines Parish but used the spacious home in the French Quarter during the winter months, which was opera season in New Orleans. In fear of losing his plantation, he planned to rent or sell his second home. He was visiting New Orleans and discussing his financial concerns with some associates in a local pub. Overhearing his conversation, a man wearing a turban approached Mr. LePrete and introduced himself as an emissary of a Turkish sultan who had recently arrived in New Orleans. He explained to Mr. LePrete that the Sultan had quite a large family and was in dire need of a large home to rent. Mr. LaPrete was delighted to hear that the Royal family was interested in his home. The man offered for Mr. LaPrete to check his references that were banks across the city where the Sultan had deposited rather large sums of money. The following morning Mr. LePrete checked with the banks and indeed, the Sultan was quite wealthy. Mr. LePrete met again with the mysterious man in a turban and orchestrated the transaction. Immediately, the Sultan moved in with his family. His family consisted of many, many wives. There were woman of every shape, size and color among them. He had many children from these wives. The Sultan had a harem of not only women but also young boys. Over the two years he occupied the house in the city, it is said that he was known to kidnap women, girls and boys off the street and torture them into submission. He had an entire army of eunuchs to protect his family and harem. The guards would march the balconies and galleries of the house with scimitars.
He had bars put over the doors and windows of the house making it look for like a fortress. For two years, his parties were the talk of the city. Loud music and laughter rang through the building all hours of the day and night. The smell of opium and incense reeked through the doors and windows.
Two years after the sultan moved into the home, a woman who lived at a neighboring house was strolling by early one morning. As she passed the corner, she noticed that for the first time in two years, the home was quiet, no laughter, and no music. She stood for a few seconds on the corner, straining to hear any sign of life. She then became aware that there was a drip coming down off of the gallery. Looking up, she realized that it was blood. Running around to the front door, she observed blood pooling from underneath.
She reported the situation to police who had to enter the property by way of a battering ram. As the doors collapsed in, the police saw pools of blood trailing down the halls. As they wallowed through the congealed blood they saw that there were body parts strewn throughout the house. Legs, arms, heads, torsos, every member of the household had been cut into pieces. The woman, children and eunuchs alike, butchered into unrecognizable parts. They had to count heads in order to get an accurate count of the bodies.
The Sultan’s body was the only one that had not been cut up. His body was found in a shallow grave, one hand reaching through the freshly dug dirt. When they retrieved his body, there was so much soil shoved into his throat and esophagus, it can only be assumed that he was buried alive. The murder of the Sultan and his entourage is the biggest mass murder mystery in the city’s history. No one knows who committed the murders.
For years, the city blamed pirates for the crime. It was assumed that possibly they intended to rob him and ultimately murdered everyone. This story doesn’t carry a lot weight however. Pirates generally used pistols. Also, the largest trade for pirates was white slavery. It would have been far more profitable to kidnap the woman and children, even the eunuchs and sell them as slaves in the Caribbean.
A much more sinister explanation has since been derived. It is now suspected that this man, Prince Suleyman, was not a Sultan at all, but the brother of a Sultan. Up until the late 1800’s, it was customary that when a son was crowned Sultan, he would order his brothers and their families executed. With many wives and many children, it meant many heirs. Older brothers who gained the crown would insure that one of their own children would be heir to the crown rather than a brother. It is now believed that the prince was hiding in New Orleans with his family to avoid execution from his older brother, the real Sultan. Professional assassins from Turkey located him and were ordered to execute the entire household. The prince was probably drugged or knocked unconscious the buried alive. This is substantiated by the way the body was dressed in traditional Muslim funeral attire and dressing.
In the newspaper article of 1979, called “Life with an Exotic Ghost,” tales of the sultan’s ghost was recounted. Two residents of the home who had lived there during different periods, claim to have had encounters with the sultan. Both women claim to have seen the ghost of the sultan. One woman moved out of the home after hearing shrieking screams and gurgling sounds inside the house. A previous owner of the house, claimed she was visited nightly by the Sultan. She would awaken to a presence hovering over her. When she would look up, she could see his face peering down at her, with his turban still on his head. When she would scream or turn on a light, the apparition would vanish. A twisted tree grows in the courtyard in the site where the sultan was buried. Other residents throughout the years have claim to have heard the sounds of body parts hitting the wood floors at night. While others have merely seen the robe of the Sultan whip around a corner.