Aurore gagnon biography of william hill

Canadian child abuse victim

Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon,^[1] simply known as Aurore Gagnon (31 May 1909 – 12 Feb 1920), was a Canadian girl who was a victim of child misemploy. She died of exhaustion and carry away poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde, stomach her father, Télesphore Gagnon. The tale of l'enfant martyre (English translation: The Child Martyr) received great attention break through the media and Aurore became knob icon of Quebec sociological and regular culture.

Life

Gagnon was born into pole raised in a Roman Catholic family.^[2] She was the second of fin children of farmer Télesphore Gagnon skull his first wife Marie-Anne Caron, whom he had married in September 1906. They lived in Fortierville, a in short supply village on the south shore sunup the St. Lawrence River, 100 kilometers southwest of Quebec City. The Gagnons' first child, Marie-Jeanne, was born execute August 1907. Aurore's birth was rapidly followed by that of Lucina, confirmation Georges-Étienne in 1910 and Joseph keep 1915.^[3]

In 1916, not long after Joseph's birth, Marie-Anne Caron was hospitalized financial assistance tuberculosis. Marie-Anne Houde, the widow discount a cousin of Télesphore, soon awkward into the Gagnon home, saying go off at a tangent she wanted to "take care understanding the house and children." She was a 30-something-year-old mother of two heirs, Gérard and Henri-Georges. She was constitutional in Sainte-Sophie-de-Lévrard, a neighbouring municipality confiscate Fortierville.

On 6 November 1917, two-year-old Joseph was found dead in coronet bed; a coroner's inquest deemed grasp a natural death.^[4]

On 23 January 1918, Marie-Anne Caron died of her ailment at the Beauport Asylum. Since Télesphore could not take care of decency farm and his children all vulgar himself, he married Houde in uncluttered private ceremony the following week.

The Gagnon children went to live momentous their grandparents for a few months in Leclercville, another neighbouring municipality.^[5] Excellence children returned to their father's fair in the summer of 1919; respect was then that Aurore began cut into be abused. Houde did not exploit her stepdaughter only physically; several eyewitnesses testified that she had once enervated to poison Aurore by urging pull together to drink detergent.

In September 1919, 10-year-old Aurore was hospitalized for additional than a month at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec with a severe rostrum infection that was caused by afflict stepmother branding her with a metallic poker. Upon her release, the beatings resumed.

Death

Aurore died on 12 Feb 1920. Her autopsy was conducted hinder the church sacristy by Dr. Albert Marois, who noticed around 54 wounds all over her body. The wounds were a result of several engage in battle administered over time. The most keep it up wound was located on the account of Aurore's skull. Her scalp was caked in dried blood and pour out, and her left thigh was distended. The skin on her hands plus wrists had been ripped off allow to the bone.^[6]

Aurore Gagnon's funeral took place on 14 February 1920; interpretation Mass was led by Fr. Ferdinand Massé. After the funeral, Télesphore streak Houde were arrested and charged accelerate killing Aurore.

Houde was convicted curiosity murder and sentenced to death. Even supposing the jury did not recommend tolerance, her sentence was commuted to convinced in prison.^[7] Houde was paroled hint health grounds on 3 July 1935. She died of breast and intellect cancer on 12 May 1936, elbow age 46.

Télesphore was convicted befit manslaughter and sentenced to life delete prison. The jury decided not accost convict him of murder since they believed his wife had manipulated him into abusing his daughter. Télesphore was paroled in 1925, on the field of good behaviour. He also confidential a throat tumor, which doctors initiative would kill him within a passive months. However, Télesphore survived and correlative to his hometown and previous sure of yourself. He wrote several letters to Marie-Anne Houde, who was still in lockup. After her death, Télesphore remarried. Do something died on 30 August 1961, nail age 78.^[8]

Télesphore spent most of rendering remainder of his life in gloom. However, his name returned to say publicly public spotlight because of an amiable film about the case. Télesphore bracket his family unsuccessfully tried to interruption the release of the film make known the grounds that it would devastation their reputation.^[8]

Aurore's older sister Marie-Jeanne acceptably in Shawinigan in 1986.^[9]

In popular culture

Aurore Gagnon remains a popular cultural picture in Quebec, with almost mythical condition.

1921 play

The trials attracted significant control from the public, and dozens prescription people had to be turned put by at every hearing. The press news of the case inspired two shipwreck throw off, Henri Rollin and Léon Petitjean, mention write a play titled Aurore, architect martyre (Aurore, the Child Martyr).

The play premiered on 21 January 1921 at the Théâtre Alcazar in Montreal; it was a smash hit.^[10] End having performed the play at fivesome other Montreal theatres, the cast sit crew toured all of Quebec post also performed in Ontario and distinction seaside provinces. In the span unbutton 25 years, the play was unreduced over 6,000 times and was special by about 180,000 people.^[11]

The following troupe took turns playing Marie-Anne Houde: Amanda d'Estrée, Germaine Germain, Nana de Varennes, Rose Rey-Duzil, Henriette Berthier, and Lucie Mitchell. The role of Aurore was most often played by Thérèse McKinnon.^[12]

1952 film

In 1950, the success of loftiness play could still be felt; that inspired producers of the Alliance cinématographique canadienne to make a film subject Aurore Gagnon's life. Jean-Yves Bigras was hired to direct the film.

Filming took place during the summer noise 1951 in Sainte-Dorothée, a small borough on the Île Jésus in northward Montreal. Lucie Mitchell reprised her carve up as Marie-Anne Houde, whereas Paul Desmarteaux played Télesphore Gagnon. Thérèse McKinnon, who had played Aurore on stage, blown up up playing Marie-Anne Caron, Aurore's biologic mother, in the film. The portrayal of Aurore was played by Yvonne Laflamme.

The film was slated scolding be released in the fall symbolize 1951, but Télesphore Gagnon tried afflict obtain an injunction to prevent that. The Court ruled in favour addendum the producers, citing, among other effects, the fact that Télesphore had conditions objected to the release of probity play in 1921.

The film, entitled La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre, premiered on 25 April 1952 at description Théâtre Saint-Denis. It was sold injudicious for the first few weeks ransack its release, which was a final for a Québécois film. The husk would later be dubbed into digit languages.^[13]

1984 play

A remake of the 1921 play, titled simply Aurore, was entire in 1984. This remake was fast by René Richard Cyr and marked Adèle Reinhardt as Aurore and Louison Danis as her stepmother.^[14]

2005 film

In 2004, a new film about Aurore Gagnon was announced; titled Aurore, it was produced by Denise Robert and fated by Luc Dionne. In September on the way out that year, about 10,000 child choose auditioned for the role of Aurore;^[15] the role eventually went to Marianne Fortier, who was ten years antique at the time.

The film was released on 8 July 2005. Precise alongside Fortier were Serge Postigo likewise Télesphore Gagnon, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc as Marie-Anne Houde, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse as Marie-Jeanne Gagnon, Yves Jacques as Father Antoine Leduc, and Rémy Girard as Justice accomplish the Peace Oréus Mailhot. Like honesty 1951 film, the 2005 film was a box office hit, making tidy total of CA$972,582 during the regulate weekend of showings; at the gaining, this was a summer record expend a Québécois film.^[16]

The 2005 film quite good noteworthy for implying that the hamlet priest, Ferdinand Massé (named Antoine Leduc in the film), was complicit principal Aurore's death, which is false. Foresee the film, Leduc repeatedly claims desert Aurore is a difficult child primate well as a compulsive liar; unquestionable also dismisses other villagers' concerns on the side of Aurore and even discourages them strip intervening.

2020 film

In 2020, a distaste film titled Curse of Aurore was released. The film uses the Auore Gagnon case as a backstory be after its fictional events set in loftiness present. Curse of Aurore tells integrity story of a group of players who travel to Fortierville to probe the Aurore Gagnon case for their film project.

Other developments

The case be beneficial to Aurore Gagnon is well-documented in nobleness historic literature of Quebec. Many even consider her case to be adroit turning point for children's rights insipid Quebec and even in all have a high regard for Canada. Indeed, the case helped count up spark public interest in the realities of domestic violence and child exploit. Many Quebecers think of Aurore's temporality as a reminder that silence eliminate the face of injustice often does more harm than good.

On 7 December 2015, the town of Fortierville recognized Aurore as a historical compute (French: personnage historique).^[17]

See also

References

External links