The Ghost of the Former Royal Cafe
A man by the name of Jean Baptiste LaBranche became a successful practitioner of the New Orleans tradition of placage. Placage was the practice of which wealthy and married white males kept mistresses who were free young ladies of color. These women lasted for years with the men, and were able to give the men a lot more than a typical wife could ever do because it was not a legal marriage.
The wife of LaBranche was a woman named Marie Melanie Trepagnier. She never knew anything about her own husband’s mistress even though this was such a prevalent practice in New Orleans during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The men that lived in the French Quarter would never talk about placage in public, and if certain discussions of this topic would come up, the men would always cover for each other. LaBranche and his family lived in a big house that was built in 1876 on the corner of Royal and St. Peter streets. He kept his mistress housed in a small cottage in the upper quarter. When LaBranche died in 1842, two of the men at his funeral were talking about his mistress Melissa in a close vicinity to his widow. When Marie heard this, she found out who his mistress was and invited her over to the house for tea one afternoon.
When Melissa went into the house, Marie beat her and tied her up to the attic wall. When she was placed there, she remained and starved to death. In a sick manner, Marie even stayed in the house while Melissa was dying on the wall. Marie then eventually died in the house in 1858. The ghost of these two women have been quite active since their passing, and this comes as no suprise as to the circumstances that transpired. The ghost of Melissa is very active and has been seen on the second and third floors where she has been known to move tables and chairs and throw cups and glasses across the rooms.
The ghost of Marie also haunts the second floor. Her apparition has been seen wearing a blue dress with long her that goes down her back. Her presence creates an atmosphere in the room of great tension. The spirit of Marie seems to be watching over the people that come in and enjoy their food and drinks. Cold spots are quite frequent in the mansion, and the staff have reported seeing the lights turn on and off, doors open and close, and objects that disappear out of no where.
(Source: Dwyer, Jeff. Ghost Hunter’s Guide to New Orleans. 2007.)
