Aurore Gagnon

Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon, simply known as Aurore Gagnon (31 May 1909 –12 February 1920), was a Canadian girl who was a victim of child abuse. She died of exhaustion and blood poisoning (sepsis), She had about 52 wounds inflicted by her stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde, and her father, Télesphore Gagnon. The story of l'enfant martyre (English translation: The Child Martyr) received great attention in the media. Aurore became an icon of Quebec society and popular culture.

Aurore Gagnon
Born	Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon (1909-05-31)May 31, 1909 Lotbiniere, Quebec, Canada
Died	February 12, 1920(1920-02-12) (aged 10) Fortierville, Canada
Cause of death	Sepsis (blood poisoning) Exhaustion
Resting place	Fortierville Cemetery
Known for	child abuse victim
Parent(s)	Marie-Anne Caron, Telesphore Gagnon
Relatives	Marie-Jeanne Gagnon (sister)Georges-Etienne Gagnon (brother)Joseph Gagnon (brother)Lucina Gagnon (sister)

Life

Aurore was born into and raised in a Roman Catholic family. She was the second of five children of farmer Télesphore Gagnon and his first wife Marie-Anne Caron. Her parents married in September 1906. They lived in Fortierville, Quebec. It was a small village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The villiage was a 100 km (62 mi)southwest of Quebec. The Gagnons' first child, Marie-Jeanne, was born in August 1907. Aurore's birth was soon followed by that of Lucina then Georges in 1910 and Joseph in 1915.

In 1916, not long after Joseph's birth, Marie-Anne Caron was hospitalized for tuberculosis. Marie-Anne Houde, the widow of a cousin of Télesphore, soon moved into the Gagnon home. She claimed that she wanted to "take care of the house and children." She was a 30-something-year-old-mother of two sons, Gerard and Henri-Georges. She was born in Sainte-Sophie-de-Lévrard, a nearby municipality of Fortierville, Quebec. On 6 November 1917, 2-year-old Joseph was found dead in his bed. A coroner's inquest showed that it had been a natural death. Some villagers thought that Marie-Anne Houde had something to do with the death.

On 23 January 1918, Marie-Anne Caron died of tuberculosis at the Beauport Asylum. The next week, Télesphore married Marie-Anne Houde. The villagers were suspicious when two of her children soon died, but there was no investigation. During this time, Télesphore was beating Aurore with an axe handle. At age 10 in September 1919, Aurore was hospitalized for more than a month at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec. She had a very bad infection in her leg caused by a beating. When she was released from the hospital, the beatings started again.

Death

Aurore died on February 12, 1920. The cause was listed as poisoning. It was not known if she had been poisoned or if it was caused by an infection from her many wounds. Télesphore Gagnon and Marie-Anne Houde were arrested as they tried to leave the church after her funeral on February 16, 1920. Marie-Anne Houde was sentenced to be hanged for murder. The sentence was changed to life imprisonment.

After serving 15 years, she was paroled for "health reasons." She died of breast cancer in May 1936. Télesphore Gagnon was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released from prison in 1925 for "good behavior" after serving only five years. He returned to his hometown and previous life, where he wrote several letters to Marie-Anne Houde, still in prison. After Houde's death, Télesphore remarried. He died peacefully in 1961.

Culture

Aurore Gagnon is still a popular cultural icon in Quebec. She has almost mythical status. Many books have been published about her life. In 1920, the first dramatic production was written by Louis Petitjean. It would eventually become his most famous play. Télesphore Gagnon tried unsuccessfully to block the release of the 1952 movie.

Movies

• La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre (1952)
• Aurore (2005)