In retrospect, what psychological profile can we attribute to Marie-Anne Houde?
In some dramatisations of the story, it has been suggested that Marie-Anne Houde could have contributed to the death of her first husband, Napolon Gagnon, and of Aurore’s mother, Marie-Anne Caron. These are pure fabrications. However, it will never be known if she had a part in the premature death of two children by her first marriage: Philogone, who died at the age of seven months, and Marie-Yvette, who died at the age of seven weeks. There was no coroner’s inquest into the deaths and neither the causes nor the circumstances are known. Following her arrival at Tlesphore’s home as a maid, two of his children died within a week of each other: Joseph, at the age of two and Lucina, at the age of five. The latter child having died in Ste-milie-de-Leclercville, Marie-Anne Houde could not be held responsible. As for Joseph, his death remains a mystery. According to the coroner’s inquest, he was in good health the night he was put to bed and found dead the following morning by Marie-Anne Houd
