Delia's Deadly Dilemma

3/4/2025

by M.P. Pellicer | Stranger Than Fiction Stories
Delia McGrath married Victor Eloi a man almost 20 years older than her on December 6, 1881 at St. Mary's Church at 1116 Chartres Street which was part of the Old Ursuline Convent. The couple married contrary to the wishes of his family and the bride’s widowed mother.

Victor Eloi c.1884

The couple lived at the corner of Joseph Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in a boarding house. A few weeks later there was no doubt the honeymoon was over, when Delia Eloi swore out an affidavit against her husband for ill treatment. She was dead less than three months after her marriage.

A description of the incident was described later by a witness named Marie Loretta who testified that on February 21, 1882 she walked with Delia and 7 children from the Vienne family, who they cared for, toward the Rex procession.

They were walking down Magazine Street, when Victor Eloi, Delia’s husband came up to them between 4th and 5th streets, and they only recognized him when they were face to face. He was not masked, and did not seem drunk but appeared to be excited. Without warning he slapped Delia across the left side of the face, and then drew a knife from his left side. It looked to be brand new and was about 5 or 6 inches long with a bone handle.

Delia was pushing the carriage with the baby in it. She let the carriage go and started up the street. Marie stayed with the children, and did not see what happened afterward. Marie brought the children to their home, and had been told by someone in the crowd to get Delia's mother.

Henry Von Derhaar a police officer testified he saw Victor Eloi stab his wife several times in the back. He arrested him. He happened to know Victor Eloi since childhood. Eloi said to him "Felician you can't arrest me; you don't belong to this Precinct.” And he answered "Victor, I have to arrest you; it is my duty to do so."

Eloi then attempted to draw his weapon and but he didn't let him take it from his pocket. He then took him to the Rousseau Street Police Station, where Eloi said he had stabbed her and wanted to know if she was dead.

McGrath - Eloi marriage certificate c.1881

Richard Moore another officer testified that he came across Victor Eloi at the corner of St. Mary and Prytania Streets prior to the stabbing. He was drunk and told him that he was going to kill his wife. He said, "Everybody seems to be happy today, but I am not. Well you know that wife of mine; I am going to cut her throat the next time I meet her." The officer told him to go home.

The coroner found the blade of the knife had penetrated Delia’s left lung causing internal hemorrhage and death.

At his trial in March, 1882, Victor Eloi was described as tall, slim and swarthy with a small black beard and moustache, little black eyes sunk deep into his head and hair slightly tinged with gray.

Eloi admitted during the trial he bought the knife on Royal Street for the purpose of killing his wife, which clearly pointed to premeditation.

Hippolyte Eloi, the accused’s brother met him 4 days before the murder, and he spoke well of his wife and said he loved her. Hippolyte’s wife Euphrasie Eloi visited the house the couple shared on February, 8 and said that Victor Eloi acted very strange and she was afraid of him. She had seen him in these spells, but never so bad as this last time.

Emeline Eloi D’Aunoy said her brother did not have good sense. "He was often perfectly out of his mind and without reason whatever. This condition was not produced by liquor, but under the influence of liquor he was perfectly crazy.” She said the family had always managed to keep Victor's condition a secret.

Delia Eloi's obit c.1882

Odile Eloi, Victor’s mother kept a fruit and oyster stand, and Victor helped by opening the oysters at Cheniere Caminada, situated next to Grand Isle, off Louisiana's coast, about 65 miles south of New Orleans.

There were times he would just walk away when they were the busiest. He would always do the contrary to what he was told. It was believed Victor Eloi was illiterate; however Delia was also, since she could only make her mark on the marriage certificate. Victor did sign the certificate with his full name.

Victor’s mother’s was Odile Jones Gallagher, born in 1817, and she married Paul Eloi. Odile was connected with several Creole families prominent in Louisiana history, however her part of the family was a product of what was known as left hand marriages, where Creole men had second families which produced mixed race children. The family had originally come from Santo Domingo before settling in New Orleans.

Victor’s grandmother was Adelaide Beaumont Livaudais; she was extremely insane when she died. She had been dead for about 20 years, but when alive was she wanted to kill the children who passed along the street going to school. She had to be locked up and guarded in an asylum.

His uncle John Gallagher born in 1804, mimicked his mother. At times he didn't recognize the children born in the same house with him. During the Civil War he picked up a large number of stones and pebbles to whip the army with. Like Victor Eloi his condition worsened when he drank liquor, and he was committed to an asylum.

There were other unnamed family members who were insane as well.

Victor Eloi was executed for his wife's murder in 1884

Several witnesses knew the accused since childhood, and described that at times he could not distinguish between right and wrong, and that he could remain in a corner without moving for hours.

Dr. LeMonnier testified that Victor had attempted to kill himself during his spells. He tried to cut himself with an oyster knife but was stopped by someone working with him. He was known at times to foam at the mouth. He never knew that he cut himself in his attempts at suicide. Another time he tried to drown himself while on a boat, and had to be locked up in the cabin.

On March 28, 1882, Victor Eloi was found guilty of the murder of his wife, and sentenced to die.

It was noted that four months after the trial, William Boulet one of the jurors who found Victor Eloi guilty of murdering his wife went crazy in consequence thereof.

In December, 1882 Victor Eloi’s sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court of the State and Eloi was found competent.

In January, 1883 Victor's widowed mother petitioned the civil courts to have her son interdicted, claiming his insanity dated back to his infancy and was hereditary.

Then in a strange twist it seemed Victor Eloi was spared the hangman's noose when he contracted small-pox in March 1883 and he was sent to the hospital. By the end of March though he had recovered and returned to the Parish Prison.

On July 11, 1883 the governor signed a warrant for Eloi's execution for August 17. A reprieve was granted on August 13, 1883 until the disposition could be given by the Supreme Court.

In June, 1884 Victor Eloi's sentence was approved, and he was hung on July 25, 1884, about 2 ½ years after he killed his wife at the Mardi Gras procession.

Cheniere Caminada c.1893

Victor Eloi was hung from the same gallows as Kendrick Holland, who was also found guilty of murdering his wife. After the execution when the bodies were cut down from the same gallows, Patrick Egan who witnessed the execution carried away a piece of the rope remarking that this would bring him luck and no harm could befall him. He began drinking freely and during the night had words with George Blake, a blacksmith who he shot and killed without warning. He had some type of idea that he would become a hero by the killing and achieve martyrdom if hanged.

Only 5 months later, Egan was found guilty and sentenced to hang. He had been active as a politician in his ward. In December, 1885 his sentence was changed to hard labor in the state penitentiary for the natural term of his life.

In November, 1893 a 16-foot storm surge hit Grand Isle, Louisiana. One of the bodies found under debris on Cheniere Caminada, was Victor Eloi's mother, Odile. The event ended the fishing and farming community there.