Marguerite O’Donnell: Love and Pastry (c. 1902)
One local legend involves a showgirl, her lover, and revenge from beyond the grave. The story begins in the 1860s, when Marguerite O’ Donnell, a French-Irish woman married to an abusive Civil War veteran, joined the chorus ranks at the French Quarter’s French Opera House. When her husband died during in 1878, she openly indulged the chorus girl lifestyle. She took lovers, one of whom financed the pastry shop she opened after retiring from the opera. To assist with her shop’s demand, sixty-year-old Margeurite hired a twenty-one-year-old pastry chef, Carlos Alfaro. His romantic skills eclipsed his baking skills, and the two began an affair. But Carlos’ eye wandered over to another woman, and Marguerite caught the two entangled in an embrace. Marguerite was heartbroken and killed herself in her apartment above her shop. She swore her spirit would return for revenge.