Reason for the imprisonment
According to Louise’s account, it all began one night in 1876 when Blanche quietly tiptoed up the stairs to her room, trying not to wake her mother and brother. What she didn’t know was that they were already awake and waiting for her upstairs.
Together, they had devised a plan: they would lock Blanche in a small attic room until she agreed to end her relationship with the lawyer she had fallen for. But Blanche was more determined than they anticipated, Louise later told the police. Once she adapted to the pitch-black darkness and realized there was no way out, Blanche decided to wait her mother out. However, Louise was just as stubborn and refused to release her daughter.
So, what was behind this whole ordeal? Why would Louise lock her own daughter away for 25 years? The answer lies in love.
After years of searching for a suitable match, Blanche finally fell for a man. The problem was that he wasn’t rich enough – and he didn’t come from an aristocratic family. He was a lawyer, but practically penniless. Some reports say he was much older than Blanche, while others describe her love as a young barrister with ”brain but no money.”
Blanche knew her mother, Madame Louise Monnier, would never approve of him.
At first, Louise told Blanche she would stay locked in the small attic room until she ended the relationship and agreed to find a more suitable husband. But the days turned into weeks, then months, and eventually years.
Louise Monnier’s last words
Even after Blanche’s beloved passed away in 1885, Louise refused to set her daughter free. The cruel grip of her mother’s control never loosened, and Blanche remained trapped in that tiny, dark room, her heart breaking with each passing day.
Hospital staff noted that despite Blanche’s extreme malnourishment, she was surprisingly lucid. She even expressed her joy at the simple pleasure of breathing fresh air again, calling it “lovely.” In many ways, it was nothing short of a miracle that she had survived at all.
After Blanche’s liberation, the case took another dramatic turn, capturing headlines across the globe. Louise Monnier, after sharing her account with the police, passed away from a heart attack in the prison infirmary one morning.
It had been only 15 days since her arrest, but her body couldn’t take the strain. The truth is, she was widely despised. Reports even described an angry mob gathering outside her home, seemingly seeking revenge.
It’s said that Louise’s last words were about her daughter: “Ah, ma pauvre Blanche,” she sighed.
Marcel Monnier
Blanche’s brother would face charges for aiding his mother in kidnapping and imprisoning his sister.
The trial began on October 7, 1901, and just a few days later, Marcel Monnier was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The courtroom erupted in cheers at the verdict – but that celebration didn’t last long. Marcel appealed the decision, claiming Blanche had never been imprisoned and was free to leave the house if she wished, but she chose not to.
On November 20, 1901, Marcel was acquitted. The court ruled that, despite his education as a lawyer, he lacked the mental capacity to intervene and free his sister. The judges criticized his inaction but noted that, at the time, the penal code didn’t clearly establish a “duty to rescue,” making it impossible to convict him under the law.
