For hundreds of years, the story of Marie-Josephte Corriveau has remained a freaky figment of consciousness among the community of Quebec, Canada.

For some, the tale is merely a ghost story– detailing the hanging of a woman accused of murder, whose corpse was later put on display within a Cage to serve as a horrific warning.

However, the tale of Carriveau is actually based on real-life historical events. Moreover, the infamous cage in which she was displayed has recently made its way back to Quebec– ultimately shifting the discussion around her legacy from folklore to historical catastrophe.

Marie-Josephte was actually born in 1733 in what was known at the time as New France. By the time of her death, though, the British had come to take over and control the region.

And this move presented a time of turmoil among the population. The British forces were wholly unorganized, and tensions were high as a new government took over. So, people were not happy, and Corriveau ultimately became a symbol of this time of unrest.

At just sixteen years old, she got married to a local farmer. By 1760, though, Corriveau’s husband passed away, and she was left alone to raise three children by herself.

Corriveau did not stay single for long, though, and she soon found Louis Etienne Dodier– another farmer in her parish with whom she got married.

Yet again, though, her marriage was short-lived– because Dodier also mysteriously turned up dead in 1763. And this raised a lot of questions about their marriage and Dodier’s cause of death.

More specifically, Corriveau and her second marriage prompted a lot of gossip to spread throughout the town. Apparently, her father, Joseph, had gotten into numerous public fights with Dodier regarding business and property. This even led Corriveau to petition for divorce after accusing her husband of physically abusing her.

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The petition ended up being unsuccessful, though. So, after Dodier was later found dead inside a barn, rumors began to swirl. At first, it was believed he had passed away following a blow to the head by a horse.

However, with Corriveau and Dodier’s tumultuous marriage, the idea of murder soon entered the conversation. Dodier’s wounds were also reexamined, and it was determined that he had died at the hand of a different weapon– not horse hooves, but a pitchfork.

In turn, both Corriveau and her father, Joseph, were ultimately accused of murdering Dodier.

Then, after a trial was conducted before the military, Joseph was actually the one found guilty of Dodier’s murder. Corriveau was found guilty, too, but as an accomplice.

Once Joseph was actually sentenced to be hanged for the crime, though, he cracked like an egg. More specifically, he turned the blame over to his daughter and claimed that Corriveau had actually committed the murder.

Finally, once she was questioned again, Corriveau admitted to bludgeoning her husband with a hatchet.

And this turn of events did not look good for the British authorities who were newly in charge of the province.

In fact, they were probably embarrassed about the wrongful conviction– leading to a prompt and speedy second trial.

“It was a military trial because they were not equipped to hold a civil trial. They surpassed their given powers because the King in England did not give the final approval,” explained Sylvie Toupin, a curator at the Quebec Musée de la Civilisation.

In turn, Corriveau was not only sentenced to hang, but her deceased body was subsequently going to be displayed in a metal gibbet– or cage-like contraption– to serve as a warning to other townspeople.

So, she was executed in April of 1763, and her corpse was put on gruesome public display near Pointe Lévis for five weeks.

“They wanted to give an advertisement to the population with this hanging cage. It was unusual because this tradition didn’t exist anymore in France, but the British still used it, so it was a new thing for us, and for us, an important political symbol,” Toupin said.

“It’s still in our memory because what they did was unfair.”

After five weeks, Corriveau’s body– and the metal gibbet that encased it– were eventually taken down.

Then, they were buried together in an unmarked grave– where she remained for a century while her story took on other supernatural characteristics.

Most notably, the shocking trial and idea that a woman was demonized after seeking help fueled public speculation.

Corriveau’s story also gained embellishments, including how she had seven dead husbands and practiced witchcraft.

“People tried to understand that event, so they made stories,” reasoned Toupin, “La Corriveau is still living among us because many people know the story.”

In 1851, though, the “cage” in which Corriveau was displayed was actually unearthed. And, of course, this discovery only led to more folktales being conjured up among the public.

The metal gibbet did not remain within Canada for long, though. Just months later, after being exhibited in a few Canadian cities, the cage actually ended up with P.T. Barnum– who later put it on display in his New York museum.

Afterward, in 1869, the cage was passed on to the Bostom Museum in Massachusettes. And thirty years later, it moved again to the Essex Institute in Salem, Massachusettes, around 1899.

Now, it is unclear just how long the metal gibbet remained on display at the Essex Institute. However, the cage remained a part of the institute’s collection for over one hundred years.

By the early 2010s, though, the historical artifact was rediscovered at the Peabody Essex Museum by members of the Levis historical society– after the tale of Corriveau had been mostly forgotten. And after working with the museum, the cage was finally repatriated to Levis– earning a special exhibition back in 2013.

So, the legend of Corriveau has remained a well-known folk tale among Quebec natives, and spin-offs of her fate have inspired countless books and operas.

Thanks to the discovery and repatriation of the metal gibbet, though, her story has been solidified as a cold historical fact. And now, the cage is even being tested for DNA.

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