Case file · Haunting
King Christophe and the Citadelle
On 8 October 1820 King Henri Christophe of northern Haiti, paralysed by a stroke and facing revolt, shot himself at Sans-Souci; legend says with a silver bullet. He was buried at his mountain fortress, the Citadelle Laferrière.
1820 CE · 19.57, -72.24 · status: legend
The account
Stories hold that his spirit walks the fortress, and that the bulls' blood said to be mixed into its mortar made it unbreakable. The Citadelle, built by thousands of workers, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The sceptical view
The silver bullet and blood mortar are later embellishments.