The History of a Crime: The Testimony of an Eye-Witness — John Shaqi
The History of a Crime: The Testimony of an Eye-WitnessHugo, Victor
History
The History of a Crime: The Testimony of an Eye-Witness
Hugo, Victor
France -- History -- 1789-1900
No incident occurred during the journey. Here and there, at the noise of
the horses' hoofs, windows were opened and heads put forth; and the
prisoner, who had at length succeeded in lowering a window heard startled
voices saying, "What is the matter?"
The _fiacre_ stopped. "Where are we?" asked M. Baze.
"At Mazas," said a _sergent de ville_.
The Questor was taken to the office of the prison. Just as he entered he
saw Baune and Nadaud being brought out. There was a table in the centre,
at which Commissary Primorin, who had followed the _fiacre_ in his
chariot, had just seated himself. While the Commissary was writing, M.
Baze noticed on the table a paper which was evidently a jail register, on
which were these names, written in the following order: Lamoricière,
Charras, Cavaignac, Changarnier, Leflô, Thiers, Bedeau, Roger (du Nord),
Chambolle. This was probably the order in which the Representatives had
arrived at the prison.
When Sieur Primorin had finished writing, M. Baze said, "Now, you will be
good enough to receive my protest, and add it to your official report."
"It is not an official report," objected the Commissary, "it is simply an
order for committal." "I intend to write my protest at once," replied M.
Baze. "You will have plenty of time in your cell," remarked a man who
stood by the table. M. Baze turned round. "Who are you?" "I am the
governor of the prison," said the man. "In that case," replied M. Baze,
"I pity you, for you are aware of the crime you are committing." The man
turned pale, and stammered a few unintelligible words.
The Commissary rose from his seat; M. Baze briskly took possession of his
chair, seated himself at the table, and said to Sieur Primorin, "You are
a public officer; I request you to add my protest to your official
report." "Very well," said the Commissary, "let it be so." Baze wrote the
protest as follows:--
"I, the undersigned, Jean-Didier Baze, Representative of the People,
and Questor of the National Assembly, carried off by violence from my
residence in the Palace of the National Assembly, and conducted to this
prison by an armed force which it was impossible for me to resist,
protest in the name of the National Assembly and in my own name against
the outrage on national representation committed upon my colleagues and
upon myself.
"Given at Mazas on the 2d December 1851, at eight o'clock in the
morning.
"BAZE."
While this was taking place at Mazas, the soldiers were laughing and
drinking in the courtyard of the Assembly. They made their coffee in the
saucepans. They had lighted enormous fires in the courtyard; the flames,
fanned by the wind, at times reached the walls of the Chamber. A
superior official of the Questure, an officer of the National Guard,
Ramond de la Croisette, ventured to say to them, "You will set the
Palace on fire;" whereupon a soldier struck him a blow with his fist.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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