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
There, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, the
police agents deposited him and the whole of his family, without a
passport, without papers, without money. M. Baze, indignant, was obliged
to have recourse to threats to induce them to take him and identify him
before a magistrate. It was, perhaps, part of the petty joys of
Bonaparte to cause a Questor of the Assembly to be treated as a vagrant.
On the night of the 7th of January, General Bedeau, although he was not
to leave till the next day, was awakened like the others by the noise of
bolts. He did not understand that they were shutting him in, but on the
contrary, believed that they were releasing M. Baze, his neighbor in the
adjoining cell. He cried through the door, "Bravo, Baze!"
In fact, every day the Generals said to the Questor, "You have no
business here, this is a military fortress. One of these fine mornings
you will be thrust outside like Roger du Nord."
Nevertheless General Bedeau heard an unusual noise in the fortress. He
got up and "knocked" for General Leflô, his neighbor in the cell on the
other side, with whom he exchanged frequent military dialogues, little
flattering to the _coup d'état_. General Leflô answered the knocking,
but he did not know any more than General Bedeau.
General Bedeau's window looked out on the inner courtyard of the prison.
He went to this window and saw lanterns flashing hither and thither,
species of covered carts, horsed, and a company of the 48th under arms.
A moment afterwards he saw General Changarnier come into the courtyard,
get into a carriage, and drive off. Some moments elapsed, then he saw
Charras pass. Charras noticed him at the window, and cried out to him,
"Mons!"
In fact he believed he was going to Mons, and this made General Bedeau,
on the next day, choose Mons as his residence, expecting to meet Charras
there.
Charras having left, M. Léopold Lehon came in accompanied by the
Commandant of the fort. He saluted Bedeau, explained his business, and
gave his name. General Bedeau confined himself to saying, "They banish
us; it is an illegality, and one more indignity added to the others.
However, with the people who send you one is no longer surprised at
anything."
They did not send him away till the next day. Louis Bonaparte had said,
"We must 'space out' the Generals."
The police agent charged with escorting General Bedeau to Belgium was
one of those who, on the 2d of December, had arrested General Cavaignac.
He told General Bedeau that they had had a moment of uneasiness when
arresting General Cavaignae: the picket of fifty men, which had been
told off to assist the police having failed them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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