The SPY of the FRENCH REVOLUTION

CHAPTER 10

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An insurrection planned for the 19th takes place on October 21; François, a baker, is hung; the atrocity of Garan de Coulon and the people; the queen sends 6000 pounds to the widow of François; this insurrection produces martial law; Mirabeau speaks against it; cruelty of the Orleanists; one proposes to point out the duke, so that he is justified; Châtelet condemns innocent Favras; lawsuit of the duke d'Orleans; extract of some testimonies against him; pronouncement of Châtelet; Chabroud submits his report; decision of the assembly.

The heads of the d'Orleans party were not as generous as the duke. Movements prepared for 19th had their effect on October 21. It was a question of delivering the bakers to the rabble. Some were saved by sending them to prison.

One man named Francois, a very honest man, was hung because he had set aside

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some loaves for his own needs. It was a woman who, taking one of his loaves, told the people that it was mouldy. François was led to the police committee where he proved his innocence. Someone spoke in his favour. Then Garan de Coulon replied, "You always manage to become our enemies," and the baker was turned over to the rabble. His wife, three months pregnant, not seeing him return, went to find out what had happened to him and stopped on the bridge of Notre Dame. Raising her eyes she saw his head on a pike. When she cried out in alarm, she was presented with the remains of her husband's body. Then she was forced to kiss the lips of this grisly trophy.

The queen sent 6000 pounds to the widow of the baker by the duke de Liancourt. Poor Marie-Antoinette. Your defects were exaggerated (she never really had any!). Never did anyone appreciate the excellence of your heart.

The murder of the baker gave place to martial law. It was proposed by Lafayette to avoid rioting. As this law was opposed by the Orleanists, Mirabeau (who earlier had proposed this measure) spoke against it.

"What monster," he said, "would reply with rifle shots to starving people who cry, 'Give us bread!'?" Barnave and the

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two Lameths supported Mirabeau but in vain. The law passed, and the absence of d'Orleans caused the real object of the conspiracy to be missed on October 19. The conspirators were not the kind of people to give up on their mission. When one strategy failed, they would invoke another plan, and food shortage was always the main lever.

The commune of Paris had sent to Vernon, England, one of its members, a man named Planter, to requisition grain that was held in storage there. At once the conspirators raised a band of brigands to oppose this initiative. They roused the rabble and twice Planter was hung and rescued. He owed his life to a young Englishman.

The brigands hoped to pillage and plunder, but the outcome was different. Troops were sent; a red flag was raised; blood flowed, and the brigands retreated. Grain arrived in continuous convoys to Paris which capped the regrets to have allowed the duke d'Orleans to leave, who, I repeat, was only a figure head. It was on this occasion that a friend of Mirabeau said to him, "This nevertheless is the man you wanted to put at the head of the government."

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"Him!", Mirabeau responded angrily, "I wouldn't like anyone like him to be my lackey."

A short while after the departure of d'Orleans, the deputy Menou, his ardent friend, proposed a start to justifying the horrid business of October 6.

He said to the assembly, "The duke d'Orleans was authorized by Crépy in Valois. I will not examine whether he abandoned his primary mission, but scandalous noises have been raised on his account. However, it is only proper that we see to it that the duke d'Orleans justifies himself. I ask, consequently, that he be obliged to give us an account of his conduct." All the party supported this motion.

Latouche complained of having been named complicit and asked that his actions also be examined, not by Parlement, but by the committee of research. This proposal was hotly debated, but since the assembly was about to leave Versailles to go to the archbishop, nothing came of it.

The deputies came with flatteries to the king and offered him the title of 'Best friend of the nation'. From there they paid a visit to the queen where they uttered contrived gentle and touching remarks

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and shouts of "Long live the king and queen!"

Versailles, having lost the income of its opulent society, wanted to reclaim its good king by a harangue. The deputies were told that subjects faithful to the king could compete equally in their love and sensitivity for their country, and that their demand for consideration should be taken note of.

The Orléanistes were at bay which made them even more zealous. It was felt that the duke should be required to recover the enormous sums he had spent and to state the reasons he gave to the rascals who had counselled him. The general opinion was that the duke had financed the massacres of October 5 and 6, and it was appropriate that he give an account of the destruction.

The judges of the châtelet were consulted. It was apprised that the Parlement would be abolished and that its tribunal would become the supreme court. Then it was asked that this court be authorized to judge, as a court of last resort, the crimes to the nation. This was agreed to in the hope that Voidel would become the grand inquisitor of France.

The reward for a denunciation for conspiracy had been fixed between 100 and 1000 louis. It is easy to conceive that in a corrupt city, such allurements would provide thousands of denunciations.

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The judges of the Châtelet exonerated all the accused because it found none of the culprits culpable. This despaired Voidel. Lafayette wished to give the people a spectacle by executing a noble, or a large financier. At first Augeart, a farmer-general, was seized but exonerated. Then a choice had to be made between Bésenval and Favras. The latter was sacrificed, and it is impossible to die more ignominiously or with more heroism. Quatremer said to him, "Dear Sir, your life is a sacrifice which you must make for the sake of public tranquility."

Never had one heard a judge say anything like that to a defendant who was being condemned though he was not guilty. To pronounce such a sentence is cowardice and more appropriately it is an atrocity. Favras died as a great man. He dictated a last will and testament, corrected an error that the secretary had written, corrected various spelling mistakes in the document, and had about him a great air of tranquility.

An officer of the guard then had the cruelty to come and say to him, "OK, let's go. The people are waiting for you." Favras answered, "I have only two or three more lines to dictate and then I'll be with you." On the scaffold Favras said, "Citizens,

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I die an innocent man. Pray for me." And then the sacrifice was consummated.

Finally legal proceedings against d'Orleans commenced at the châtelet. There were witnesses and evidence in abundance. Here are some depositions drawn from an immense volume of great weight.

Deposition of Mr. Miomandre, officer with the regiment of Turenne

"On October 5, while leaving the terrace, I was stopped by a hunter who had pain written all over his body. I asked him whether he needed help and his reply was that all he needed was death. Then breathlessly he uttered these disconnected words: 'Our good king..... this honest house of the king.... I am in great despair.... The monsters, what are they doing?...' – "Who? I asked him." – 'The buggers in charge and d'Orleans...' In an instant this man wanted to leave the world. He wanted to commit suicide. His fury was such that we, a Bodyguard and I, could not prevent him from injuring himself."

"So I set off for Paris but wasn't allowed

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access to the royal bridge. A little further my carriage was seized as well as my horses, and I was obliged to flee for my life.

"Returning on the 6th to Versailles, I wanted to know what had become of my brothers, the Bodyguards. I went to the grand staircase where I saw two hundred Swiss guards of whom one had respectfully removed his hat. I asked him who he was greeting. – 'The duke d'Orleans', said he. This prince was accompanied by two women who had a massive build. Upon examining them closer I saw they were in fact two men disguised as women."

Deposition of Mr. Fondeville, deputy.

"I heard say to the women who were in abundance in the crowd, 'We knew well that we would be able to perform this deed.' "When the room was filled with pikes a woman approached me and showed me a dagger, asking whether the apartment of the queen was well guarded and if it would be possible to be introduced there? Having replied that this couldn't be done without risking punishment, this woman glared at me with

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fury and appeared consumed with a desire to commit a great crime.

"I hurried to the queen where everyone was greatly agitated. Somebody wanted to say something but the queen imposed silence because next to her was a valet of the duke d'Orleans. It could have been about 8 o'clock in the morning when I spied the duke d'Orleans in the courtyard carrying a bag in his pocket which appeared heavy, and a handkerchief in his hand. He smiled to the crowd which shouted, 'Long live d'Orleans! He is the father of the people.'

"Then I saw the duke at the king's quarters and saw a chilling exchange of words there. Mr. Delasalle, another deputy [See the aforementioned criminal procedure of the châtelet, on the day of October 6 1789], said: 'Having asked what was meant by something that was said, the response was that it it would be necessary to have the queen's head and have a cockade (rosette) made from her bowels.'

"That Mr. Durban, principal officer of the bureau of finances, had assured him that

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for some time the workmen who worked with the iron fittings of the new hall of spectacle at the royal palace had given up this work in order to make pikes and spears.

"That these workmen when questioned by Mr. Durban on the reason which made them manufacture weapons replied that they had received their orders from the head of the workshop."

The knight de Laserre, sergeant of the armies of the king, testified as follows:

"That having heard women shout 'Long live the the king!', he had said to them, "Good! you acclaim an excellent father.' to which a woman retorted, 'No, you idiot, we mean the duke d'Orleans!' Seeing more commotion and activity he went there and heard these words, 'Let's go, our father is with us.' 'And who is now the father?' 'Sacredieu! it is the duke d'Orleans.' 'Is he here?' 'You idiot, can't you see him?'

That having scanned the area with his eyes, he did indeed see the duke d'Orleans in a striped costume pointing out the guard room. He added that Mirabeau was seen running amongst the rows of the regiment of Flandres and amongst the people while

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Barnave, Chapellier, and Lameth were disguised as women.

Lord Mathias, priest of the diocese of Clermont, testified:

"That Monday, October 5, in the evening, being in the chamber of the national assembly, surrounded by women, they overheard them say that they wanted to go for supper with the queen, but that they were waiting for a lot of people.

"That among the atrocities these women allowed themselves, one dared utter this horrid matter: We brought the finest towel and whitest, to carry to Paris the entrails of the queen ", in addition Pasteur stated to have seen a deputy giving them money.

But nothing is more revealing than the letter of Laclos to Latouche, chancellor of the duke, which reads:

"Monseigneur knew that the châtelet ordered the business of October 6; he charges you to warn Messrs Dupont and Quatremer (whom you will gain easily) to work with Mr. de Mirabeau, who can elude all."
"Say to him that monseigneur will triumph

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only through discrediting and depreciating Lafayette's reputation; raise a loan of 1500 thousand livres; withhold nothing in order to bring back the love of the people."
"In the meantime, monsieur de Mirabeau and Chabroud will publicly justify monseigneur and will give vigor to his plan to destroy the court completely. Tell Mr. Ferrier to continue his report against Lafayette and the châtelet. It is very specious and will sway the public. Finally, triumph over the judges through guile, softness, or while plotting against them. Fear will decide them."
Signed, Laclos

One did what one could to block the judges, so much so that Pardieu, who chaired the committee, dared say to them: "If you persist in deliberating this business, neither the national assembly, nor the committee, nor the municipality, nor the commander, will vouch for your safety."

One judge replied coldly: "We are not frightened by your threats; the magistrates only know their duties and they will die on the fleur de lis if necessary."

This episode did not prevent more than 40 judges from

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pronouncing that there was validity in the accusations. But on the speech from Chabroud, and some sentences from Mirabeau, the assembly recovered its decorum and decried there was no validity to the accusations.

In this instance the legislative power clearly usurped the judicial power.

This ill-considered act is one of the true causes of the misfortunes that befell France because, if d'Orleans, Mirabeau and their cohorts had been punished, the factions behind them would have been destroyed and the king would not have been exposed to the insults which forced him to move away.

Never once did the assembly seek out the corrupters of the people. Never did it make the least effort to prevent the rabble from giving way to the grossest of excesses. Always it defended the inflammatory propaganda which caused the defamatory rhetoric to multiply by passionate railers who stood on trestle tables.

All this was done under the eyes of the legislators, and propagated the delirium of revolution that was needed to destroy all the bulwarks of the empire, disorganizing society, and provoking insurrection.

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