July 26, 2025 • 40 mins
Dumass Celebrated Crimes isnt a series designed for the faint-hearted. The novelist pulls no punches in his graphic depiction of a tumultuous era, sometimes distorting facts and levelling unfounded accusations. Its a riveting read intended for discerning, seasoned readers who can appreciate and account for the authors dramatic liberties. As per the publishers note.
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Chapter five, Section two of Celebrated Crimes, Volume two, The
Massacres of the South. This is a LibriVox recording. All
LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
John vanstan Savannah, Georgia. Celebrated Crimes, Volume two, The Massacres
(00:23):
of the South by Alexander Dumas, Chapter five, Section two.
In spite of the admissions wrung from Castana in March,
nearly a month passed without any sign of fresh intrigues
or any attempt at rebellion. But on the seventeenth of April,
about seven o'clock in the evening, Monsieur de Baville received
intelligence that several Kamisards had lately returned from abroad and
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were in hiding somewhere, though their retreat was not known.
This information was laid before the Duke of Berwick, and
he and Monsieur de Baville ordered certain houses to be
searched whose owners were, in their opinion, likely to have
given recas refused to the malcontents. At midnight, all the
forces which they could collect were divided into twelve detachments
composed of archers and soldiers, and at the head of
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each detachment was placed a man that could be depended upon. DuMaine,
the King's lieutenant, assigned to each the districts they were
to search, and they all set out at once from
the town hall at half past twelve, marching in silence
and separating at signs from their leaders, so anxious were
they to make no noise. At first all their efforts
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were of no avail, several houses being searched without any result.
But at length Josseron the Diasan priest, having entered one
of the houses which he and Villa, captain of the
town troops, had had assigned to them, they found three
men sleeping on mattresses laid on the floor. The provosts
roused them by asking them who they were, whence they came,
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and what they were doing at Montpellier, And as they
still half asleep, did not reply, quite promptly, he ordered
them to dress and follow him. These three men were
Flessire Guillard and John Louis Fasier, was a deserter from
the Femarchan regiment. He it was who knew most about
the plot. Gaillard had formerly served in the Hainault regiment,
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and Jean Louis, commonly called the Genevois, was a deserter
from the courtin regiment. Facier, who was the leader, felt
that it would be a great disgrace to let themselves
be taken without resistance. He therefore pretended to obey, but
in lifting up his clothes, which lay upon a trunk,
he managed to secure two pistols, which he cocked. At
the noise made by the hammers, the Provost's suspicions were aroused,
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and throwing himself on Facier, he seized him round the
waist from behind. Flecier, unable to turn, raised his arm
and fired over his shoulder. The shot missed the provost,
merely burning a lock of his hair, but slightly wounded
one of his servants, who was carrying a lantern. He
then tried to fire a second shot, but josserand seizing
him by the wrist with one hand, blew out his
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brains with the other. While josserand and Flesier were thus struggling,
Gallard threw himself on Villa, pinning his arms to his sides.
As he had no weapons, he tried to push him
to the wall in order to stun him by knocking
his head against it. But when the servant, being wounded,
let the lantern fall, he took advantage of the darkness
to make a dash for the door, letting go his
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hold of his antagonist. Unfortunately for him, the doors, of
which there were two, were guarded, and the guards, seeing
a half naked man running away at the top of
his speed, ran after him, firing several shots. He received
a wound, which, though not dangerous, impeded his flight so
that he was soon overtaken and captured. They brought him
back a prisoner to the town hall, where Flecier's dead
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body already lay. Meanwhile, Jean Louis had had better luck.
While the two struggles as related above were going on,
he slipped unnoticed to an open window and got out
into the street. He ran round the corner of the
house and disappeared like a shadow in the darkness before
the eyes of the guards. For a long time he
wandered from street to street, running down one and up another,
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till chance brought him near La Poissoniere. Here he perceived
a beggar propped up against a post and fast asleep.
He awoke him and proposed that they should exchange clothes,
as John Louise's suit was new and the beggars in rags.
The latter thought at first it was a joke. Soon perceiving, however,
that the offer was made in all seriousness, he agreed
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to the exchange, and the two separated, each delighted with
his bargain. John Louis approached one of the gates of
the town in order to be able to get out
as soon as it was opened, and the beggar hastened
off in another direction in order to get away from
the man who had let him have so good a
bargain before he had time to regret the exchange he
had made. But the Knight's adventures were far from being over.
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The beggar was taken a prisoner Jean Louis's coat, being
recognized and brought to the town hall, where the mistake
was discovered. The Genevois, meantime, got into a dark street
and lost his way. Seeing three men approach, one of
whom carried a lantern, he went towards the light in
order to find out where he was, and saw, to
his surprise that one of the men was the servant
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whom fleacier had wounded, and who was now going to
have his wound dressed. The Genevois tried to draw back
into the shade, but it was too late. The servant
had recognized him. He then tried to fly, but the
wounded man soon overtook him, and although one of his
hands was disabled, he held him fast with the other,
so that the two men who were with him ran
up and easily secured him. He was also brought to
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the town hall, where he found the Duke of Berwick
and Monsieur de Baville, who were awaiting the result of
the affray. Hardly had the prisoner caught sight of them. Then,
seeing himself already hanged, which was no wonder considering the
marvelous celerity with which executions were conducted at that epoch,
he threw himself on his knees, confessed who he was,
and related for what reason he had joined the fanatics.
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He went on to say that as he had not
joined them of his own free will, but had been
forced to do so, he would, if they would spare
his life reveal important secrets to them, by means of
which they could arrest the principal conspirators. His offer was
so tempting, and his life of so little worth, that
the Duke and de Baville did not long hesitate, but
pledged their word to spare his life if the revelations
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he was about to make proved to be of real importance.
The bargain being concluded, the Genevoi made the following statement
that several letters, having arrived from foreign countries containing promises
of men and money, the discontented in the provinces had
leagued together in order to provoke a fresh rebellion. By
means of these letters and other documents, which were scattered abroad,
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hopes were raised that Monsieur de Hermalt, the last Protestant
prince of the House of Bourbon, would bring them reinforcements
five or six thousand strong. These reinforcements were to come
by sea and make a descent on agmort or Set
and two thousand Huguenots were to arrive at the same
time by way of Dlphine and join the others as
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they disembarked. That in this hope, Catannaut, Clary and jean
Quet had left Geneva and returned to France, and having
rejoined Ravenel, had gone secretly through those parts of the
country known to be infected with fanaticism, and made all
necessary arrangements, such as amassing powder and lead, munitions of war,
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and stores of all kinds, as well as enrolling the
names of all those who were of age to bear arms. Furthermore,
they had made an estimate of what each city, town
and village ought to contribute in money or in kind
to the League of the Children of God, so that
they could count on having eight or ten thousand men
ready to rise at the first signal. They had furthermore
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resolved that there should be risings in several places at
the same time, which places were already chosen, and each
of those who were to take part in the movement
knew his exact duty. At Montpellier, a hundred of the
most determined amongst the disaffected were to set fire in
different quarters to the houses of the Catholics, killing all
who attempted to extinguish the fires, and with the help
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of the Huguenot inhabitants, were to slaughter the garrison, seize
the citadel, and carry off the Duke of Berwick and
Monsieur de Baville. The same things were to be done
at Nimes, Uza Alais Anduza, Saint Hippolyte and Sommier. Lastly,
he said, this conspiracy had been going on for more
than three months, and the conspirators, in order not to
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be found out, had only revealed their plans to those
whom they knew to be ready to join them. They
had not admitted a single woman to their confidence, or
any man whom it was possible to suspect. Further, they
had only met at night, and a few persons at
a time in certain country houses, to which admittance was
gained by means of a counter sign. The twenty fifth
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of April was the day fixed for the general rising
and the execution of these projects. As may be seen,
the danger was imminent, as there was only six days
interval between the revelation and the expected outburst. So the
Genevois was salted under renewed promises of safety for himself.
As to the best means of seizing on the principal
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chiefs in the shortest possible time, he replied that he
saw no other way but to accompany them himself to Nimes,
where Catanaught and Ravenel were hiding in a house of
which he did not know the number, and in a
street of which he did not know the name, but
which he was sure of recognizing when he saw them.
If this advice were to be of any avail, there
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was no time to be lost, for Ravenel and Catanat
were to leave names on the twentieth or the twenty
first at the latest. Consequently, if they did not set
off at once, the chiefs would no longer be there
when they arrived. The advice seemed good, so the Marechal
and the intendan hastened to follow it. The informer was
sent to Names, guarded by six archers. The conduct of
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the expedition was given to Barnier, the Provost Lieutenant, a
man of intellect and common sense, and in whom the
Provost had full confidence. He carried letters for the Marquis
of Corps. As they arrived late on the evening of
the nineteenth The Genevois was at once led up and
down the streets of Nimes, and as he had promised,
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he pointed out several houses in the district of Saint
Eugeni Sandricourt at once ordered the garrison officers as well
as those of the municipal and courten regiments to put
all their soldiers under arms, and to station them quietly
throughout the town as to surround that district. At ten o'clock,
the Marquis of Sandracourt, having made certain that his instructions
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had been carefully carried out, gave orders to Moncheurs de
Lestrada Barnier, Joseph Martin Eusebe, and the major of the
Swiss regiment, and several other officers, along with ten picked men,
to repair to the house of one Alison, a silk merchant,
this house having been specially pointed out by the prisoner.
This they did, but seeing the door open, they had
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little hope of finding the chiefs of a conspiracy in
a place so badly guarded. Nevertheless, determined to obey there
and intructions, they glided softly into the hall. In a
few moments, during which silence and darkness reigned, they heard
people speaking rather loudly in an adjoining room, and by
listening intently, they caught the following words. It is quite
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sure that in less than three weeks the king will
be no longer master of Dauphine, Vivoret and languidoc. I
am being sought for everywhere, and here I am in Nemes,
with nothing to fear. It was now quite clear to
the listeners that close at hand were some at least
of those for whom they were looking. They ran to
the door, which was ajar, and entered the room sword
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in hand. They found Ravenel, jean Quet, and Villa talking together,
one sitting on a table, another standing on the hearth,
and the third lolling in a bed. John Quay was
a young man from Saint Chatau, highly thought of among
the commissards. He had been and may remembered one of
Cavalier's principal officers. Villa was the son of a doctor
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in Saint Hippolyte. He was still young, though he had
seen ten years service, having been corney in England and
the Galloway Regiment. As to Ravenel, he is sufficiently known
to our readers to make any words of introduction unnecessary.
De Lstrada threw himself on the nearest of the three, and,
without using his sword, struck him with his fist. Ravenel,
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for it was he, being half stunned, fell back a
step and asked the reason of this violent assault, while
Barnier exclaimed hold him fast, Monsieur de Lastrada, it is Ravenel. Well, yes,
I am Ravenel, said the Commissard, but that is no
reason for making so much noise. As he said these words,
he made an attempt to reach his weapons, but de
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Lestrade and Barnier prevented him by throwing themselves on him,
and succeeded in knocking him down after a fierce struggle.
While this was going on, his two companions were secured,
and the three were removed to the fort, where their
guard never left them night or day. The Marquis of
Sandracoort immediately sent off a courier to the Duke of
bur and Monsieur de Baville to inform them of the
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important capture he had made. They were so delighted at
the news that they came next day Toimes. They found
the town intensely excited soldiers with fixed bayonets at every
street corner, all the houses shut up, and the gates
of the town closed, and no one allowed to leave
without written permission from Sandra Corps. On the twentieth and
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during the following night, more than fifty persons were arrested,
amongst whom were Alissan, the merchant in whose house rabinel
Villa and Jean Quis were found. Delacroix, Alissan's brother in law, who,
on hearing the noise of the struggle, had hidden on
the roof and was not discovered till the next day.
Jean Laos, who was accused of having prepared Ravenel's supper,
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Laos's mother, a widow to Rell the maid servant, the
host of the coupe door, and a preacher named la
Jonesse Great. However, as was the joy felt by the Duke,
the Marquis, and de Baville, it fell short of fool
per infection, for the most dangerous man among the rebels
was still at large. In spite of every effort, Catanaut's
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hiding place had not till now been discovered. Accordingly, the
Duke issued a proclamation offering a reward of one hundred
louis d'Or to whoever could take Catanat or caused him
to be taken prisoner, and granting a free pardon to
anyone who had sheltered him, provided that he was denounced
before the house to house visitation which was about to
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be made took place. After the search began, the master
of the house in which he might be found would
be hung at his own door, his family thrown into prison,
his goods confiscated, his house raised to the ground, without
any form of trial. Whatever this proclamation had the effect
expected by the Duke, whether the man in whose house
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Catanat was concealed grew frightened and asked him to leave,
or whether Catanot thought his best course would be to
try and get away from the town instead of remaining
shut up in it. He dressed himself one morning in
suitable clothes, and when to a barber's who shaved him,
cut his hair and made his face so as to
give him as much the appearance of a nobleman as possible,
And then, with wonderful assurance, he went out into the streets, and,
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pulling his hat over his eyes, and holding a paper
in his hand as if reading it, he crossed the
town to the gate of Saint Antoine. He was almost through,
and Charrou the captain of the Guard, having his attention
directed to Catanaught by a comrade to whom he was talking,
stopped him, suspecting he was trying to escape. Catanat asked
what he wanted with him, and Charro replied that if
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he would enter the guard house he would learn as
under such circumstances any examination was to be avoided. Catanat
tried to force his way out, whereupon he was seized
by Cherrou and his brother officer, and Catanat, seeing that
resistance would be not only useless but harmful, allowed himself
to be taken to the guard room. He had been
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there about an hour without being recognized by any of those, who,
drawn by curiosity, came to look at him, when one
of the visitors, in going out said he bore a
shit strong resemblance to Catanat. Some children, hearing these words,
began to shout, Catanat has taken, Catanat is taken. This
cry drew a large crowd to the guard house. Among others,
a man whose name was Anglaias, who looking closely at
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the prisoner, recognized him and called him by name. Instantly
the guard was doubled, and Catanat searched. A psalm book
with a silver clasp and a letter addressed to Monsieur
Morrel called Catanat were found on him, leaving no doubt
as to his identity. While he himself growing impatient and
desiring to end all these investigations, acknowledged that he was
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Catanat and no other. He was at once taken to
the palace where the presidial Court was sitting, Monsieur de Baville,
and the President being occupied in trying ravenel Villa and Jeanquet.
On hearing the news of this important capture, the Intendant,
hardly daring to believe his ears, rose and went out
to meet the prisoner in order to convince himself that
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it was really Catanot. From the presidial court, he was
brought before the Duke of Berwick, who addressed several questions
to him, which Catanat answered. He then told the Duke
he had something of importance to impart to him and
to him alone. The Duke was not very anxious for
a tete a tete with Catanat, However, having ordered his
hands to be securely bound in telling Sandricourd not to
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go away, he consented to hear what the prisoner had
to say. Catanat then, in the presence of the Duke
and Sandricourt, proposed that an exchange of prisoners should be made.
The Marchal de Tallard, who was a prisoner of war
in England being accepted in his place. Catenat added that
if this offer was not accepted, the Marechal would meet
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the same treatment from the English as might be meeted
out to him. Catenot in France, the Duke, full of
the aristocratic ideas to which he was born, found the
proposal insolent and said, if that is all you have
to propose, I can assure you that your hours are numbered.
Thereupon Catanaut was promptly sent back to the palace, where
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truly his trial did not occupy much time. That of
the three others was already finished, and soon his was
also at an end, and it only remained to pronounce
sentence on all four. Catanat and Ravenel, as the most guilty,
were condemned to be burnt at the stake. Some of
the councilors thought Catanat should have been torn apart by
four horses, but the majority were for the stake, the
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agony lasting longer, being more violent and more exquisite than
in the other case. Villa and jean Quet were sentenced
to be broken on the wheel alive, the only difference
between them being that jean Quete was to be taken
while still living, and thrown into the fire lit round
Catanat and Ravenel. It was also ordered that the four
condemned men, before their execution, should be put to the
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torture ordinary and extraordinary. Catanat, whose temper was fierce, suffered
with courage, but cursed his torturers. Ravenel bore all the
torments that could be inflicted on him with a fortitude
that was more more than human, so that the torturers
were exhausted before he was Jean Quiet spoke little, and
the revelations he made were of slight importance. Villa confessed
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that the conspirators had the intention of carrying off the
Duke and Monchieur de Baville when they were out walking
or driving, and he added that this plot had been
hatched at the house of a certain Bouton de Saint Laurent,
Dagatzre and Milad in Ruerg. Meanwhile, all this torturing and
questioning had taken so much time that when the stake
and the scaffold were ready, it was almost dark, so
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that the Duke put off the executions until the next day,
instead of carrying them out by torchlight. Broyce says that
this was done in order that the most disaffected amongst
the Fanatics should not be able to say that it
was not really Catanat, Ravenel Villa, and Jean Quayt who
had been executed, but some other unknown men. But it
is more probable that the Duke and Baville were afraid
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of riots, as was proved by their ordering the scaffold
and the stake to be erected at the end of
the corps and opposite the glassie of the fortress, so
that the garrison might be at hand in case of
any disturbance. Catanat was placed in a cell apart and
could be heard cursing and complaining all night through. Ravenel,
villan Janquet were confined together and passed the night singing
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and praying. The next day, the twenty second April seventeen
o five, they were taken from the prison and drawn
to the place of execution in two carts, being unable
to walk on account of the severe torture to which
they had been subjected and which had crushed the bones
of their legs. A single pile of wood had been
prepared for Catanat and Ravenel, who were to be burnt together.
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They were in one cart, and villan jan Quet, for
whom two wheels had been prepared, were in the other.
The first operation was to bind Catanat and Ravenel back
to back to the same stake, care being taken to
place Catanat with his face to windward, so that his
agony might last longer, And then the pile was lit
under Ravenel, as had been foreseen. This precaution gave great
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pleasure to those people who took delight in witnessing executions.
The wind, being rather high, blew the flames away from Catanat,
so that at first the fire burnt his legs, only
a circumstance, which, to the author of the History of
the Commissards tells us, aroused Catanat's impatience. Ravenel, however, bore
everything to the end with the greatest heroism, only pausing
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in his singing to address words of encouragement to his
companion in suffering, whom he could not see, but whose
groans and curses he could hear. He would then return
to his psalms, which he continued to sing until his
voice was stifled in the flames. Just as he expired.
Jean Key was removed from the wheel and carried his
broken limbs, dangling to the burning pile on which he
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was thrown From the midst of the flames. His voice
was heard crying, Courage, Catanat, we shall soon meet in heaven.
A few moments later, the stake, being burnt through at
the base, broke, and Catanat, falling into the flames, was
quickly suffocated. That this accident had not been foreseen and
prevented by proper precautions caused great displeasure to spectators, who
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found that the three quarter of an hour which the
spectacle had lasted was much too brief a time. Villah
lived three hours longer on his wheel and expired without
having uttered a single complaint. Two days later there was
another trial, at which six persons were condemned to death
and one to the galleys. These were the two Alissans
in whose house Villa Ravenel and Jean Quiet had been found. Allegra,
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who was accused of having concealed Catanat and of having
been the connoissard treasurer Rugier, an armorer who was found
guilty of having repaired the muskets of the rebels. Jean
Lows an innkeeper who had prepared meals for Ravenel, La Genesse,
a preacher convicted of having preached sermons and sung psalms,
and young Delacroix, brother in law to one of the Alissans.
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The first three were condemned to be broken on the wheel,
their houses demolished, and their goods confiscated. The next three
were to be hanged. John Delacroix, partly because of his youth,
but more because of the revelations he made, was only
sent to the galleys. Several years later. He was liberated
and returned to Arles, and was carried off by the
plague in seventeen twenty. All these sentences were carried out
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with the utmost rigor. Thus, as may be seen, the
suppression of the revolt proceeded apace. Only two young commissar
chiefs were still at large, both of whom had formerly
served under Cavalier and Catanat. The name of the one
was Brune and of the other Francazis. Although neither of
them possessed the genius and influence of Catanat and Ravenel,
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yet they were both men to be feared, the one
on account of his personal strength. The other for his
skill and agility. Indeed, it was said of him that
he never missed a shot, and that one day, being
pursued by dragoons, he had escaped by jumping over the
garden and a spot where it was twenty two feet wide.
For a long time all search was in vain, but
one day the wife of a miller named Seminil came
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in the town, ostensibly to buy provisions, but really to
denounce them as being concealed with two other commissards in
her husband's house. This information was received with an eager gratitude,
which showed the importance which the governor of Nimes attached
to their capture. The woman was promised a reward of
fifty louis if they were taken, and the Chevalier de
la Valla, Grandier and fifty Swiss, the major of the
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Saint Sernan Regiment, a captain and thirty dragoons were sent
off to make the capture. When they were within a
quarter of a league of the mill, la Valla, who
was in command of the expedition, made the woman give
him all the necessary topographical information, having learned that besides
the door by which they hoped to effect an entrance.
The mill possessed only one other, which opened on a
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bridge over the Vistra. He dispatched ten dragoons in five
Swiss to occupy this bridge, whilst he and the rest
of the troops bore down on the main entrance. As
soon as the four commissards proceed the approach of the soldiers,
their first thought was to escape by the bridge, but
one of them, having gone up to the roof to
make sure that the way was clear, came down exclaiming
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that the bridge was occupied. On hearing this, the four
felt that they were lost, but nevertheless resolved to defend
themselves as valiantly and to sell their lives as dearly
as possible. As soon as the royals were within musket
range of the mill, four shots were fired and two dragoons,
one Swiss and one horse fell, Whilecheur de Valla thereupon
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ordered the troops to charge at full gallop. But before
the mill door was reached, three other shots were heard
and two more men killed. Nevertheless, seeing they could not
long hold out against such numbers, Francase gave this signal
for retreat, calling out Sava Quipetit. At the same instant,
he jumped out of a lattice window twenty feet from
the ground, followed by Brune, neither of them being hurt.
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Both set off across country, one trusting to his strength
and the other to his fleetness. Afoot the two other
commissards who had tried to escape by the door were captured.
The soldiers horse and foot, being now free, to give
all their attention to Brune and Francose. A wonderful race
began for the two fugitives, being strong and active, seemed
to play with their pursuers, stopping every now and then
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when they had gained sufficient headway to shoot at the
nearest soldiers, when Francase, proving worthy of his reputation, never
missed a single shot, then resuming their flight and loading
their weapons as they ran. They leaped rivers and ditches,
taking advantage of the less direct road which the troops
were obliged to follow, to stop and take breath instead
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of making for some cover where they might have found safety.
Two or three times Brune was on the point of
being caught, but each time the dragoon or Swiss who
had got up to him fell struck by Francose's unerring bullet.
The chase lasted four hours, during which time five officers,
thirty dragoons and fifty Swiss were baffled by two men,
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one of whom Franks was almost a boy, being only
twenty years old. Then the two Kamissards, having exhausted their ammunition,
gave each other the name of a village as a rendezvous,
and each taking a different direction, bounded away with the
lightness of a stag. Frankase ran in the direction of
Milhaud with such rapidity that he gained on the dragoons,
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although they put their horses at full speed. He was
within an inch of safety when a peasant named La Bastide,
who was hoeing in a field, whence he had watched
the contest with interest from the moment he had first
caught sight of it, seeing the fugitive make for an
opening in the wall, ran along at the foot of
the wall on the other side, and just as frank
Kaze dashed through the opening, like a flash of lightning,
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struck him such a heavy blow on the head with
his hoe that the skull was laid open and he
fell bathed in blood. The dragoons, who had seen in
the distance what had happened, now came up and rescued
frank Kaze from the hands of his assailant, who had
continued to rain blows upon him. Desiring to put an
end to him, the unconscious commissard was carried to Milhaud,
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where his wounds were bandaged and himself revived by means
of strong spirits forced into mouth and nostrils. We now
returned to Brune. At first it seemed as if he
were more fortunate than his comrade, for meeting with no obstacle.
He was soon not only out of reach but out
of sight of his enemies. He now, however, felt broken
by fatigue, and taught caution by the treachery to which
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he had almost fallen a victim, he dared not ask
for an asylum, so throwing himself down in a ditch,
he was soon fast asleep. The dragoons, who had not
given up the search, presently came upon him, and, falling
on him as he lay overpowered him before he was
well awake. When both commissards met before the governor, Frankesee
(28:48):
replied to all interrogations that since the death of Brother Catanat,
his sole desire had been to die a martyr's death
like him, while Brune said that he was proud and
happy to die in the cause of the law Lord
along with such a brave comrade as frankase This manner
of defense led to the application of the question both
ordinary and extraordinary and to the stake, and our readers
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already know what such a double sentence meant. Frankasee and
Brune paid both penalties on the thirtieth of April, betraying
no secrets and uttering no complaints. Botan who had been
denounced by Villah when under torture, and who thereby abridged
his agony. As the person in whose house the plot
to carry off the Duke of Berwick and de Baville
(29:33):
had been arranged, still remained to be dealt with. He
was moderate in his religious views, but firm and full
of faith. His principles resembled those of the Quakers in
that he refused to carry arms. He was, however, willing
to aid the good cause by all other means within
his reach. He was at home, waiting with that calm
which perfect trust in God gives for the day to come,
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which had been appointed for the execution of the plan,
when suddenly his house was surrounded during the night by
the royals. Faithful to his principles, he offered no resistance,
but held out his hands to be bound. He was
taken in Triumphantnimes, and from there to the citadel of Montpellier.
On the way he encountered his wife and his son,
who were going to the latter town to intercede for him.
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When they met him, they dismounted from their horse, for
the mother was riding on a pillion behind the sun,
and kneeling on the high road, asked for Botan's blessing.
Unfeeling though the soldiers were, they yet permitted their prisoner
to stop an instant while he, raising his fettered hands
to Heaven, gave thee double blessing asked for. So touched
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was Baron Saint Shatta by the scene be It remarked
in passing that the Baron and Botan were cousins by marriage,
that he permitted them to embrace one another. So for
a few moments they stood, the husband and father clasped
to the hearts of his dear ones. Then on a
sign from Botan, they tore themselves away, Botan commanding them
to pray for Monsieur to Saint Shata, who had given
(31:00):
them this consolation. As he resumed his march, the prisoner
set them the example by beginning to sing a psalm
for the benefit of Monsieur de Saint Shatta. The next day,
despite the intercession of his wife and son, Baton was
condemned to torture both ordinary and extraordinary, and then to
be broken on the wheel. On hearing this cruel sentence,
he said that he was ready to suffer every ill
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that God might send him, in order to prove the
steadfastness of his faith. And indeed he endured his torture
with such firmness. Thy Monsieur de Baville, who was present
in the hope of obtaining a confession, became more impatient
than the sufferer, and forgetting his sacred office, the judge
struck and insulted the prisoner. Upon this, button raised his
eyes to heaven and cried, Lord Lord, how long shall
(31:45):
the wicked triumph? How long shall innocent blood be shed?
How long wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood?
With cries to thee Remember thy jealousy, O Lord, and
thy loving kindness of old. Then Monsieur de Baville Withdrew
giving orders that he was to be brought to the scaffold.
The scaffold was erected on the esplanade, being as well
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as usual when this sort of death was to be inflicted,
a wooden platform five or six feet high, on which
was fastened flat a Saint Andrew's cross, formed of two
beams of wood in the form of an x. In
each of the four arms. Two square pieces were cut
out to about half the depth of the beam and
about a foot apart, so that when the victim was
bound on the cross, the outstretched limbs were easy to
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break by a blow at these points, having no support beneath. Lastly,
near the cross, at one corner of the scaffold and upright,
wooden post was fixed on which was fastened horizontally a
small carriage wheel as on a pivot, the projecting part
of the nave being sawn off to make it flat.
On this bed of pain, the sufferer was laid so
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that the spectators might enjoy the sight of his dying convulsions.
When the executioner, having accomplished his part, the turn of
death arrived. Botan was carried to execution in a cart
and drums were beaten that his exhortations might not be heard,
but above the roll of drums his voice rose unfalteringly
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as he admonished his brethren to uphold their fellowship in Christ.
Half Way to the esplanade, a friend of the condemned man,
who happened to be in the street, met the procession, and,
fearing that he could not support the sight, he took
refuge in a shop. When Botan was opposite the door,
he stopped the cart and asked permission of the provost
to speak to his friend. The request being granted, he
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called him out, and as he approached, bathed in tears,
Botan said, why do you run away from me? Is
it because you see me covered with the tokens of
Jesus Christ? Why do you weep? Because He has graciously
called me to himself and all unworthy, though I be
permits me to seal my faith with my blood. Then,
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as the friend threw himself into Batan's arms, and some
signs of sympathetic emotion appeared among the crowd, the procession
was abruptly ordered to move on. But though the leave
taking was thus roughly broken short, no murmur passed the
lips of button. In turning out of the first street,
the scaffold came in sight. The condemned man raised his
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hands towards heaven and exclaimed, in a cheerful voice, while
a smile lit up his face, courage, my soul, I
see thy place of triumph. Whence released from earthly bonds,
thou shalt take flight to Heaven. When he got to
the foot of the scaffold, who was found he could
not mount without assistance, for his limbs, crushed in the
terrible boot, could no longer sustain his weight. While they
(34:41):
were preparing to carry him up, he exhorted and comforted
the Protestants, who were all weeping round him. When he
reached the platform, he laid himself of his own accord
on the cross, but hearing from the executioner that he
must first be undressed, he raised himself again with a smile,
so that the executioner's assistant could remove his double and
small clothes, as he wore no stockings, his legs being bandaged.
(35:05):
The man also unwound these bandages and rolled up Baton's
shirt sleeves to the elbow, and then ordered him to
lay himself again on the cross. Batan did so with
unbroken calm. All its limbs were then bound to the beams,
with chords at every joint. This accomplished, the assistant retired,
and the executioner came forward. He held in his hand
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a square bar of iron, an inch and a half thick,
three feet long, and rounded at one end so as
to form a handle. When Buttan saw it, he began
singing a psalm, But almost immediately the melody was interrupted
by a cry. The executioner had broken a bone of
Batan's right leg. But the singing was at once resumed
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and continued without interruption till each limb had been broken
in two places. Then the executioner unbound the formless but
still living body from the cross, and while from the
lips issued words of faith in God, he laid it
on the wheel, bending it back on the legs in
such a manner that the heels and head met. And
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never once during the completion of this atrocious performance did
the voice of the sufferer cease to sound forth the
praises of the Lord. No execution till then had ever
produced such an effect on the crowd, so that Abbe Masillah,
who was present, seeing the general emotion, hastened to calm
Onshour de Baville's attention to the fact that, far from
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Batan's death inspiring the Protestants with terror, they were only
encouraged to hold out, as was proved by their tears
and the praises they lavished on the dying man. Wancheur
de Baville, recognizing the truth of this observation, ordered that
Botan should be put out of misery, this order being
conveyed to the executioner. He approached the wheel to break
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in Button's chest with one last blow, but an archer
standing on the scaffold, threw himself before the sufferer, saying
that the Huguenot had not yet suffered half enough. At this, Baton,
who had heard the dreadful dispute going on beside him,
interrupted his prayers for an instant, and, raising his head,
which hung down over the edge of the wheel, said, friend,
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you think I suffer, and in truth I do. But
he for whom I suffer is beside me and gives
me strength to bear everything joyfully. Just then Monsieur de
Baville's order was repeated, and the archer, no longer daring
to interfere, allowed the executioner to approach. Then Baton, seeing
his last moment had come, said, my dear friends, may
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my death be an example to you to incite you
to preserve the gospel pure, bear faithful testimony that I
died in the religion of Christ and his Holy apostles.
Hardly at these words passed his lips than the death
blow was given and his chest crushed. A few inarticulate sounds,
apparently prayers were heard, the head fell back. The martyrdom
(37:59):
was This execution ended the war in Languidoc. A few
imprudent preachers still delivered belated sermons, to which the rebels listened,
trembling with fear, and for which the preachers paid on
the wheel or gibbet. There were disturbances in Vivarats aroused
by Danielle Billard, during which a few Catholics were found
murdered on the highway. There were a few fights, as
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for instance at Saint pierre Ville, where the commissards, faithful
to the old traditions which had come to them from Cavalier,
Catanat and Ravenel, fought one to twenty, but they were
all without importance. They were only the last quiverings of
the dying civil strife, the last shudderings of the earth
when the eruption of volcano is over. Even Cavalier understood
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that the end had come, for he left Holland for England.
There Queen Anne distinguished him by a cordial welcome. She
invited him to enter her service, an offer which he accepted,
and he was placed in command of a regiment of refugees,
so that he actually received in England the grade of
colonel which he had been offered in France. At the
Battle of Almanza, the regiment commanded by Cavalier found itself
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opposed by a French regiment. The old enemies recognized each other,
and with a howl of rage, without waiting for the
word of command or executing any military evolutions, they hurled
themselves at each other with such fury that, if we
may believe the Duke of Berwick, who was present, they
almost annihilated each other in the conflict. Cavalier, however, survived
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the slaughter in which he had performed his part with energy,
and for his courage was made General and governor of
the island of Jersey. He died at Chelsea in May
seventeen forty, aged sixty years. I must confess, says Maliserba,
that this soldier, who without training, became a great general
by means of his natural gifts. This commissard who dared,
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in the face of fierce troopers to punish a crime
similar to those by which the troopers existed. This rude
peasant who admitted into the best society adopted its no
and gained its esteem and love. This man, who, though
accustomed to an adventurous life, and who might justly have
been puffed up by success, had yet enough philosophy to
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lead for thirty five years a tranquil private existence, appears
to me to be one of the rarest characters to
be met with in the pages of history. End of
Chapter five, Section two. Recording by John vanstan Savannah, Georgia,
Chapter five, Section two of Celebrated Crimes, Volume two, The
Massacres of the South. This is a LibriVox recording. All
LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
John vanstan Savannah, Georgia. Celebrated Crimes, Volume two, The Massacres
(00:23):
of the South by Alexander Dumas, Chapter five, Section two.
In spite of the admissions wrung from Castana in March,
nearly a month passed without any sign of fresh intrigues
or any attempt at rebellion. But on the seventeenth of April,
about seven o'clock in the evening, Monsieur de Baville received
intelligence that several Kamisards had lately returned from abroad and
(00:47):
were in hiding somewhere, though their retreat was not known.
This information was laid before the Duke of Berwick, and
he and Monsieur de Baville ordered certain houses to be
searched whose owners were, in their opinion, likely to have
given recas refused to the malcontents. At midnight, all the
forces which they could collect were divided into twelve detachments
composed of archers and soldiers, and at the head of
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each detachment was placed a man that could be depended upon. DuMaine,
the King's lieutenant, assigned to each the districts they were
to search, and they all set out at once from
the town hall at half past twelve, marching in silence
and separating at signs from their leaders, so anxious were
they to make no noise. At first all their efforts
(01:29):
were of no avail, several houses being searched without any result.
But at length Josseron the Diasan priest, having entered one
of the houses which he and Villa, captain of the
town troops, had had assigned to them, they found three
men sleeping on mattresses laid on the floor. The provosts
roused them by asking them who they were, whence they came,
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and what they were doing at Montpellier, And as they
still half asleep, did not reply, quite promptly, he ordered
them to dress and follow him. These three men were
Flessire Guillard and John Louis Fasier, was a deserter from
the Femarchan regiment. He it was who knew most about
the plot. Gaillard had formerly served in the Hainault regiment,
(02:12):
and Jean Louis, commonly called the Genevois, was a deserter
from the courtin regiment. Facier, who was the leader, felt
that it would be a great disgrace to let themselves
be taken without resistance. He therefore pretended to obey, but
in lifting up his clothes, which lay upon a trunk,
he managed to secure two pistols, which he cocked. At
the noise made by the hammers, the Provost's suspicions were aroused,
(02:35):
and throwing himself on Facier, he seized him round the
waist from behind. Flecier, unable to turn, raised his arm
and fired over his shoulder. The shot missed the provost,
merely burning a lock of his hair, but slightly wounded
one of his servants, who was carrying a lantern. He
then tried to fire a second shot, but josserand seizing
him by the wrist with one hand, blew out his
(02:57):
brains with the other. While josserand and Flesier were thus struggling,
Gallard threw himself on Villa, pinning his arms to his sides.
As he had no weapons, he tried to push him
to the wall in order to stun him by knocking
his head against it. But when the servant, being wounded,
let the lantern fall, he took advantage of the darkness
to make a dash for the door, letting go his
(03:18):
hold of his antagonist. Unfortunately for him, the doors, of
which there were two, were guarded, and the guards, seeing
a half naked man running away at the top of
his speed, ran after him, firing several shots. He received
a wound, which, though not dangerous, impeded his flight so
that he was soon overtaken and captured. They brought him
back a prisoner to the town hall, where Flecier's dead
(03:40):
body already lay. Meanwhile, Jean Louis had had better luck.
While the two struggles as related above were going on,
he slipped unnoticed to an open window and got out
into the street. He ran round the corner of the
house and disappeared like a shadow in the darkness before
the eyes of the guards. For a long time he
wandered from street to street, running down one and up another,
(04:02):
till chance brought him near La Poissoniere. Here he perceived
a beggar propped up against a post and fast asleep.
He awoke him and proposed that they should exchange clothes,
as John Louise's suit was new and the beggars in rags.
The latter thought at first it was a joke. Soon perceiving, however,
that the offer was made in all seriousness, he agreed
(04:23):
to the exchange, and the two separated, each delighted with
his bargain. John Louis approached one of the gates of
the town in order to be able to get out
as soon as it was opened, and the beggar hastened
off in another direction in order to get away from
the man who had let him have so good a
bargain before he had time to regret the exchange he
had made. But the Knight's adventures were far from being over.
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The beggar was taken a prisoner Jean Louis's coat, being
recognized and brought to the town hall, where the mistake
was discovered. The Genevois, meantime, got into a dark street
and lost his way. Seeing three men approach, one of
whom carried a lantern, he went towards the light in
order to find out where he was, and saw, to
his surprise that one of the men was the servant
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whom fleacier had wounded, and who was now going to
have his wound dressed. The Genevois tried to draw back
into the shade, but it was too late. The servant
had recognized him. He then tried to fly, but the
wounded man soon overtook him, and although one of his
hands was disabled, he held him fast with the other,
so that the two men who were with him ran
up and easily secured him. He was also brought to
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the town hall, where he found the Duke of Berwick
and Monsieur de Baville, who were awaiting the result of
the affray. Hardly had the prisoner caught sight of them. Then,
seeing himself already hanged, which was no wonder considering the
marvelous celerity with which executions were conducted at that epoch,
he threw himself on his knees, confessed who he was,
and related for what reason he had joined the fanatics.
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He went on to say that as he had not
joined them of his own free will, but had been
forced to do so, he would, if they would spare
his life reveal important secrets to them, by means of
which they could arrest the principal conspirators. His offer was
so tempting, and his life of so little worth, that
the Duke and de Baville did not long hesitate, but
pledged their word to spare his life if the revelations
(06:15):
he was about to make proved to be of real importance.
The bargain being concluded, the Genevoi made the following statement
that several letters, having arrived from foreign countries containing promises
of men and money, the discontented in the provinces had
leagued together in order to provoke a fresh rebellion. By
means of these letters and other documents, which were scattered abroad,
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hopes were raised that Monsieur de Hermalt, the last Protestant
prince of the House of Bourbon, would bring them reinforcements
five or six thousand strong. These reinforcements were to come
by sea and make a descent on agmort or Set
and two thousand Huguenots were to arrive at the same
time by way of Dlphine and join the others as
(06:58):
they disembarked. That in this hope, Catannaut, Clary and jean
Quet had left Geneva and returned to France, and having
rejoined Ravenel, had gone secretly through those parts of the
country known to be infected with fanaticism, and made all
necessary arrangements, such as amassing powder and lead, munitions of war,
(07:18):
and stores of all kinds, as well as enrolling the
names of all those who were of age to bear arms. Furthermore,
they had made an estimate of what each city, town
and village ought to contribute in money or in kind
to the League of the Children of God, so that
they could count on having eight or ten thousand men
ready to rise at the first signal. They had furthermore
(07:40):
resolved that there should be risings in several places at
the same time, which places were already chosen, and each
of those who were to take part in the movement
knew his exact duty. At Montpellier, a hundred of the
most determined amongst the disaffected were to set fire in
different quarters to the houses of the Catholics, killing all
who attempted to extinguish the fires, and with the help
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of the Huguenot inhabitants, were to slaughter the garrison, seize
the citadel, and carry off the Duke of Berwick and
Monsieur de Baville. The same things were to be done
at Nimes, Uza Alais Anduza, Saint Hippolyte and Sommier. Lastly,
he said, this conspiracy had been going on for more
than three months, and the conspirators, in order not to
(08:24):
be found out, had only revealed their plans to those
whom they knew to be ready to join them. They
had not admitted a single woman to their confidence, or
any man whom it was possible to suspect. Further, they
had only met at night, and a few persons at
a time in certain country houses, to which admittance was
gained by means of a counter sign. The twenty fifth
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of April was the day fixed for the general rising
and the execution of these projects. As may be seen,
the danger was imminent, as there was only six days
interval between the revelation and the expected outburst. So the
Genevois was salted under renewed promises of safety for himself.
As to the best means of seizing on the principal
(09:06):
chiefs in the shortest possible time, he replied that he
saw no other way but to accompany them himself to Nimes,
where Catanaught and Ravenel were hiding in a house of
which he did not know the number, and in a
street of which he did not know the name, but
which he was sure of recognizing when he saw them.
If this advice were to be of any avail, there
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was no time to be lost, for Ravenel and Catanat
were to leave names on the twentieth or the twenty
first at the latest. Consequently, if they did not set
off at once, the chiefs would no longer be there
when they arrived. The advice seemed good, so the Marechal
and the intendan hastened to follow it. The informer was
sent to Names, guarded by six archers. The conduct of
(09:49):
the expedition was given to Barnier, the Provost Lieutenant, a
man of intellect and common sense, and in whom the
Provost had full confidence. He carried letters for the Marquis
of Corps. As they arrived late on the evening of
the nineteenth The Genevois was at once led up and
down the streets of Nimes, and as he had promised,
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he pointed out several houses in the district of Saint
Eugeni Sandricourt at once ordered the garrison officers as well
as those of the municipal and courten regiments to put
all their soldiers under arms, and to station them quietly
throughout the town as to surround that district. At ten o'clock,
the Marquis of Sandracourt, having made certain that his instructions
(10:31):
had been carefully carried out, gave orders to Moncheurs de
Lestrada Barnier, Joseph Martin Eusebe, and the major of the
Swiss regiment, and several other officers, along with ten picked men,
to repair to the house of one Alison, a silk merchant,
this house having been specially pointed out by the prisoner.
This they did, but seeing the door open, they had
(10:53):
little hope of finding the chiefs of a conspiracy in
a place so badly guarded. Nevertheless, determined to obey there
and intructions, they glided softly into the hall. In a
few moments, during which silence and darkness reigned, they heard
people speaking rather loudly in an adjoining room, and by
listening intently, they caught the following words. It is quite
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sure that in less than three weeks the king will
be no longer master of Dauphine, Vivoret and languidoc. I
am being sought for everywhere, and here I am in Nemes,
with nothing to fear. It was now quite clear to
the listeners that close at hand were some at least
of those for whom they were looking. They ran to
the door, which was ajar, and entered the room sword
(11:36):
in hand. They found Ravenel, jean Quet, and Villa talking together,
one sitting on a table, another standing on the hearth,
and the third lolling in a bed. John Quay was
a young man from Saint Chatau, highly thought of among
the commissards. He had been and may remembered one of
Cavalier's principal officers. Villa was the son of a doctor
(11:58):
in Saint Hippolyte. He was still young, though he had
seen ten years service, having been corney in England and
the Galloway Regiment. As to Ravenel, he is sufficiently known
to our readers to make any words of introduction unnecessary.
De Lstrada threw himself on the nearest of the three, and,
without using his sword, struck him with his fist. Ravenel,
(12:19):
for it was he, being half stunned, fell back a
step and asked the reason of this violent assault, while
Barnier exclaimed hold him fast, Monsieur de Lastrada, it is Ravenel. Well, yes,
I am Ravenel, said the Commissard, but that is no
reason for making so much noise. As he said these words,
he made an attempt to reach his weapons, but de
(12:39):
Lestrade and Barnier prevented him by throwing themselves on him,
and succeeded in knocking him down after a fierce struggle.
While this was going on, his two companions were secured,
and the three were removed to the fort, where their
guard never left them night or day. The Marquis of
Sandracoort immediately sent off a courier to the Duke of
bur and Monsieur de Baville to inform them of the
(13:03):
important capture he had made. They were so delighted at
the news that they came next day Toimes. They found
the town intensely excited soldiers with fixed bayonets at every
street corner, all the houses shut up, and the gates
of the town closed, and no one allowed to leave
without written permission from Sandra Corps. On the twentieth and
(13:23):
during the following night, more than fifty persons were arrested,
amongst whom were Alissan, the merchant in whose house rabinel
Villa and Jean Quis were found. Delacroix, Alissan's brother in law, who,
on hearing the noise of the struggle, had hidden on
the roof and was not discovered till the next day.
Jean Laos, who was accused of having prepared Ravenel's supper,
(13:45):
Laos's mother, a widow to Rell the maid servant, the
host of the coupe door, and a preacher named la
Jonesse Great. However, as was the joy felt by the Duke,
the Marquis, and de Baville, it fell short of fool
per infection, for the most dangerous man among the rebels
was still at large. In spite of every effort, Catanaut's
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hiding place had not till now been discovered. Accordingly, the
Duke issued a proclamation offering a reward of one hundred
louis d'Or to whoever could take Catanat or caused him
to be taken prisoner, and granting a free pardon to
anyone who had sheltered him, provided that he was denounced
before the house to house visitation which was about to
(14:26):
be made took place. After the search began, the master
of the house in which he might be found would
be hung at his own door, his family thrown into prison,
his goods confiscated, his house raised to the ground, without
any form of trial. Whatever this proclamation had the effect
expected by the Duke, whether the man in whose house
(14:47):
Catanat was concealed grew frightened and asked him to leave,
or whether Catanot thought his best course would be to
try and get away from the town instead of remaining
shut up in it. He dressed himself one morning in
suitable clothes, and when to a barber's who shaved him,
cut his hair and made his face so as to
give him as much the appearance of a nobleman as possible,
And then, with wonderful assurance, he went out into the streets, and,
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pulling his hat over his eyes, and holding a paper
in his hand as if reading it, he crossed the
town to the gate of Saint Antoine. He was almost through,
and Charrou the captain of the Guard, having his attention
directed to Catanaught by a comrade to whom he was talking,
stopped him, suspecting he was trying to escape. Catanat asked
what he wanted with him, and Charro replied that if
(15:31):
he would enter the guard house he would learn as
under such circumstances any examination was to be avoided. Catanat
tried to force his way out, whereupon he was seized
by Cherrou and his brother officer, and Catanat, seeing that
resistance would be not only useless but harmful, allowed himself
to be taken to the guard room. He had been
(15:52):
there about an hour without being recognized by any of those, who,
drawn by curiosity, came to look at him, when one
of the visitors, in going out said he bore a
shit strong resemblance to Catanat. Some children, hearing these words,
began to shout, Catanat has taken, Catanat is taken. This
cry drew a large crowd to the guard house. Among others,
a man whose name was Anglaias, who looking closely at
(16:15):
the prisoner, recognized him and called him by name. Instantly
the guard was doubled, and Catanat searched. A psalm book
with a silver clasp and a letter addressed to Monsieur
Morrel called Catanat were found on him, leaving no doubt
as to his identity. While he himself growing impatient and
desiring to end all these investigations, acknowledged that he was
(16:36):
Catanat and no other. He was at once taken to
the palace where the presidial Court was sitting, Monsieur de Baville,
and the President being occupied in trying ravenel Villa and Jeanquet.
On hearing the news of this important capture, the Intendant,
hardly daring to believe his ears, rose and went out
to meet the prisoner in order to convince himself that
(16:57):
it was really Catanot. From the presidial court, he was
brought before the Duke of Berwick, who addressed several questions
to him, which Catanat answered. He then told the Duke
he had something of importance to impart to him and
to him alone. The Duke was not very anxious for
a tete a tete with Catanat, However, having ordered his
hands to be securely bound in telling Sandricourd not to
(17:20):
go away, he consented to hear what the prisoner had
to say. Catanat then, in the presence of the Duke
and Sandricourt, proposed that an exchange of prisoners should be made.
The Marchal de Tallard, who was a prisoner of war
in England being accepted in his place. Catenat added that
if this offer was not accepted, the Marechal would meet
(17:41):
the same treatment from the English as might be meeted
out to him. Catenot in France, the Duke, full of
the aristocratic ideas to which he was born, found the
proposal insolent and said, if that is all you have
to propose, I can assure you that your hours are numbered.
Thereupon Catanaut was promptly sent back to the palace, where
(18:02):
truly his trial did not occupy much time. That of
the three others was already finished, and soon his was
also at an end, and it only remained to pronounce
sentence on all four. Catanat and Ravenel, as the most guilty,
were condemned to be burnt at the stake. Some of
the councilors thought Catanat should have been torn apart by
four horses, but the majority were for the stake, the
(18:24):
agony lasting longer, being more violent and more exquisite than
in the other case. Villa and jean Quet were sentenced
to be broken on the wheel alive, the only difference
between them being that jean Quete was to be taken
while still living, and thrown into the fire lit round
Catanat and Ravenel. It was also ordered that the four
condemned men, before their execution, should be put to the
(18:47):
torture ordinary and extraordinary. Catanat, whose temper was fierce, suffered
with courage, but cursed his torturers. Ravenel bore all the
torments that could be inflicted on him with a fortitude
that was more more than human, so that the torturers
were exhausted before he was Jean Quiet spoke little, and
the revelations he made were of slight importance. Villa confessed
(19:10):
that the conspirators had the intention of carrying off the
Duke and Monchieur de Baville when they were out walking
or driving, and he added that this plot had been
hatched at the house of a certain Bouton de Saint Laurent,
Dagatzre and Milad in Ruerg. Meanwhile, all this torturing and
questioning had taken so much time that when the stake
and the scaffold were ready, it was almost dark, so
(19:33):
that the Duke put off the executions until the next day,
instead of carrying them out by torchlight. Broyce says that
this was done in order that the most disaffected amongst
the Fanatics should not be able to say that it
was not really Catanat, Ravenel Villa, and Jean Quayt who
had been executed, but some other unknown men. But it
is more probable that the Duke and Baville were afraid
(19:55):
of riots, as was proved by their ordering the scaffold
and the stake to be erected at the end of
the corps and opposite the glassie of the fortress, so
that the garrison might be at hand in case of
any disturbance. Catanat was placed in a cell apart and
could be heard cursing and complaining all night through. Ravenel,
villan Janquet were confined together and passed the night singing
(20:17):
and praying. The next day, the twenty second April seventeen
o five, they were taken from the prison and drawn
to the place of execution in two carts, being unable
to walk on account of the severe torture to which
they had been subjected and which had crushed the bones
of their legs. A single pile of wood had been
prepared for Catanat and Ravenel, who were to be burnt together.
(20:40):
They were in one cart, and villan jan Quet, for
whom two wheels had been prepared, were in the other.
The first operation was to bind Catanat and Ravenel back
to back to the same stake, care being taken to
place Catanat with his face to windward, so that his
agony might last longer, And then the pile was lit
under Ravenel, as had been foreseen. This precaution gave great
(21:03):
pleasure to those people who took delight in witnessing executions.
The wind, being rather high, blew the flames away from Catanat,
so that at first the fire burnt his legs, only
a circumstance, which, to the author of the History of
the Commissards tells us, aroused Catanat's impatience. Ravenel, however, bore
everything to the end with the greatest heroism, only pausing
(21:25):
in his singing to address words of encouragement to his
companion in suffering, whom he could not see, but whose
groans and curses he could hear. He would then return
to his psalms, which he continued to sing until his
voice was stifled in the flames. Just as he expired.
Jean Key was removed from the wheel and carried his
broken limbs, dangling to the burning pile on which he
(21:46):
was thrown From the midst of the flames. His voice
was heard crying, Courage, Catanat, we shall soon meet in heaven.
A few moments later, the stake, being burnt through at
the base, broke, and Catanat, falling into the flames, was
quickly suffocated. That this accident had not been foreseen and
prevented by proper precautions caused great displeasure to spectators, who
(22:09):
found that the three quarter of an hour which the
spectacle had lasted was much too brief a time. Villah
lived three hours longer on his wheel and expired without
having uttered a single complaint. Two days later there was
another trial, at which six persons were condemned to death
and one to the galleys. These were the two Alissans
in whose house Villa Ravenel and Jean Quiet had been found. Allegra,
(22:33):
who was accused of having concealed Catanat and of having
been the connoissard treasurer Rugier, an armorer who was found
guilty of having repaired the muskets of the rebels. Jean
Lows an innkeeper who had prepared meals for Ravenel, La Genesse,
a preacher convicted of having preached sermons and sung psalms,
and young Delacroix, brother in law to one of the Alissans.
(22:56):
The first three were condemned to be broken on the wheel,
their houses demolished, and their goods confiscated. The next three
were to be hanged. John Delacroix, partly because of his youth,
but more because of the revelations he made, was only
sent to the galleys. Several years later. He was liberated
and returned to Arles, and was carried off by the
plague in seventeen twenty. All these sentences were carried out
(23:19):
with the utmost rigor. Thus, as may be seen, the
suppression of the revolt proceeded apace. Only two young commissar
chiefs were still at large, both of whom had formerly
served under Cavalier and Catanat. The name of the one
was Brune and of the other Francazis. Although neither of
them possessed the genius and influence of Catanat and Ravenel,
(23:40):
yet they were both men to be feared, the one
on account of his personal strength. The other for his
skill and agility. Indeed, it was said of him that
he never missed a shot, and that one day, being
pursued by dragoons, he had escaped by jumping over the
garden and a spot where it was twenty two feet wide.
For a long time all search was in vain, but
one day the wife of a miller named Seminil came
(24:03):
in the town, ostensibly to buy provisions, but really to
denounce them as being concealed with two other commissards in
her husband's house. This information was received with an eager gratitude,
which showed the importance which the governor of Nimes attached
to their capture. The woman was promised a reward of
fifty louis if they were taken, and the Chevalier de
la Valla, Grandier and fifty Swiss, the major of the
(24:26):
Saint Sernan Regiment, a captain and thirty dragoons were sent
off to make the capture. When they were within a
quarter of a league of the mill, la Valla, who
was in command of the expedition, made the woman give
him all the necessary topographical information, having learned that besides
the door by which they hoped to effect an entrance.
The mill possessed only one other, which opened on a
(24:48):
bridge over the Vistra. He dispatched ten dragoons in five
Swiss to occupy this bridge, whilst he and the rest
of the troops bore down on the main entrance. As
soon as the four commissards proceed the approach of the soldiers,
their first thought was to escape by the bridge, but
one of them, having gone up to the roof to
make sure that the way was clear, came down exclaiming
(25:09):
that the bridge was occupied. On hearing this, the four
felt that they were lost, but nevertheless resolved to defend
themselves as valiantly and to sell their lives as dearly
as possible. As soon as the royals were within musket
range of the mill, four shots were fired and two dragoons,
one Swiss and one horse fell, Whilecheur de Valla thereupon
(25:30):
ordered the troops to charge at full gallop. But before
the mill door was reached, three other shots were heard
and two more men killed. Nevertheless, seeing they could not
long hold out against such numbers, Francase gave this signal
for retreat, calling out Sava Quipetit. At the same instant,
he jumped out of a lattice window twenty feet from
the ground, followed by Brune, neither of them being hurt.
(25:52):
Both set off across country, one trusting to his strength
and the other to his fleetness. Afoot the two other
commissards who had tried to escape by the door were captured.
The soldiers horse and foot, being now free, to give
all their attention to Brune and Francose. A wonderful race
began for the two fugitives, being strong and active, seemed
to play with their pursuers, stopping every now and then
(26:15):
when they had gained sufficient headway to shoot at the
nearest soldiers, when Francase, proving worthy of his reputation, never
missed a single shot, then resuming their flight and loading
their weapons as they ran. They leaped rivers and ditches,
taking advantage of the less direct road which the troops
were obliged to follow, to stop and take breath instead
(26:35):
of making for some cover where they might have found safety.
Two or three times Brune was on the point of
being caught, but each time the dragoon or Swiss who
had got up to him fell struck by Francose's unerring bullet.
The chase lasted four hours, during which time five officers,
thirty dragoons and fifty Swiss were baffled by two men,
(26:58):
one of whom Franks was almost a boy, being only
twenty years old. Then the two Kamissards, having exhausted their ammunition,
gave each other the name of a village as a rendezvous,
and each taking a different direction, bounded away with the
lightness of a stag. Frankase ran in the direction of
Milhaud with such rapidity that he gained on the dragoons,
(27:21):
although they put their horses at full speed. He was
within an inch of safety when a peasant named La Bastide,
who was hoeing in a field, whence he had watched
the contest with interest from the moment he had first
caught sight of it, seeing the fugitive make for an
opening in the wall, ran along at the foot of
the wall on the other side, and just as frank
Kaze dashed through the opening, like a flash of lightning,
(27:43):
struck him such a heavy blow on the head with
his hoe that the skull was laid open and he
fell bathed in blood. The dragoons, who had seen in
the distance what had happened, now came up and rescued
frank Kaze from the hands of his assailant, who had
continued to rain blows upon him. Desiring to put an
end to him, the unconscious commissard was carried to Milhaud,
(28:04):
where his wounds were bandaged and himself revived by means
of strong spirits forced into mouth and nostrils. We now
returned to Brune. At first it seemed as if he
were more fortunate than his comrade, for meeting with no obstacle.
He was soon not only out of reach but out
of sight of his enemies. He now, however, felt broken
by fatigue, and taught caution by the treachery to which
(28:28):
he had almost fallen a victim, he dared not ask
for an asylum, so throwing himself down in a ditch,
he was soon fast asleep. The dragoons, who had not
given up the search, presently came upon him, and, falling
on him as he lay overpowered him before he was
well awake. When both commissards met before the governor, Frankesee
(28:48):
replied to all interrogations that since the death of Brother Catanat,
his sole desire had been to die a martyr's death
like him, while Brune said that he was proud and
happy to die in the cause of the law Lord
along with such a brave comrade as frankase This manner
of defense led to the application of the question both
ordinary and extraordinary and to the stake, and our readers
(29:11):
already know what such a double sentence meant. Frankasee and
Brune paid both penalties on the thirtieth of April, betraying
no secrets and uttering no complaints. Botan who had been
denounced by Villah when under torture, and who thereby abridged
his agony. As the person in whose house the plot
to carry off the Duke of Berwick and de Baville
(29:33):
had been arranged, still remained to be dealt with. He
was moderate in his religious views, but firm and full
of faith. His principles resembled those of the Quakers in
that he refused to carry arms. He was, however, willing
to aid the good cause by all other means within
his reach. He was at home, waiting with that calm
which perfect trust in God gives for the day to come,
(29:55):
which had been appointed for the execution of the plan,
when suddenly his house was surrounded during the night by
the royals. Faithful to his principles, he offered no resistance,
but held out his hands to be bound. He was
taken in Triumphantnimes, and from there to the citadel of Montpellier.
On the way he encountered his wife and his son,
who were going to the latter town to intercede for him.
(30:17):
When they met him, they dismounted from their horse, for
the mother was riding on a pillion behind the sun,
and kneeling on the high road, asked for Botan's blessing.
Unfeeling though the soldiers were, they yet permitted their prisoner
to stop an instant while he, raising his fettered hands
to Heaven, gave thee double blessing asked for. So touched
(30:38):
was Baron Saint Shatta by the scene be It remarked
in passing that the Baron and Botan were cousins by marriage,
that he permitted them to embrace one another. So for
a few moments they stood, the husband and father clasped
to the hearts of his dear ones. Then on a
sign from Botan, they tore themselves away, Botan commanding them
to pray for Monsieur to Saint Shata, who had given
(31:00):
them this consolation. As he resumed his march, the prisoner
set them the example by beginning to sing a psalm
for the benefit of Monsieur de Saint Shatta. The next day,
despite the intercession of his wife and son, Baton was
condemned to torture both ordinary and extraordinary, and then to
be broken on the wheel. On hearing this cruel sentence,
he said that he was ready to suffer every ill
(31:23):
that God might send him, in order to prove the
steadfastness of his faith. And indeed he endured his torture
with such firmness. Thy Monsieur de Baville, who was present
in the hope of obtaining a confession, became more impatient
than the sufferer, and forgetting his sacred office, the judge
struck and insulted the prisoner. Upon this, button raised his
eyes to heaven and cried, Lord Lord, how long shall
(31:45):
the wicked triumph? How long shall innocent blood be shed?
How long wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood?
With cries to thee Remember thy jealousy, O Lord, and
thy loving kindness of old. Then Monsieur de Baville Withdrew
giving orders that he was to be brought to the scaffold.
The scaffold was erected on the esplanade, being as well
(32:07):
as usual when this sort of death was to be inflicted,
a wooden platform five or six feet high, on which
was fastened flat a Saint Andrew's cross, formed of two
beams of wood in the form of an x. In
each of the four arms. Two square pieces were cut
out to about half the depth of the beam and
about a foot apart, so that when the victim was
bound on the cross, the outstretched limbs were easy to
(32:29):
break by a blow at these points, having no support beneath. Lastly,
near the cross, at one corner of the scaffold and upright,
wooden post was fixed on which was fastened horizontally a
small carriage wheel as on a pivot, the projecting part
of the nave being sawn off to make it flat.
On this bed of pain, the sufferer was laid so
(32:50):
that the spectators might enjoy the sight of his dying convulsions.
When the executioner, having accomplished his part, the turn of
death arrived. Botan was carried to execution in a cart
and drums were beaten that his exhortations might not be heard,
but above the roll of drums his voice rose unfalteringly
(33:11):
as he admonished his brethren to uphold their fellowship in Christ.
Half Way to the esplanade, a friend of the condemned man,
who happened to be in the street, met the procession, and,
fearing that he could not support the sight, he took
refuge in a shop. When Botan was opposite the door,
he stopped the cart and asked permission of the provost
to speak to his friend. The request being granted, he
(33:34):
called him out, and as he approached, bathed in tears,
Botan said, why do you run away from me? Is
it because you see me covered with the tokens of
Jesus Christ? Why do you weep? Because He has graciously
called me to himself and all unworthy, though I be
permits me to seal my faith with my blood. Then,
(33:55):
as the friend threw himself into Batan's arms, and some
signs of sympathetic emotion appeared among the crowd, the procession
was abruptly ordered to move on. But though the leave
taking was thus roughly broken short, no murmur passed the
lips of button. In turning out of the first street,
the scaffold came in sight. The condemned man raised his
(34:16):
hands towards heaven and exclaimed, in a cheerful voice, while
a smile lit up his face, courage, my soul, I
see thy place of triumph. Whence released from earthly bonds,
thou shalt take flight to Heaven. When he got to
the foot of the scaffold, who was found he could
not mount without assistance, for his limbs, crushed in the
terrible boot, could no longer sustain his weight. While they
(34:41):
were preparing to carry him up, he exhorted and comforted
the Protestants, who were all weeping round him. When he
reached the platform, he laid himself of his own accord
on the cross, but hearing from the executioner that he
must first be undressed, he raised himself again with a smile,
so that the executioner's assistant could remove his double and
small clothes, as he wore no stockings, his legs being bandaged.
(35:05):
The man also unwound these bandages and rolled up Baton's
shirt sleeves to the elbow, and then ordered him to
lay himself again on the cross. Batan did so with
unbroken calm. All its limbs were then bound to the beams,
with chords at every joint. This accomplished, the assistant retired,
and the executioner came forward. He held in his hand
(35:27):
a square bar of iron, an inch and a half thick,
three feet long, and rounded at one end so as
to form a handle. When Buttan saw it, he began
singing a psalm, But almost immediately the melody was interrupted
by a cry. The executioner had broken a bone of
Batan's right leg. But the singing was at once resumed
(35:49):
and continued without interruption till each limb had been broken
in two places. Then the executioner unbound the formless but
still living body from the cross, and while from the
lips issued words of faith in God, he laid it
on the wheel, bending it back on the legs in
such a manner that the heels and head met. And
(36:09):
never once during the completion of this atrocious performance did
the voice of the sufferer cease to sound forth the
praises of the Lord. No execution till then had ever
produced such an effect on the crowd, so that Abbe Masillah,
who was present, seeing the general emotion, hastened to calm
Onshour de Baville's attention to the fact that, far from
(36:30):
Batan's death inspiring the Protestants with terror, they were only
encouraged to hold out, as was proved by their tears
and the praises they lavished on the dying man. Wancheur
de Baville, recognizing the truth of this observation, ordered that
Botan should be put out of misery, this order being
conveyed to the executioner. He approached the wheel to break
(36:52):
in Button's chest with one last blow, but an archer
standing on the scaffold, threw himself before the sufferer, saying
that the Huguenot had not yet suffered half enough. At this, Baton,
who had heard the dreadful dispute going on beside him,
interrupted his prayers for an instant, and, raising his head,
which hung down over the edge of the wheel, said, friend,
(37:14):
you think I suffer, and in truth I do. But
he for whom I suffer is beside me and gives
me strength to bear everything joyfully. Just then Monsieur de
Baville's order was repeated, and the archer, no longer daring
to interfere, allowed the executioner to approach. Then Baton, seeing
his last moment had come, said, my dear friends, may
(37:38):
my death be an example to you to incite you
to preserve the gospel pure, bear faithful testimony that I
died in the religion of Christ and his Holy apostles.
Hardly at these words passed his lips than the death
blow was given and his chest crushed. A few inarticulate sounds,
apparently prayers were heard, the head fell back. The martyrdom
(37:59):
was This execution ended the war in Languidoc. A few
imprudent preachers still delivered belated sermons, to which the rebels listened,
trembling with fear, and for which the preachers paid on
the wheel or gibbet. There were disturbances in Vivarats aroused
by Danielle Billard, during which a few Catholics were found
murdered on the highway. There were a few fights, as
(38:22):
for instance at Saint pierre Ville, where the commissards, faithful
to the old traditions which had come to them from Cavalier,
Catanat and Ravenel, fought one to twenty, but they were
all without importance. They were only the last quiverings of
the dying civil strife, the last shudderings of the earth
when the eruption of volcano is over. Even Cavalier understood
(38:43):
that the end had come, for he left Holland for England.
There Queen Anne distinguished him by a cordial welcome. She
invited him to enter her service, an offer which he accepted,
and he was placed in command of a regiment of refugees,
so that he actually received in England the grade of
colonel which he had been offered in France. At the
Battle of Almanza, the regiment commanded by Cavalier found itself
(39:06):
opposed by a French regiment. The old enemies recognized each other,
and with a howl of rage, without waiting for the
word of command or executing any military evolutions, they hurled
themselves at each other with such fury that, if we
may believe the Duke of Berwick, who was present, they
almost annihilated each other in the conflict. Cavalier, however, survived
(39:27):
the slaughter in which he had performed his part with energy,
and for his courage was made General and governor of
the island of Jersey. He died at Chelsea in May
seventeen forty, aged sixty years. I must confess, says Maliserba,
that this soldier, who without training, became a great general
by means of his natural gifts. This commissard who dared,
(39:49):
in the face of fierce troopers to punish a crime
similar to those by which the troopers existed. This rude
peasant who admitted into the best society adopted its no
and gained its esteem and love. This man, who, though
accustomed to an adventurous life, and who might justly have
been puffed up by success, had yet enough philosophy to
(40:11):
lead for thirty five years a tranquil private existence, appears
to me to be one of the rarest characters to
be met with in the pages of history. End of
Chapter five, Section two. Recording by John vanstan Savannah, Georgia,
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