Inn of Peyrebeille

See also: the red Inn

The Inn of Peyrebeille, located on the commune of Lanarce (Ardeche) and still today existing, but more known under the term of the red Inn , was the place of abominable a criminal case, known as “the business of the red Inn” - about fifty assassinations in series - and defrayed the chronicle in the first third of the 19th century.

This business tells appalling stories of lost travellers and ever found. During nearly twenty-three years, in the neighborhoods of the years 1805 - 1830, the Pierre husbands and Marie Martin, of former poor farmers become owners of the establishment, détroussèrent more than fifty travellers before assassinating them, with the complicity of their servant, a mulatto originating in South America named Jean Rochette and called " Fétiche". They made disappear the corpses from their victims by burning them in the furnace of the kitchen or while making believe that they were deaths of cold in snow on the plate. Their cupidity will make draw to them the attention of people of the place and led them to their loss: they were stopped.

The June 18th, 1833, the lawsuit opened with the sitted Ardeche with Privas. Hundred and nine witnesses were called with the bar but the lawsuit enlisa and one even thought of pronouncing the payment of the defendants. Then, dramatic turn of events: a beggar of the area which had all considering and heard told the facts (driven out inn failing to be able to pay his bed, it would have hidden in a handing-over and, actually, would not have attended that the assassination of only one traveller).

Finally recognized guilty, the husbands Martin and their Rochette servant were all the three condemned to died and brought back on the spot of their misdeeds in order to be there guillotines in the court even of their inn, by the Bourreau Pierre Roch and his nephew Nicolas, the October 2nd 1833 at five o'clock in the morning. A very important crowd witnessed this execution (one speaks about 30.000 people).

On the other hand, the nephew of Martin, Andre, was discharged and given in freedom although it took part in at least an assassination.

Paul d' Albigny reports in his book on the red inn that the day of the execution, a ball was organized in front of the inn.

This macabre history was illustrated in film of Claude Autant-Lara, L ''' Auberge Red '' with Fernandel. Certain scenes of film were turned on the spot.

But the film of As much Lara tells with humor the misdeeds of the Martin husbands and their servant. Indeed, Mrs Martin in film entrusts to the priest (Fernandel) that travellers are détroussés and killed in its inn. The priest (Fernandel) then tries to save all the travellers who pass in the inn. It is a comic fable very interesting and a little far away from the actual facts.

Films

The business of the red Inn inspired by many realizers:

the red Inn , French film of Camille de Morlhon (1910);
the red Inn , French film of Jean Epstein (1923);
the red Inn , French film of Claude Autant-Lara (1951);
the red Inn , film of Gerard Krawczyk, more recent film which was made in October 2006 under the direction of Gerard Krawczyk. Christian Clavier, Josiane Balasko and Gerard Jugnot interprets there the characters who marked the dramatic years of the Inn of Peyrebeille. This film will leave on the screens to the autumn 2007.

Books

Among the works most serious which recalled the crimes perpetrated on the plate of Peyrebeille in the Années 1830 let us quote the book of Felix Viallet and Charles Almeras: “ Peyrebelle ”, ED. platform. The abbot Felix Viallet who was deputy and mayor of Langogne in 1956 is aggregate Letters known for his historical research carried out on the area of Langogne, bordering on the platau of Peyrebeille.

One can also quote the red Inn a novel of Honore de Balzac, and the bloody Inn of Peirebeilhe , novel of Jules Beaujoint.

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