Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal

Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal , born in Auvergne with Vic-on-Cère (Cantal) the November 7th 1762, guillotine with Paris on Thermidor 18 Year II (August 6th 1794), is a French revolutionist. Clerk of prosecutor, he becomes judge with the revolutionary Tribunal, then vice-president. In addition, he is elected at the General advice of the Commune of Paris.

Youth

Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal was youngest of three wire of a lawyer of Aurillac. His/her two older brothers study jurisprudence. His/her brother, Joseph Coffinhal, were him also judge under the Révolution, but with the Court of appeal. Joseph Coffinhal became Baron and Adviser of State under the Empire, under the name of Baron Dunoyer. He choose medicine but, being wearied some very quickly, it goes to Paris where it found a place of clerk of prosecutor. Perceiving thin wages, he lives poorly in the hope of better days.

Judge with the revolutionary tribunal

It is filled with enthusiasm for the Révolution, takes an active share with the political agitation which shakes the capital, but without success. During the first three years, it nothing but did “agitate the dust of the clubs” according to the words of Mirabeau. It fulfills the functions of police superintendent in his section. It takes part in the catch of Tileries at the time of the Journée of August 10th, 1792. Little time after it is named judge with the extraordinary criminal court (known as of August 17th, 1792).

During the creation of the revolutionary Tribunal, on March 10th, 1793, it is named judge and becomes the friend of Fouquier-Tinville. It seems to have appreciated the entertainments. From time to time, one could see it, in the district of the Palais Royal at late hours, benefitting agreeably from the life. One day, it even was stopped and led to the station with Fouquier-Tinville, the son of this last, and one of sworn court. They refused to show their civic charts with a patrol.

Its career of judge took importance at the time of the lawsuit of Jacques-Rene Hébert and of the Hébertistes. It was in charge with other examining magistrates of the lawsuit and to write a newspaper of the lawsuit. In collaboration with three other colleagues, his work hardly reflects the reality of the debates. In 1795, under the Convention thermidorienne, the discovery of the documents concerning the instruction of the various lawsuits which it had with responsibility of inform reveals many suppressions and of the " rectifications" made by Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal. At the time of the lawsuit of the members of Parliament, it was also pointed out by its severity and its dishonesty.

Substitute Rene-François Dumas, it chaired the audiences of the lawsuit of the farmer general among whom Antoine Lavoisier was. He had many discussions there on the reality of the famous sentence “the Republic does not require for scientists nor chemists” that Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal would have addressed to Lavoisier. If they all are unanimous to describe Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal like a man severe and pitiless in the performance of its duties, testimonys of this time which do not guarantee the veracity of these words, report some distributed of Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal which proves its doubled macabre humor of an icy sadism . 22 meadow year II (June 10th, 1794), one eliminates the bad elements from the revolutionary tribunal, on this occasion Jean-Baptiste Coffihal is named first of the three vice-presidents.

Thermidor 9 and the escape

During the fall of Maximilien de Robespierre, Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal adopted a hesitant attitude. The Thermidor 9 year II (July 27th, 1794), Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal, refugee with the Town hall with Maximilien de Robespierre and its partisans, manages to escape, it skirts the banks of the the Seine and gains the island of the Swans, not far from the quay of Grenelle where Chantillian boatmen hide it. Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal remains hidden from the 10 to Thermidor 17 year II (July 28th at August 5th, 1794). Hesitating to regain its residence, it knocks on the door of its mistress, Mrs. Nègre, residing street Montorgueil. This one refuses to lodge it. Wandering without goal in the streets of Paris, Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal makes the meeting of a person who still owed him of the money. This man agrees to hide it and incites it to enter its residence then precipitates with the police force to denounce it. Jean-Baptiste Coffinhal is imprisoned with the Conciergerie around two hours of the morning. Its neighbor of cell, Fouquier-Tinville heard it howl until the small hour, overpowering reproaches François Hanriot and the others entreated. He is condemned to died on simple checking of his identity by the criminal court of the department. In the cart that it transports it Caretaker's lodge to the Place of Strike, it éest only, upright, the head high, time with other it looked at crowd with indifference. This one launched sarcastic insults to him, returning the disasters jokes to him of which it overpowered the defendants. It climbs the steps which led it to the guillotine of a decided step, without pronouncing a word, it offered its neck to Charles-Henri Sanson.

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