Joannès Caton

Joannès Caton (October 28th 1849 - February 10th 1914) is militant French, off-set in New Caledonia for its participation in the Commune of Saint-Etienne in 1871.

The Commune of Saint-Etienne

Jean Caton was born with the Barn from Work with Beaubrun (current commune of Saint-Etienne), on October 28th, 1849, of Etienne Caton (35 years), hand braid maker, and of Francoise Ducros (32 years). He is the son junior by a family of 5 children. His/her mother dies when small Joannès does not have whereas 18 months. He will be raised by his older sister.

Former student of the Marist brothers (in Valbenoite, in 1858), it was conquered by a revolutionary ideal. In September 1870, he was secretary of the credit committee of the street of the Virgin (disappeared street located between current the large post office and the Notre-Dame church). It is this committee which, for a great part, organized in March 1871 the catch of the Town hall. Caton was secretary, quite transitory committee of administration of the city, since it was replaced after only one day of function.

Deportation

In front of the failure of the Common inhabitant of Saint-Etienne, it took refuge in Geneva from where it returned on April 30th of the same year to the advertisement of the insurrection of Lyon, but it was stopped at the border on May 1st. Consequently a long odyssey starts: prison and courts with Bellegarde, in Lyon, with Bank-of-Gier, in Saint-Etienne, then in Riom where its lawsuit condemning it to the deportation with life took place. Transferred to Oléron then at the La Rochelle, it is embarked on May 17th, 1873 to arrive to New Caledonia on September 27th, 1873. After a stay in camps neighbor of Noumea, it is transferred on April 15th, 1877 in the dependence close to the Island to the Pines where it enjoys a certain independence and exerted even during some time the functions of schoolmaster.

May 10th, 1879, there were pardoned but remained voluntarily a few months in Sydney (Australia). It there would have even exerted during a certain period of the functions of press correspondent, including, appears he, for a newspaper inhabitant of Saint-Etienne… One imagines that the copy, for this newspaper, should not have been very abundant, considering the undoubtedly limited interest of our fellow-citizens for this remote continent. April 10th, 1880, it returned to France.

Enough curiously, and under conditions which, sometimes, escape to us, it held a newspaper of its existence and adventures lived as well as contacts with certain also off-set characters such Henri Rochefort, Louise Michel. He depicts with force details his framework of life, his companions but also surrounding nature, the animals, the plants, etc

The return in France

At its return in France, it had preserved the strength of its opinions, sometimes not easily reconcilable with the new republican capacity. It tried to make come Louise Michel to Saint-Etienne; in January 1881, it is present at the burial of Auguste Blanqui. Candidate elected with the elections of 1881, it sits at the Municipal council until 1885 (and will not represent itself). He carries on multiple activities: journalist, insurance agent then operations manager by the Municipality, he will become director of an establishment of the City.

The files mention it like expeditionary at the market of large on January 1st, 1889. It will be raised of its functions by suppression of employment on June 2nd, 1892.

It Marie on December 22nd, 1883 with Jeanne Miller; the birth of three girls and its delicate health will moderate its temperament of militant to face his professional responsibilities. In the last part of its life, it would have been very decreased physically and died on February 10th, 1914, surrounded as of his. It is buried with the cemetery of Crêt de Roch in Saint-Etienne, alley 17.

The text of its account is appeared as 26 books of schoolboy. Initially written from day to day, these memories thereafter will be taken again by itself and will be dictated with his/her daughters.

On the 26 books, 17 are preserved at the Departmental records of the Loire (dimension 1 J 1236), covering the first 300 pages of the version published at France Worsens in 1986.

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