Lawsuit of the Nantes Committee

After the execution of Maximilien Robespierre the Thermidor 9 An II (July 28th 1794) took place with Paris the lawsuit of the Nantes Committee of the 25 vendémiaire year II (October 16th, 1794) with the 24 frimaire year II (December 16th, 1794). It must judge the persons in charge of the mass executions of the Vendean insurrectionists in the town of Nantes. It makes following the Procès of the Nantes, which made a verdict unanimous of payment for the opponents of the committee.

Arrest

Decree of the 24 meadow year II (June 12th, 1794)

Jean-Baptiste Bô and Pierre Bourbotte takes a decree ordering the arrest of Jean Marguerite Bachelier, Jean-Jacques Goullin, Pierre Chaux, Gaullier father, Chevalier, Lévêque, Mainguet, Michel Black-Grandmaison and Bollogniel. At the same time they make stop François Louis Phelippes-Tronjolly and decide his transfer to Paris to be judged by the revolutionary Tribunal there.

Imprisonment

Jean-Jacques Goullin keep silent himself, Michel Black-Grandmaison and Pierre Chaux shows himself particularly prolix. Joined by four their police chiefs, the eight members of the Nantes Committee stagnate six weeks with the prison of Bouffay.

The lawsuit

Bill of indictment

The bill of indictment of the eleven members of the revolutionary Comité of Nantes is made available of the public the 25 vendémiaire year II (October 16th, 1794): Misappropriations, dilapidations, flights, armed robberies, abuse of authority, immorality, abuse of power, murder and assassinations.

Audiences

The audiences are public. A lawsuit-river: six weeks of audiences before the addition of Jean-Baptiste Carrier to the others shown, nine on the whole. Two hundred and forty witnesses called, two hundred and twenties who present themselves indeed and, among them nineteen decrees immediately after their testimony, like accomplices of the members accused of the Nantes Committee.

Members of the Court, the jury and lawyers

The president of the Dobsent court will be unable to order the course of the debates. The public prosecutor Michel-Joseph Leblois seems to be " with the ordres" or at least with the listening of powerful of the moment. As for the jury, it is composed of " modérés" authentic and of promptly reconverted terrorists; among them the painter François Topino-Lebrun. The lawyers Tronson-Ducoudray, Pierre-François Réal, Villenave, Cressend, Strapping man, Boutroue, Unpleasant, form a true section. But they do not have a concerted plan.

Addition of Jean-Baptiste Carrier

Dice the first audiences, it appears that the lawsuit will be truncated if Carrier is not mixed there. Coming to triple the number of the defendants, the repeated arrests of witnesses still accentuate it Malayan, which Jean-Jacques Goullin, Pierre Chaux and Jean Marguerite Bachelier includes/understands very quickly. He is established ipso facto a complicity between the public - very anti-Jacobin and the defendants. For all, it is a question of obtaining the appearance and the inculpation of Jean-Baptiste Carrier.

Ier brumaire year II (October 22nd, 1794), Jean-Jacques Goullin requires Court which it transmits to the political authorities his request to make appear Carrier.

The meeting of the 13 brumaire year II (November 3rd, 1794), Crassous reproaches their attitude to the police officers and introduces Carrier like a victim.

The 21 brumaire year II (November 11th, 1794), Charles-Gilbert Rome reads with Convention the conclusions of the Twenty and a (Charged commission to inquire into the mission of Carrier in Nantes). The long report/ratio does not save Carrier. Though moderated by certain observations of its rapporteur, the document makes Carrier highly responsible for the string of abuse, offenses and crimes committed in Nantes. The Twenty and a declare quite founded the committal for trial of Jean-Baptiste Carrier. This one prepared its defense. He reads with the platform a plea. who is not badly conceived from the point of view of the justification of the defendant. To defend Goullin, most exposed of Nantes, Bachelier also his idea has: Carrier has " deceived " " frank, expansive and impetuous character of Goullin " , it has it " involved in the abyss " and Goullin in its turn has " trained his/her colleagues " …

The 7 frimaire year II (November 27th, 1794) Jean-Baptiste Carrier is translated in front of the revolutionary Tribunal, ten counts of indictment were retained against him.

The indictment

The 24 frimaire year II (December 14th, 1794), pronounced by the substitute of the public prosecutor, the indictment does not bring anything new good. It is especially a question of making the sorting among the defendants. Jean-Baptiste Carrier, Michel Black-Grandmaison and Jean Pinard are put aside, the first like instigator and supreme person in charge of the accused facts, the two others because confused, particulièremnt malfaisants, and undoubtedly also because it was important not to isolate Carrier in the verdict. All the other separate accused of this cursed trio are well introduced like culprits but also by their political passions, the excessive love of their cause. Thus famous " pure of sentiments".

Pleadings

The pleadings follow one another all the day of the 25 frimaire year II (December 15th, 1794), O' Sullivan, which believed skilful not to take of lawyer, defends itself " with the eloquence of the heart and sentiment" according to its own words. Plonk and Black-Grandmaison are retouvent without defenders and do not say mot. Tronson-Ducoudray and Réal competes of ram recoveries; the first has like customers only two comparses, Proust and Vic; but Pierre-François Réal defends Jean-Jacques Goullin and Pierre Chaux. Jean-Baptiste Carrier speaks about midnight a quarter at 4 hours 30 of the morning. He is expressed with calm astonishing in front of an attentive audience and as alleviated. If it does not bring any revelation and does not return on what it always affirmed, at least he shows a dignity and an inflexibility which will not leave it any more - or almost until the moment of his torment.

Verdict

The 26 frimaire year II (December 16th, 1794), at 6 o'clock in the morning, sworn sliced. The president reads the verdict. Jean-Baptiste Carrier, Michel Black-Grandmaison and Jean Pinard are condemned to death, there will be 33 payments.

The Convention is moved by the payment of the majority of the members of the committee causes and requires the reference of discharged in front of the court of Angers. But this lawsuit in second authority never seem to be itself held because the genealogist Rene de Kerviller did not find of it null trace in the legal files of this city.

Internal bonds

Sources

the French revolution , of Jules Michelet

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