Incidence of Theft During the Fire
Inhabitants from the surrounding suburbs took advantage of the confusion and darkened night to ransack houses or gather objects abandoned in the streets. The smallest pin or shoe buckle, whether intact or not, was a coveted object, as any metal object could be sold, exchanged or melted down.
The civil authorities called on the clergy to read a letter aloud from the pulpit admonishing the citizens of Montréal to reveal the guilty parties. Those found in possession of stolen objects would have to face the justice not only of man but of God.
A number of inhabitants were denounced and imprisoned; most of them lived in poverty. Researchers in the know of the marginalized people of Montréal will recognise a few regular perpetrators of petty crime.
Chapters in Books
Court Documents
- Juridiction royale de Montréal, Deposition of Marie Énard, April 17, 1734
- Juridiction royale de Montréal, Deposition of Louise Chaudillon, April 24, 1734
- Juridiction royale de Montréal, Deposition of Jean-Baptiste Gouriou dit Guignolet, April 24, 1734
- Juridiction royale de Montréal, Report on the visit to the house of the Gatien family, May 8, 1734
- Juridiction royale de Montréal, Information from Marie-Charlotte Saint-Julien, Marie-Anne Chotard and Catherine Charbonneau, May 9, 1734
- Juridiction royale de Montréal, Interrogation of François Piquet, May 9, 1734
Government Documents
Miscellaneous