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First interrogation of Angélique in the criminal seat in the presence of counsellors Adhémar dit Saint-Martin, Gaudron de Chevremont, Guillet de Chaumont and Lepailleur de Laferté, audience of 10 in the morning, 27 May 1734.

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The year seventeen hundred thirty four, The twenty-Seven of May, Ten in the morning, We Pierre Raimbault, King's counsellor, Lieutenant General Civil Et Criminel at the seat of the Jurisdiction Royale of Montreal, Having Made Our way To the Chambre Du Conseil where Were also present Maistres Jean B Adhemar, Guillet de chaumont, Gouldron de Chevremont and Le Pallieur royal notaries in our jurisdiction, practitioners called forward as Counsellors, upon examining the Criminal trial Conducted Extraordinarily at the Request of the King's prosecutor Against Marie Joseph angelique Negress accused and Prisoner In our gaol, Asked that be brought forward the Said marie Joseph angelique Negress who Was escorted by the Gaol keeper of the said Gaol, Who having Been made to take her place

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On the criminal seat took the oath to Speak the truth On the facts put forward to Her by Us, following which We Interrogated Her as does Follow.

Interrogated as to her name, age, status And Residence

Said to be named Marie Joseph Angelique Negress belonging to the said widow francheville aged twenty-nine years, Residing at the time of the fire at the home of the said widow francheville.

Interrogated as to the hour that the Said dame francheville left Her house And for How Long She was absent on The day of the Fire.

Stated that She went out at thirty minutes past the noon hour And that she Returned just after the roll of the Drums by the Guard.

Interrogated as to what time the little girls who Were at the said house were at play

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in the Yard, And In The Street.

Stated that they arrived there after Being dismissed from the school of the sisters of the Congregation [de Notre-Dame], and Remained there Until the moment the fire was sighted.

Interrogated If There was fire in all The Chimneys of the house.

Stated that in The main chamber there were three small fire-brands And in the Kitchen a few Embers Only.

Interrogated as to who The persons Were who Entered into the said house during the Said day.

Stated that she saw no one Enter as she was for most of the Afternoon searching through the Gardens for dandelion Greens, And that she Returned only half an hour Prior to the Fire.

Interrogated as to whether She did not see

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Dame Duvivier Enter And at what hour She Entered there.

Stated that It was immediately upon her return, that she offered her Hand to Her in crossing The Street due to the Mud And that she had Not Been there Long When the Fire was sighted.

Interrogated as to the hour that thibault Entered the said house The day of the Fire.

Stated that she saw him only when He helped to save the Belongings from the said house, which he took to the Courtyard in the front of the hospital And from there to the garden.

Interrogated as to whether or not she had Planned to Escape again with the Said thibault to New England.

Stated “No Monsieur, not with Him nor Any Other.”

Interrogated To tell us of Her Design in Inquiring on the Whereabouts of the said thibault

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as soon as she was brought to the Gaol.

Stated that she had no Design other than that she Believed that he Was Still Lodged with the Gaol keeper, And that she heard through a Soldier who Was in the Dungeon that the said thibault Had come for his clothes on the said day after she who is Responding was arrested.

Interrogated as to the Discourse that She Engaged in with the Said thibault upon his coming to collect his clothes and what he brought to her as Supper.

Stated that he neither spoke to her nor brought her to Eat And that she Ate bread that the daughter of the Keeper had Given to Her by the sentry.

Interrogated as to the reason for telling Us in one of her Responses that the fire had started in the Attic And that there was no fire lit in the Chimney And that since, She had stated not to know at all where

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The fire had started And if it had started inside.

Stated that she cannot say If the fire started from outside or inside; that she could Very well have stated that there was no fire in the Chimneys, as there were but two or three small fire-brands in one And some Embers in the Other.

Interrogated if it was not She who went to alert Sieur Radisson that the home of the said de francheville was on fire, And if She did not go up the staircase with the said Sieur Radisson who carried with him two pailfuls of water.

Stated that she did not Go to the House of the said Sieur Radisson And did not Go Up at all with him in the staircase, nor to the Attic.

Was made known to her that she is disguising the truth since in Her Response to The Interrogation conducted by us on the third of This Month, She Admitted that the Sieur Radisson had gone up with Her to the said Attic carrying Two pailfuls, And that in another Response

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She told Us she did not know at all who had gone up First to the Attic she Being in the Street at that moment.

Stated that she Knows not at all If the said Sieur Radisson went up to the Attic, And that she did not at all see him, And that she indeed saw no one go up to the said Attic with pailfuls And that she Only Heard a call for water.

Interrogated as to where She Was at the time that the fire began in the said house.

Stated that she Was At the stoop of the door and speaking to the man named Latreille who Was on the Other Side of the Street at the door of the hotel Dieu, And that she stepped into the Street only when the Said Latreille let out a Cry of fire.

Interrogated if when The fire started at the House of Sieur Moniere during the night of the friday to saturday preceding the Sunday of her escape with the said thibault, She did not beg of the Servant of the said sieur Moniere To tell him Nothing of it; And for what reason she

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begged of her to say Nothing.

Stated that it Is true that she begged of the said servant to say Nothing of it to the said Sieur Moniere for Fear of his outburst of Rage as He had Risen from his bed to the Smell of smoke And Gone Upstairs with His son, Lantern in hand.

Interrogated if It was not at the same moment that the fire began Downstairs Where thibault Was Asleep.

Stated that the fire did not start Downstairs until after the said Sieur Moniere Had made His round And Returned to his bed.

Interrogated as to why She Forbade the said thibault from taking up work for Monsieur Le Commissaire And menaced him on This.

Stated that it was because they Had Determined to leave Together And that If He had been otherwise Engaged, She would have left no less And would have left alone having the Need to do so As she had heard many say that She was to be sold and sent to The Islands [the West Indies].

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Interrogated as to why She said to us that the little girls had not been at Play in the Yard of the said dame francheville and that today She stated that they had been.

Stated that she did not see them at all, that since the little girls Say so, She Indeed Believes It, but that it would have then Been at the time that she who is responding was at play with the panis of Sieur de Bereÿ.

Interrogated If She Knows the present Whereabouts of the Said thibault.

Stated that she knows Nothing of it, that to this moment she always thought Him present in the city; that she knows not at all If He Is there, or not there at all.

Interrogated to tell us for what Reason the Said thibault fled This country And if He had not told her that he was leaving for Chateaugay.

Stated that she Knows Nothing of it And that the said thibault told her nothing of Going

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to Chateauguay, or to some other place.

Interrogated If the said thibault did not go to the house of the said dame francheville on the eve of the Fire And on how many occasions.

Stated that he was not there on Any occasion.

Interrogated If the said thibault did not say to her that the said dame francheville had told Him that she had sold her; that she in no way wished to Keep her nor that he thibault set Foot again in her House.

Stated that the said thibault spoke nothing of it to her And that It is the said dame francheville Herself who Told her.

Interrogated as to why She on three or four occasions went into the Street looking to one Side And to the Other And towards the roof of the house of the said dame de francheville while the little girls were at Play in the Yard a short time before The fire appeared on the said roof.

Stated that she Looked only As is Her Manner of doing, And that at the said moment the said little girls Were at Play In the Street.

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A Reading to Her done of the present Interrogation she stated that her Responses Contain truth and persisted on it And declared to not know how to Write or Sign, As Requested.

[signed] Adhemar

[signed] Chaumont

[signed] Gaudron De Chevremont

[signed] F Pallieur

[signed] P. Raimbault

[signed] C. Porlier

clerk

Source: Archives nationales du Québec, Centre de Montréal, Procedure Criminel contre Marie Joseph Angélique negresse — Incendiere, 1734, TL4 S1, 4136, Juridiction royale de Montréal, First interrogation of Angélique in the criminal seat in the presence of counsellors Adhémar dit Saint-Martin, Gaudron de Chevremont, Guillet de Chaumont and Lepailleur de Laferté, May 27, 1734.

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