Deposition of Angélique Perthuis on the conduct of Marguerite César dit Lagardelette, 31 August 1734.
1
On the thirty-one of August
seventeen Hundred thirty-four
eight in the morning In
our hotel.
seventeen Hundred thirty-four
eight in the morning In
our hotel.
Appeared angelique Perthuis, aged forty-nine years, wife of louis lefebvre Duchouquet Bourgeois of This city residing In their house on Rue St Paul In This city Who upon swearing an oath
Deposed On the facts mentioned In the Petition
2
[...] that for Two And one half months or Approximately the Said gardelette
has not Been ten Days Without resorting to a thousand Extravagances Day And
night, Swearing, Cursing And Blaspheming Against God, the Bible, The Priests,
Brothers and Sisters, Her family, And all manner of persons, Stating that
It Is the Priests who have Reduced Her to Hardship and Misery and that Everyone
Is Ill-Willed Against her; that she who is deposing nevertheless knows that
it is The priests of the seminary who have provided Her with nourishment And
clothing since the Fire as well as the said Vigé, dumeny And Dubois; that
she Curses silently every Day And that she [Angelique Perthuis] Is Perfectly
Aware of all that the Said gardelette said, Since she is lodged in The house
of the said Duchouquet; And that they Are not safe in Their House, Fearing
that in her Extravagances And Fury She will Set Fire to their house, Which,
With the Screams and Curses that she utters Prevents them from Sleeping, Having
heard Her Say: “Dear [Soul?] I exhort you to leave this d[amned] Body go to
the devil
in The depths of Hell. I have long since
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Given you my soul And my Body.” She cannot repeat all of the other Expressions
she uses Against the priests And Recollets In speaking of them. That she who
is deposing and Her Husband have wished to put Her out many times, Which they
were not Able to do, the Said Gardelette raging in Unspeakable fury when They
Told her to leave, which is why She begs of us to use our Authority to have
her removed from there Instantly
And on this [Day?] if possible for her Peace and to end the disturbance that
the said Gardelette has caused to the public And In particular to the Children
of she who is deposing [...]
[signed]angelique perthuis
Source: Archives nationales du Québec, Centre de Montréal, Requête pour l’élection d’un tuteur à Marguerite César dit Lagardelette et pour son internement, TL4 S1, 4180, Juridiction royale de Montréal, Deposition of Angélique Perthuis, August 31, 1734, p. 1-3.