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Interrogation under torture (ordinary and extraordinary), audience of 7 in the morning, 21 June 1734.

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The year seventeen hundred thirty-four The twenty-one of June at Seven in the morning, We Pierre Raimbault King's counsellor, Lieutenant General Civil Et Criminel at the seat of the Jurisdiction Royalle of Montreal, And Maitre René Gaudron de Chevremont, royal notary in our Jurisdiction And Juge Provost of Isle Jesus, one of The judges Called upon by us for This Session, Having Made our way To the interrogation Chambers had Brought out of the gaol and To the said Chambers, the accused Marie Joseph Angelique Negress of Nation, Slave of dame therese de Couagne, widow of sieur françois Poulin francheville; the Said accused Placed herself on the criminal seat and after she took the oath

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To Tell the Truth we Proceeded with Her Interrogation as does Follow.

Interrogated as to her name, Surname, age, status, And Residence.

Stated to be named Marie Joseph by her Baptismal name and surnamed Angelique, aged twenty-nine years, negress born In Portugal, Slave of the Said widow francheville, residing at Her House at the Time of the Fire That Occurred In This city.

Interrogated as to Those who assisted or Advised her to set Fire to the house of the said Dame francheville.

Stated that no one assisted her as she did not set it at all.

A Reading done to Her 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

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As requested.

Following which the Said accused having Kneeled bare-headed, our Clerk Pronounced to her, the Judgment Rendered by the Conseil superieur in Quebec on the Criminal trial Conducted Extraordinarily at the Request of the king's prosecutor, by which She Is condemned to make honourable amends to Be Hanged And Strangled until dead at The gallows erected for this purpose, And her Dead body Burned and Consumed, She beforehand having been subjected to Torture in the ordinary And Extraordinary ways, for the Revelation of her Accomplices.

This done, the Said accused Was unshod And placed in the interrogation seat by The interrogator And after being tied in the customary way

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in the Tight Boot, the Said accused stated that she has no Knowledge at all of any other person And that It is not her.

A wedge was inserted, she Said “ I want to die. It is I and No One else.”

With the second strike, Stated that she prefers to die; that no one assisted her in setting the Fire.

With the third Repeated The same.

With the fourth Asked to be Hanged. That It is her alone.

Following which for the extraordinary we had a second wedge inserted and struck.

With the first Strike, she Said, “Put me to death.”

With the second Strike, Said, “It's me alone.”

With the third, Said, “Hang me. It's

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me.”

With the fourth, Said, “It's me, with a grilling pan; no one Advised me to do it; It was a thought, an evil thought that came to me.”

The Accused was Then Unbound And made to sit; We Interrogated Her as to whether it was not true that she set Fire to the said house of dame francheville in Concert with another person.

Stated that no one aided or Advised her, That it Is her own doing. “It is I Sirs, put me to death, I have no Accomplice.”

A Reading was done to her of her Interrogation.

Stated that her Responses Contain truth and persisted on it And Declared to not know

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how to Write or Sign As requested. This done, the Said accused Was Remanded into the Hands of the Gaol keeper for Her return to the cells. Dated the Said Day and year.

[signed] Gaudron De Chevremont

[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, Interrogation under torture (ordinary and extraordinary), June 21, 1734.

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