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Jacques Billaudeau (b. 1636) - Geneviève Longchamp (b. 1631) - Story of Murder |
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 03 December 2006 |
Geneviève is Involved in a Story of Murder "Our French Canadian Ancestors", Book 13, by Thomas J. LaforestThe action took place between 1675 and 1677. On 29 December 1675, Gabriel Hervet, farmer for his brother-in-law Hippolyte Thibierge, was buried at Sainte-Famille. He had been found dead in the snow. Originally from Sainte-Solemme de Blois, diocese of Chartres, in Orleanais, Hervet lived at the Thibierge home for several years. He was a bachelor.
On this subject Raymond Boyer (26) wrote:
"Another hanging in effigy (because they could not get their hands on him) was ordered by the Sovereign Council in 1676. It was that of the imprisoned vagabond Simon Du Verger, a resident of the Ill Saint-Laurent, who had been found guilty of the murder of his neighbor Hervet and who had escaped from prison at Quebec a week after he was incarcerated and placed in irons. In addition, Du Verget had been sentenced to a fine of ten livres (due the King's Court, to pay expenses) and to have all of his property confiscated." This lead to a curious ruling: The Council ordered that the brother-in-law of the victim, before taking possession of the deceased's property, pay a fine incurred by the murderer. Another consequence of this litigation was a fine of 100 1ivres levied on Francois Cenaple, the warden of the prison of Quebec; at the same time, the Council ordered him to guard the prisoners more carefully.
How was Geneviève Longschamps involved in this story? I don't know, but we do know, that this case was brought before the Council on the 6th, 7th, and 10th of March 1676. Genevieve was questioned in March 1677 and charged. On the following 31 August, it was ordered that Billaudeau and his wife appear so that Genevieve, in the presence of her husband, might be admonished to live a better life, and not to be the cause of a scandal in the future. The court also directed Jacques to:
"d'y tenir la main sur peine d'en repondre en son propre et prive nom, a eux permis de se Retirer ou bon kur semblera" (27)
On Tuesday, 29 May 1671, the Provost of Quebec also heard a case brought by Pierre Richer against Jacques Billaudau. Billaudeau failed to appear, and the expert testimony of Romain Becquet was heard; Jacques was ordered to pay a fine of nine livrcs plus court costs.
NOTES:
(26) Boyer, Raymond., Les crime et châtiments au Canada du XVIIe au XXe siècle, pages 107 and 108.
(27) OpCit (21), Volume II, pages 115, 152, and 154.
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