Introduction
On April 10, 1734, a hospital and 45 houses were destroyed by fire. After the incident, there were criminal proceedings against Marie-Jose’phe dite Angelique, an enslaved Black person, and her white lover Claude Thibault. Claude fled, and his whereabouts remained unknown. Angelique was left alone to prove her innocence in a court of law. Twenty-one witnesses were in the court who were convinced that Angelique was the one who set out the fire, yet none of them saw her doing the act. My thesis is that the cause of the fire was likely accidental, the trial against the window was unfair, and her sentence and execution were unjust. It was solely based on dubious and false evidence. This trial was likely influenced by racial aspects of her being black. Additionally, she gave some confessions out of torture instead of a proper and fair examination of facts. The arguments about the injustices done to Angelique will be discussed in the essay, and five sources will support them. These sources will also further elucidate the injustices being done to marginalized groups like the enslaved and indigenous people during the 18th century by the French colonists. I believe the case of Angelique will remind us about race and gender discrimination in Canadian history.
The night and the events of the fire
Gathering information and understanding the cause of the fire was difficult because, during this time, the French did not allow for the application of newspapers. The article by Veronique Cuillerier describes the events surrounding the occurrence of the fire. For instance, she says,” there were some shouts and cries that were heard that night, saying there was a fire.” In the journal, Veronique says, “we ran to try and contain the fire, but we were unable; we rushed to the church to take refuge, but the fire was so intense that the church was also burnt.” Many people left the city, and they went to seek refuge at Hotel-Dieu. The sisters spent the night under the stars on cold nights. The day after the fire occurred, the entire population of Montreal was in shock, especially due to the number of destroyed houses. The events that occurred on that particular night are important since they enable us to start contextualizing the trial of Angelique. After the fire, rumors began circulating that she was responsible for setting up the fire, possibly with her lover Thibault’s help.
The legal proceedings against Angelique
The king’s prosecutor issued an arrest warrant to arrest Angelique, the slave of the Madame of De Francheville, based on the public rumor that she was responsible for setting up the fire. The French law of the time stated that a suspect could be arrested if the community agreed the individual was guilty. Therefore, Angelique was arrested because the public agreed that she was guilty of the crime she was being accused of. When the prosecutor’s king asked her,” were you the one who was responsible for setting up the fire?” she said no. She also told Madame Francheville, who accused her, “even though I am miserable, am not that reached to that kind of an act.” The evidence presented to the judge was not strong enough to prosecute her. In the 18th century, torture of suspects was allowed, and in this case, it was used because the court wanted her to confess to the crime of setting the fire and also name her accomplices. They tortured her using ordinary and extraordinary ways. After the torture, she confessed to the crime though she claimed she did it alone. Therefore with this information, we can understand under which circumstances Angelique was arrested, the people’s thoughts about Angelique, and the method used on her.
The disposition of Angelique
In her deposition, Angelique Perthuis said,” I have known Lagardelette for several years and I have observed her bad conduct and constant quarrels with her neighbors.” She also said that Lagardelette had a reputation for being promiscuous, causing conflict in society, and having a bad influence on the people around her. She was working for the court systems as a witness and plaintiff. She lost everything after the fire broke out, and she was also convinced that the wicked character was Angelique though her testimony in the court was not enough to solidify her proof that Angelique was guilty.
Examination of whether Angelique was innocent or guilty.
Madame Begon, in her letters, said, “There are risks of fires in people’s homes due to heating and when the weather is cold, people use stoves and fireplaces to keep themselves warm, though this can be dangerous if improperly managed.” Therefore, when fires are left unattended, houses risk burning down. Looking at the case of Angelique, it can be said that she was not responsible for setting up the fire. The fire was likely accidental because fires were burning that was left unattended. Angelique was just framed for the crime to have someone who would be held responsible. Therefore, the trial against her was unfair, and the question of whether she was guilty or innocent was innocent of the crime. Angelique was arrested because there were rumors of having set up the fire. Therefore, these aspects explain why she was falsely accused of the crime though she was innocent. She was unfortunate of incriminating circumstances and discrimination. In the trial, the prosecutor and the witnesses did not examine if other aspects could have caused the fire.
The letter from Madame Begon
The letter by Madame Begon talked about the prevalence of slavery and how enslaved women were mistreated in Montreal and Quebec. According to Begon, she stated that “slavery in Canada was thriving, and enslaved women were being mistreated and abused by their owners.” She also stated that some owners justified the mistreatment of enslaved people by saying controlling and handling them was necessary. She added,” I am disgusted with the way the enslaved women are being treated and instead the enslaved people are supposed to be treated better.” The letter shows the harsh treatment of enslaved people in New France and its impact on their lives. Therefore, looking at how the enslaved people were being treated during the regime of the French in Canada explains why Angelique was accused of setting fire to her master’s house, despite there being no evidence to back the accusations she was executed. In New France, the role of the enslaved people was to serve their masters.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all the sources used in the essay support that the trial Marie Angelique was not the one who started the fire and that the trial and her sentence were all unjust. She was arrested based on the rumors that she was the one who was responsible for starting the fire. For instance, she claimed her innocence when she said that she did not set up the fire at her master’s house that went on to burn the other houses in the street and the church. The testimonies the witnesses gave were insufficient to prove that she was the one who committed the crime. She only confessed to the crime after being tortured and forced to accept the crime, whereby she was later prosecuted and executed. Therefore the arrest, the trial the execution of Angelique reveals out concerning the enslavement in Canada during the 18th century. She was used as a scapegoat for a crime she was innocent of because she was black, an enslaved person, poor, and a foreigner, and therefore, people like her had no rights in New France. Therefore the case of Angelique will remind us about the racial discrimination of enslaved people and how their rights were abused during that time.
Bibliography
“Archives des Religieuses Hospitalières de Saint-Joseph de Montréal, Orig. ms, 1A4 / 3 Véronique Cuillerier 1725–1747, Cuillerier, Véronique, “Annals of the Hôtel-Dieu of Montréal,” n.d., 336–337.” (n.d.). http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/montrealbrule/10avril1734/2157en.html
“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.” (n.d.), 1-3. https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/archives/courtdocument/2265en.html
“Archives nationales du Québec, Centre de Montréal, «Procedure Criminel contre Marie Joseph Angélique negresse – Incendiere, 1734», TL4 S1, 4136, Juridiction royale de Montréal, Ordinance by the judge for the arrest and interrogation of Angélique and Claude Thibault, April 11, 1734.” (n.d.). https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/archives/courtdocument/1868en.html
“Archives nationales du Québec, Centre de Québec, Journal de Madame Bégon, P2, P38; P2,P44; P2,P58; P2,P108; P2,P161, Rocbert de la Morandière, Elisabeth (Madame Bégon), Diary of Madame Bégon, 20 and 26 December 1748, 9 January, 1 March and 27 April 1749, 1748-1749.” (n.d.). https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/archives/diaryjournalreminiscence/2260en.html
“Archives nationales du Québec, Centre de Québec, Journal de Madame Bégon, P2,P1; P2,P27; P2,P28, Rocbert de la Morandière, Elisabeth (Madame Bégon), Letter on the situation of women in Montréal and Québec City, 12 novembre, 9 et 11 décembre 1748.” (n.d.). https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/contexte/lasociete/montrealaises/2282en.html
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