Tuesday, August 16, 1870, Alain de Moneys went to the fair in Hautefaye nearby village from where he has just been elected alderman. He is a young man enjoyed, philanthropist: he went to the fair, is to buy a heifer for a neighbor and find a roofer to repair the roof by lightning burned the barn of a neighbor. These two neighbors are helpless.
It is summer and the heat is strong, intense drought, during the Franco-Prussian war committed recklessly by Napoleon III and whose announcement of raw anguish defeats the French.
Suddenly we learn that Alain de Moneys was like "Down with the French!" (Or "Long live the republic" according to sources). He never uttered these words but the rumor spreads, is growing.
For farmers, deeply attached to the Emperor and the country is a crime
Alain continued, tortured and lynched slain. I do not say more in order not to reveal the entire book.
Jean Teulé wants to denounce human folly, the vile beast that may arise in all of us, how a crowd can turn into a savage horde for much, just because it's a crowd.
In his work, Zola was often described, as in Germinal, what we can become when and because it is part of an excited crowd. But not to the point of atrocity. Especially, in Zola, there are social reasons, while in the news item reported by this book, there is almost no reason, except perhaps that big heat, for what is an animal regression.
We can make several criticisms to this book: Jean Teulé takes as established fact of cannibalism rumors, due in particular to statements attributed to the mayor of the village ("Eat it if you want"). Or are other historical sources:
"On Saturday, August 20, the newspaper" Le Nontronnais "recounts the drama as follows:" On the 16th of this month, to Hautefaye fair day, a terrible crime which brings us immediately to the peasant of the Middle Ages, was committed in this town, located about twelve kilometers of Nontron. Here are the facts: Mr. Camille Maillard, son of the mayor of the municipality of Beaussac and owner in the area, communicated with some people in the midst of the fairground, the dispatches published by the newspapers, on the battle Reischoffen where we had been obliged to fall back.
- It is not true, 'said a voice, you do not read what is there, the French never retreat, you are a Prussian.
Mr. Maillard wanted to give some explanation, but in vain; is surrounded, the shakes, it is about to make him a bad party, when fortunately some of his tenants, who were within reach, manage to clear it, and fled precipitately to escape the bad treatment was preparing him.
Five minutes had not passed an uproar rises from the fairgrounds: they were the same madmen who, seeing Mr. Maillard their escape, had turned their fury on M. de Moneys son, his character family status and political opinion should save, however. After making him shout "Long live the Emperor! Down with Prussia!" and this amid the insults and shouts of a brutalized crowd is struck with a stick, it is thrash and dragged him in the streets of the village space of 600 meters.
The mayor of the town and some people being interposed, it manages to snatch from the hands of these cannibals and deposited in a pigsty, but in what a state! The torn clothes, with only remains pants, favorites and ripped a gaping wound behind the ear.
Everything was he done? No, this crowd just drunk wine hour was now drunk with blood. She asks his victim, people are away guarding the door, one enters this miserable refuge, then, that an arm, a leg which again this unfortunate young man is dragged on the fairgrounds. But the work was not entirely completed, the body that is so tormented for more than two hours, still gave some signs of life. So does one imagines: it is deposited in a dry pond, one up on him fagots and straw, and .... yes, he found beings in human form who put fire !!!
And while the victim instinctively sought to push the flame that reached him calcined members, the crowd howled around this bonfire. A moment later M. de Moneys, just now full of strength and health, dear family, affectionate of all who knew him, was a corpse half-charred. "
On Wednesday, December 21, 1870, 21 people were sentenced to various punishments.
Monday, February 6, 1871, at 8:31 in Hautefaye four of twenty-one persons convicted for the murder of Alain de Moneys of Ordieres are guillotined. "
This book suffers from too many deficiencies.
Jean Teulé not enough emphasis on the economic and social context of alcohol abuse that ensued and its effects by heat. It looks much more about the historical context that has played a fundamental role in the drama is.
His description of the torture is more than complacent, its accusations of cannibalism at least debatable.
It does not grow enough thinking about the possible consequences of the rumor, the crowd effect. It stigmatizes the inhabitants of a village that still exists without suggesting that this drama is linked to specific conditions and could, unfortunately, happen in any other village.
In doing so, it loses much credibility, at least in this book, and thus terminated the vile beast that may arise EACH OF US by crowd effect loses much of its force. Moreover, because of the emphasis on torture, this book is not advised for young people. But this is partly to them that such a book could go.
To those who have not read this book, I advise them The village of "cannibals" Alain Cordin. To those who read it, I recommend the same book because, much closer to the historical reality, they will have a story of what really happened.
I put 1 * more than expected (and thus 3 * in total) because I welcome a recent edition in bold because I am glad that we think of those who have difficulties of view, a sign that if man may be crazy, it can also be united and think of others.
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