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Taine, Hippolyte, 1828-1893

"The French Revolution - Volume 3"

"[108] Meanwhile, at Chantonney,
representative Bourdon de l'Oise drinks with General Tunck, becomes "
frantic" when tipsy, and has patriotic administrators seized in their
beds at midnight, whom he had embraced the evening before. - Nearly
all of them, like the latter, get nasty after a few drinks, - Carrier
at Nantes, Petit-Jean at Thiers, Duquesnoy at Arras, Cusset at
Thionville, Monestier at Tarbes. At Thionville, Cusset drinks like
a "Lapithe" and, when drunk, gives the orders of a "vizier," which
orders are executed.[109] At Tarbes, Monestier "after a heavy meal
and much excited," warmly harangues the court, personally examines
the prisoner, M. de Lasalle, an old officer, whom he has condemned
to death, and signs the order to have him guillotined at once. M.
de Lasalle is guillotined that very evening, at midnight, by torchlight.
The following morning Monestier says to the president of the court:
"Well, we gave poor Lasalle a famous fright last night, didn't we ?"
"How a famous fright? He is executed !" Monestier is astonished - he
did not remember having issued the order.[110] - With others, wine,
besides sanguinary instincts, brings out the foulest instincts.


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