L'assassinat de Saint-Geniez

Ballad Title

L'assassinat de Saint-Geniez

Indicated Tune

Fualdès

Ballad Location

Collection Archives départementales de l'Aveyron, Crimino Corpus record

Digital Source

https://complaintes.criminocorpus.org/complainte/lassassinat-de-saint-geniez/

Subject/theme

French

guillotine

hard labour

Male

murder

pardon

robbery

theft

Background Information

On 5 November 1881, two young men, Basile Mézy and Etienne Astruc, left Campagnac where they lived, to go to the Saint-Geniez fair. En route, they met an 18-year-old man, Joseph Carrière, who that morning had left the service of his master, the sieur Ferragut, for whom he had been a shepherd. During the conversation he mentioned that Ferragut had paid him a hundred francs in final wages. They robbed and murdered him, and Mézy was shortly thereafter arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. He named his accomplice Astruc, who appeared before the Aveyron assizes on 10 December 1882. Up to the final moment he claimed his innocence, but was also condemned to death. Eventually they were both pardoned by the President of the Republic, and their sentences commuted to perpetual hard labour.

Event Date

1882

Event Location

Aveyron, France

Printing Location

Rodez, France

Ballad Author

H. Jaffus

Crime

murder

Gender of Accused

male

Method of Punishment

guillotine; hard labour

Relevant Countries

France

Category

Crime and Punishment Ballads

Sub-Category

Execution Ballads

Language

French Ballads

Transcription

D'un récit bien lamentable
Nous racontons les horreurs.
Vous frémirez de terreur
C'est horrible, épouvantable;
Les pleurs vont mouiller vos yeux,
Écoutez, jeunes et vieux.

C'était un beau jour de foire
À Saint-Geniez d'Aveyron
Que se passa cette histoire
Où Carrière, pauvre garçon,
Fut lâchement assommé
Et de cent francs dépouillé.

Quand il recontra Mézy
Il lui dit: "J'ai de l'argent:
Je m'en vais de Soulayri,
Et on m'a payé comptant!"
Puis Astruc les rejoignit,
Cet effroyable bandit.

Alors Astruc et Mézy
Conduisirent Carrière
Au ravin de Puechberty
Ils le frappent par derrière,
Lui enlèvent son argent,
Et le laissent tout sanglant...

Des enfants le lendemain
Trouvent le corps tout meurtri.
On cherche les assassins,
Mais tout désigne Mézy;
Et statuant sur son sort
La cour le condamne à mort!

Les conseils de la Paresse
Conduisent à l'Échafaud!
Mais la crainte du bourreau
Doit inspirer la jeunesse
De fuir la route du mal
Qui conduit au sort fatal!