We proceed now to that fatal Accident of Armand’s Life, which was the Cause of all his Misfortunes, and brought him at last to the Scaffold. Armand had contracted a Friendship of a long standing, with a Person of Bayonne, one B——, a young Fellow, who tho’ destitute of a Fortune, had been so lucky as to marry a very rich Heiress. At the Time when the Public believed there was the strictest Union subsisting betwixt them, they were strangely surprized to hear that B—— had informed against his Friend, for a horrible Outrage; and that upon this Accusation Armand was arrested, and committed to Prison. B—— pretended that being one Day in Armand’s Chamber, Armand shut the Door upon him, and forced him, with a Dagger at his Throat, to sign a Bond for a thousand Ducats. Armand’s general Character was enough to condemn him; whereas B——, on the contrary, passed for a young Man of an unblameable Behaviour; but, to his Misfortune, the Affair was so circumstanced, that it could not be duly prov’d; for, instead of calling out for Help, at least, as he went out of the Room, he retired without saying one Word, and did not so much as go and make his Complaint till two Days after: But for want of direct Evidence against
the Prisoner, he caused Inquiry to be made into his Life and Conversation, and discovered, that Armand was but a borrowed Name, and that his true one was John Barré; that he had a Wife and four Children; that he had been Receiver of the Salt-Office at Vezelay in Burgundy; in short, that he had kill’d his Brother-in-Law in the Country, with a Fowling-Piece; and that having fled for it, he was outlaw’d and condemn’d to be hang’d.
When Armand appear’d before the Judges, he fairly own’d what his Accusers had alledg’d against him, with regard to his Name, the Place of his Residence, and the Cause of his Flight; but he deny’d his having murder’d his Brother-in-Law, tho’ he confessed that he had kill’d him in his own Defence. As what he had done in France, was quite out of the Question; the Judges were only for adhering to the Point in hand. Armand said, that B—— had of his own Accord given him a Bond for a thousand Ducats, in Acknowledgment for the Service he had done him, in lending him some Money, and promoting his Marriage. He pleaded his own Cause very courageously, without the least Trembling or Self-Contradiction. B——, on the contrary, seemed to falter in every thing that he said, which made it suspected by some, that he had only charg’d Armand, in order to have a Pretext for not paying the Sum that he had promised him. Yet others, with more Probability, ascribed B——’s Faint-heartedness upon this Occasion to his natural Timorousness, and to the Confusion into which an Accusation of this Nature, laid without any Proofs to support it, must needs cast him.
Armand being very urgent for an Issue of the Affair, the Judges, who found nothing that could support B——’s Pretensions, passed a Sentence, Whereby the latter was to pay the thousand Ducats,
and the Defendant was to be set at Liberty, after giving Security for the said Sum, in case of an Appeal to the Court of Holland, saving to himself the Liberty of prosecuting his Adversary for Costs, Damages, Interest, and Reparation of Honour. B—— did not fail to appeal from that Sentence to the Court, as did like wise Armand, who having given the Security required, and received the thousand Ducats, shews himself thro’ the whole Town, with a long Beard, which he suffered to grow in Prison, and which he swore should not be taken off till he had carried his Cause at the Court.
In order to hasten the Decision of the Affair, he repaired to the Hague, where the Court at length passed a Sentence, which confirmed that of Amsterdam; and then he sued for Repair of Honour, and for Damages and Interests. B—— finding himself by this Means cast in all his Demands, and fearing the Consequences of the Law-Suit, thought fit to set his Affairs in Order, and withdrew to France. The Court immediately clapp’d a Seal upon his Effects, summon’d him three times to appear, and ’tis probable that he would have been condemned upon an Outlawry, if Armand’s Misbehaviour had not put a sudden Stop to the Courte of Justice. The Occasion of this Incident was as follows:
Armand was so impatient for the Issue of his Process, that he went every Day to teaze his Judges, who sometimes were not at Leisure to grant him Audience. Upon a certain Day, as he came to the Door of the Attorney-General, one of the Domestics told him, his Master was not at home; and the Man was going to shut the Door against him, when Armand said, I know the contrary, and must needs speak with him. Upon this they fell to abusing one another, when Armand,
losing all Patience, struck the Domestic several Blows, and put the whole House in an Alarm, for which he was carried to Prison; from whence however he might have had a speedy Deliverance, if he would but have confessed his Fault, and made the Attorney-General proper Satisfaction: But instead of doing this, he behaved to Mr. Attorney in a strange Manner, and threatened to be revenged of him. But he paid dear for his Insolence, and was sentenced to lie in Prison twelve Years. He remained there till 1734, when the Court thought fit to remove him to another Town, till the Expiration of the Term mentioned in the Sentence. Armand being acquainted with this Resolution, imagined, no doubt, that he was now to be treated with more Severity than ever, and perhaps that he should be privately dispatched; and from that Time he had no Command of himself. He formed a Design to murder the Archers when they came to meddle with him, or at least to prevent their seizing him; and for this Purpose he had taken one of the Bed-posts, which he not only armed with Nails, but fastened the Blade of a Penknife at one End of it. Being thus prepared for his Defence, on the Day appointed for his Removal; two Archers came to take him, of whom he ripp’d up the Guts of one, and broke two Ribs of the other. After this, none of the Archers durst venture to come near him, till the following Stratagem was thought of, by which they effectually quelled him. Two Archers were ordered to make each a Hole in the Wall of the Prison, and at the very Instant when Armand was peeping through one of them, to examine the Cause of it, a Pistol was discharg’d in his Face, loaded with Sand, which put his Eyes, Tongue and Face into such an Agony, that he was not able to defend himself, but surrendered,
and begged Quarter. At the same Time he was seized, and clapped in Irons. When he was under Examination, he confessed, that his Design was to murder any one that offered to remove him; and that he would do it again, if it were in his Power; which Circumstance was such an Aggravation of his Crime, that he was condemned to lose his Head.
The View of approaching Death was so far from being shocking to him, that he seemed perfectly unconcerned. But what was very observable in this unaccountable Man, was that the dreadful Prospect of the infamous Death he had so justly deserved, was so far from engrossing his Thoughts, that it did not in the least abate the Fondness he had always discovered for his Verses; so that at the very Time when a Minister was preparing him for Eternity, he interrupted him short, by telling him, Sir, Here are some Verses of my own composing; I desire you would let me read them to you. I always loved to divert myself with Works of this Sort. An Attorney, who was present at the same Time, performing the Office of a Comforter, seemed to be shock’d at the Reading of a Composition so unsuitable to one in such Circumstances; but Armand, looking on him with a very angry Countenance, told him in plain Terms, That he was an Ass; and that he wondered how a Man of his Profession, an Attorney, at constant Variance with Heaven, and for ever and ever accursed, should take it into his Head to turn Comforter, and pretend to make Peace between God and Man.