Ramage and the Guillotine

The police officer turned towards Ramage and said: 'This is a tribunal set up under the relevant section of the military code. Sit down and -J

'What am I –‘

‘- sit down and remain silent while the preliminaries are completed.'

Ramage sat down and tried to compose himself: he was an Italian shipbuilder, unwashed and unshaven but on his dignity. He would keep up the pretence for as long as possible, and after that remain silent. Well, perhaps not silent; he would be able to give them a few jabs with his tongue. It was the only satisfaction he was likely to get since they had the guillotine to ensure the last laugh.

'Gianfranco di Stefano?'

Ramage glanced up: it was the man in the centre of the table who had spoken. Now was as good a time as any to start prodding. ‘Yes, but you have the advantage of me.' It did not translate well into French and he suddenly remembered that it was an English phrase. Anyone who spoke English well enough would be suspicious at hearing it said in French by an alleged Italian. The Frenchman smiled; an amiable smile, but also the smile of a man who knew he had all the advantages.

'Signor di Stefano, this tribunal has assembled by the order of the Military Governor of the district of Amiens, and I am appointed its judge. Citoyen Houdan -' he gestured to the police officer, 'is the prosecutor and Citoyen Garlin will present your defence.' Both men nodded at Ramage; cold and distant nods, the kind of nods a farmer gives when selecting particular animals to go to the slaughterhouse.

'I will read the charges,' the judge said, picking up the top sheet from a small pile of papers in front of him. ' "That the said Gianfranco di Stefano did illegally enter the Republic of France for the purpose of spying; that the said Gianfranco di Stefano, using stolen and forged passports and travel documents, did travel to Boulogne for the purpose of spying on the Invasion Flotilla and on the encampments of the Army of England; that the said Gianfranco di Stefano did stay in Amiens for the purpose of spying on the courier carrying State documents between the headquarters of Vice-Admiral Bruix at Boulogne and the Ministry of Marine and Colonies in Paris; that the said Gianfranco di Stefano and two accomplices did attempt to intercept the said documents; and that the crimes listed above, each and every one, are punishable by death under the military and civil codes of the Republic."'

The judge looked up at Ramage. 'You understand the charges?'

'I am an Italian subject; I request a translator.'

'Request refused,' the judge said brusquely. 'How do you plead?1

'Does it make any difference?' Ramage asked sarcastically.

'Yes, it makes a considerable difference,' the judge said, missing the sarcasm. 'If you confess, it will save the tribunal's time.'

'Confess to what?'

'To the crimes with which you are charged, of course,' the judge said impatiently.

'The charges are very flattering seen through the eyes of a simple Italian shipbuilder; but I would be boasting if I confessed to such things.'

'Oh, we have no objection to you boasting,' the judge said quickly. 'If you wish to confess ...'

'No, no,' Ramage said modestly, 'apart from boasting, I should also be telling lies if I confessed.'

'Very well, Citoyen Prosecutor, let us hear the evidence against this traitor!'

Ramage jumped up, the irons on his wrists clanking. 'Don't call me a traitor! Why, you haven't heard a word of evidence yet!'

'You are unduly sensitive, M'sieur,' the judge said calmly. "You are a traitor - we know it and you know it, but there are certain formalities we have to go through. Continue, Citoyen Houdan, and ignore this traitor's interruptions.'

'When arrested at the Hotel de la Poste by members of the Committee of Public Safety,' Houdan said, 'the accused di Stefano was unable to account for the whereabouts of his accomplice, who had a few moments earlier been detected in the room of a naval officer carrying dispatches to the Ministry of Marine. The said accomplice was denounced by the daughter of the landlord of the Hotel de la Poste, who saw him.

'The accused di Stefano claimed to be an Italian citizen and a shipbuilder concerned with the Invasion Flotilla at Boulogne. He produced a passport and travel documents to prove this assertion and claimed that he had been recalled to Boulogne for further talks with the naval authorities there.

'I produce exhibits A, B and C which disprove these claims.

'Exhibit A is a letter from the Port Captain of Boulogne, duly notarized, which says that the accused has never had any discussions with the naval administration whatsoever. Exhibit B is an affidavit from Admiral Bruix saying that the naval lieutenant in whose room di Stefano's accomplice was found is the regular courier carrying highly secret documents between the Ministry of Marine in Paris and the naval headquarters in Boulogne.

'Exhibit C -,' he waved a sheet of paper which was liberally covered with red seals, 'is an affidavit from the Ministry of Marine which says that among the dispatches carried by the courier on this particular day was one from Admiral Bruix giving information upon which the whole future of the war depends. Information,' Houdan said, raising his voice aggressively, 'whose value to the English would be beyond price.'

With that, Houdan passed the papers to the judge, who turned to the man on the right. 'Citoyen Garlin, you will put forward the defence.'

For a few moments Ramage was dumbfounded: he had heard enough from Louis to know that the administration of justice in France was crude, but he had not expected this. He stood up. 'Surely the court will not hear my defence until it has heard the prosecution's attempt to prove the charges against me?'

Again the judge smiled. 'You were not paying attention. The charges have been read and the prosecution has proved their truth. You -'

'Witnesses,' Ramage said angrily, 'why, not even the landlord's daughter -'

'The witnesses have been heard,' the judge said, picking up the papers which Houdan had passed over to him. 'Who can doubt the word of the Port Captain of Boulogne, Admiral Bruix, and a senior official of the Ministry of Marine? And do you deny that the landlord's daughter saw your man in the lieutenant's room?'

'But no one's proved I had anything to do with it! The prosecution has to prove I was trying to read the dispatches!'

'Weren't you?' the judge asked quizzically.

'Of course I was not. I would have needed supernatural powers to know that the lieutenant was carrying papers of any sort, and considerably more than supernatural powers to have known that on Saturday night he was carrying a dispatch which you say is "beyond price". Apart from all that I have absolutely no interest in such things.'

The judge rapped the table impatiently with a gavel. 'You must not interrupt the court's proceedings with all these irrelevancies: Citoyen Garlin will make your defence.'

'But I haven't spoken a word to this man!' Ramage exclaimed. 'He knows nothing about me - why, he has never seen me before!'

Garlin smiled slyly. 'The accused has little understanding of the judicial process,' he said to the judge, who nodded and turned to Ramage.

'Your defence counsel is correct, and for your information Citoyen Garlin has defended hundreds of criminals who -'

'Has he ever defended an innocent man?'

The judge looked embarrassed and then angry. 'Of course,' he said peremptorily. 'Now be silent and listen to your defence.'