Human Interest in 10W84

Today, I sifted through 300 documents (the archives were only open from 1:00 to 5:00, because it was a Monday).  I thought that I would share just one of the letters that I found (translated, of course).  I have been rather free with grammar and vocabulary, but have sought to preserve the tone of the original:

 Monsieur the Prefect of Indre-et-Loire,

I have the honor of drawing your benevolent attention to the case of my son:

BRAULT Kléer, born April 30th at Cussay (Indre-et-Loire), on leave from captivity since January 19th 1943, being the father of three children: Albert, born 8/8/35 at Ferriere Larçon, Raymond, born 26/2/37 at Ferriere Larçon, and Micheline, born 15/12/39 at Loches.

Their mother left for an unknown destination, leaving the children in the charge of me, their grandfather, though I am already aging.  Thus, you can well understand the family's full joy when Kleber arrived on leave from captivity in 1943.

And then: My son was summoned to the field-barracks the 10th of the present month, and kept in Prison.  Unable to give us news of his status. 

We are unable to discover of what crime one could accuse him, because, very grateful for his leave from captivity, he always maintained the most perfect observance of appropriate acts and speech regarding the occupying army.  He regularly counted down his remaining time.

The only guess we can hazard is that he was implicated as the innocent victim in mean-spirited feminine vengeance.

My son is employed as an agricultural foreman of a certain Lady, the widow JALOT, living at the Râtellière, at the Chapelle-Blance.  In the same courtyard is found the house inhabited by Mademoiselle DALONNEAU Aimée.  These two women quarrel very often, and very bitterly concerning the roaming of livestock, etc.  Once, following one of these disputes, Madamoiselle Dalonneau summoned her daughter DALONNEAU Gisèle, who works at Parçay camp, in the service of the Germans.  (This young person of very lax scruples elsewhere has a heavy judiciary record, notably for thefts.)  She took up the cause of her mother, and while leaving, threatened Madame Jalot and her servant (my son), despite his not having taken part in the dispute, saying to my son, "before 10 days, you will be gone from here!"

We are these led to supposed that Mademoiselle DALONNEAU, to avenge herself on Madame Jalot, could find nothing better than to deprive her of her foreman.  For this, she, taking advantage of her connections, spuriously denounced my son.
I therefore ask you, Monsieur the Prefect, to please enlighten the occupying authorities on the above details of this affair, and to secure from them the release of my son.  Once his good character becomes evident, which the occupying authorities will easily understand, he will go, of his free will, alone and unescorted, to the convocation of the field-barracks, and no man will have anything with which to reproach him.
Please accept, Monsieur the Prefect, the assurance of my high consideration.
Brault Julien

 There is a reply, too, dated February 15th, 1944.


Monsieur BRAULT Julien, Farmer at the Chapelle-Blanche
I have the honor of informing you that following my intervention, your son was freed, February 10th, an ordinance dismissal having been made on his behalf.
Please accept, Monsieur, the assurance of my distinguished consideration.
The Prefect.

I hope to find more such letters...
By the way, Mazel Tov to Judah Bellin on his marriage!


~JD


"He asks himself whether the woman, when she gives up everything for him, does not perhaps do so for a phantom of him; he wishes first to be thoroughly, indeed, profoundly well known; in order to be loved at all he ventures to let himself be found out.  Only then does he feel the beloved one fully in his possession, when she loves him just as much for the sake of his devilry and concealed instability, as for his goodness, patience, and spirituality" (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil V.194).