The Trial

Abstract

On 10 May 1796, following a tip-off from Grisel, and after one abortive attempt and considerable bungling, the police arrested Babeuf and Buonarroti and seized a large quantity of weapons and documents. Eventually a total of 65 people were charged with involvement in the conspiracy. The extent of the haul showed the limits of police information. According to Buonarroti (writing some thirty years later, when any need for deception was past) only 29 of the 65 had actually been involved in the conspiracy, and even that figure included members of the Amar committee, which had had only loose and spasmodic connections with the babouvistes.¹ Contrary to Cobb’s claim that the government had ‘caught the lot’,² only three out of seven members of the secret directory were arrested in May; Antonelle was not arrested till the autumn, Lepeletier was tried in absentia, and Debon and Maréchal were never charged. Dommanget argued that Maréchal was not arrested because, having a stammer, he did not participate much in discussion and Grisel was unable to identify him (in addition he may have had friends in high places).³ Doubtless the authorities were not too worried. Since the main aim was intimidation, it did not really matter who was in the dock.