190 - An exceptional collection in perfect condition (approximately 60 documents) of autograph letters written by (or addressed to) prisoners, including various testimonies, requests to families, petitions for clemency, character references, arrest warrants, release letters, etc.—primarily following the June 1848 uprising, with addresses and postal marks (prison administration marks, prison-specific marks, postmarks, and others); all formats (primarily in-12, in-8); among others, we have:

An exceptional collection in perfect condition (approximately 60 documents) of autograph letters written by (or addressed to) prisoners, including various testimonies, requests to families, petitions for clemency, character references, arrest warrants, release letters, etc.—primarily following the June 1848 uprising, with addresses and postal marks (prison administration marks, prison-specific marks, postmarks, and others); all formats (primarily in-12, in-8); among others, we have: A summons to appear before a judge to testify as a witness (September 6, 1848). 2 copies. -Letter of clemency concerning the prisoner Magot (with a handwritten note in the margin stating “canceled for Magot, who is to face a court-martial”) dated September 5, 1848. -Letter addressed to his wife, signed “Doyen, political prisoner at Fort Vincennes (…) June 28, 1848.” -Letter requesting a pardon sent from Corbeil Prison to the public prosecutor on August 30, 1848; numerous signatures. -Letter from a prisoner at Fort Rosny dated August 15, 1848, and from Fort de l’Est in Saint-Denis (July 27, 1848), Letter from Fort Montrouge (August 5, 1848) addressed “To General Bertrand, Chairman of the Military Commission (…), letter sent from Fort d’Alfort (August 13, 1848), from the St. Pélagie Detention Center (June 29, 1848) “(…) I was arrested on Saturday while going to buy tobacco (…)”, from the Coulommiers Detention Center (July 31, 1848) “Although firmly convinced of our innocence, we endure with the patience it affords the very unjust captivity imposed upon us (…),” letter from La Madelonette (June 28, 1848), letter from “political prisoners from Nogent-sur-Marne” addressed to General Bertrand (August 17, 1848); another letter sent to him from La Petite Roquette (with detailed circumstances of the arrest); date illegible, letter from a detainee at the military academy (June 3, 1848) “Pursued by fate or by a strange priest, I come to you in my misfortune to beg you to take an interest in my case (…)”, etc., etc. -Several character references and testimonials attempting to exonerate imprisoned individuals (including one sent “To Fort du Hommet near Cherbourg”). -Death certificate dated August 10, 1848, sent from St. Antoine Hospital. -Request for an interrogation concerning François Fougerol “(…) currently in Brest Harbor aboard the frigate Uranie” (November 8, 1848), -Letter addressed “to Citizen General Cavaignac (…)” dated November 16, 1848, from the Cherche-midi prison. “As a result of a despicable denunciation, I am behind bars (…)”. -Letter on letterhead reading “Investigation Committee / Political Prisoners / Paris City Hall,” dated October 8, 1848, requesting the release of a prisoner held at Fort Saint-Louis in Lorient. -A short letter sent from the Conciergerie in Paris (June 26, 1848), and a second, longer letter addressed to the Minister of the Navy and Colonies (July 3, 1848); “The Conciergerie is so overcrowded that staying in this prison is truly unbearable (…)”. -“Receipt” (on the letterhead of the 12th arrondissement town hall) from citizen Marie Michel Roger of Rue des Fossés (…) for a flag he seized from the barricades and a rifle taken from an insurgent” (July 3, 1848). -Letter of denunciation (July 11, 1848) “To the Police Commissioner (…)” following the disclosure of a list of 8 names; he adds “(…) by arranging for their arrest as soon as possible to truly serve society. Greetings and fraternity.” A second letter of denunciation addressed to “Mr. Investigating Captain (…)” (July 4, 1848): “It is the duty of an honest man to report those who commit fratricide (…)” .9 -Letter from a (sick) prisoner at Fort d’Ivry (September 28, 1848) lamenting his sentence of transportation [deportation, primarily to Algeria] “(…) but where on earth are we, and who can judge a man in this way and condemn him without evidence or grounds?” -Letter (August 11, 1848) on “Police Commissioner’s Office” letterhead stating, “Information gathered regarding Leduc indicates that he was almost constantly stationed with his rifle at the barricade on Rue de La Roquette. No witnesses were found who saw him fire (…)”. Etc… etc… exceptional documentation.