Toussaint Louverture 1802
Source: Toussaint Louverture Fonde la Liberté et l'égalité a Saint Dominge by General Nemours. Port-au-Prince, 1945;
Translated: for Marxists.org by Mitch Abidor;
CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org 2004.
Toussaint wrote this letter to the commandant of Fort de Joux, where he was held prisoner until his death.
November 1, 1792
Nothing is stronger than the humiliation I received from you today. You examined me from head to toe in order to frisk me to see if I had any money. Finally, you tossed around my linen and searched the mattress. Happily, you found nothing; the ten quadruples I gave you are mine and I told you of this.
You took my watch from me and 15 and seven sols that I had in my pocket, you even took my spur. I warn you that all these objects are mine and the day I am sent to my final agony you are to give them all to my wife and children. When a man is already happy one shouldn’t seek to humiliate and vex him without any human feelings and charity, without any consideration for him as a servant of the Republic, and precautions and machinations were taken against me as if I were a criminal, and I already told you and I repeat again that I am an honest man and if I were without honor I would not have faithfully served my fatherland as I served it and I would not be here either by order of my government
