The Red Inn Affair
SEASON 3 : EPISODE 40
JULY 3, 2024
Tonight’s story takes us to the countryside of France where unspeakable things were said to have taken place at a quaint roadside inn.
This is the story of the Red Inn Affair
Follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @agoodnightforamurder and subscribe where ever you listen to Podcasts.
Listen via Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, or where ever you listen podcasts.
The bonus content on Patreon for this episode is another story that takes place in the mid-19th century in France.
Whereas the Martins may not have murdered any one, the subject of this story certainly did as a serial poisoner with upwards of possibly 30+ victims.
This is the story of Helene Jegado.
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ARTICLES
The Red Inn Affair and a Horrible Murder
Marie Breysse Martin, Serial Killer Robber – France 1831
VICTORIAN SOCIETY TIP SOURCES
A Very Victorian Fourth of July from TheDailyFloss historian
Victorian America Celebrates Independence Day
Parading Patriotism: How Fourth Of July Celebrations Changed During The Mid-1800's
Victorian July Fourth Parades Lit Small Towns
Fourth of July Celebrations at the White House in the 19th Century
Do Americans use any other words for the period 1837 to 1901 besides Victorian?
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INTRO
Hello everyone, welcome to A Good Night for a Murder, a Victorian true crime podcast.
My name is Kim, and tonight’s story takes us to the countryside of France where unspeakable things were said to have taken place at a quaint roadside inn.
This is the story of the Red Inn Affair
But first, a Victorian society tip.
TIP
I couldn’t release an episode on July 3rd and let it go by without talking about how Victorian era Americans celebrated Independence Day
I learned in having conversations on social media that some people question if America even had a Victorian era - Since the Victorian era is named for British ruler Queen Victoria
But, most colonists of America were British, and they did bring their Victorian ideals, social standards, styles of architecture, arts, furniture, and so on with them
If you’re strictly speaking about American history, the American periods that correspond to the Victorian era are
The Antebellum period
The Civil War
The Reconstruction era
The Gilded Age,
Then the Progressive era
So while it might feel a little funny for some to say “Victorian Americans,” it does provide a solid reference for the time and place where our stories are set
So, on July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, officially marking the colonies' separation from Great Britain.
This took place in Philadelphia
One year later, Congress was adjourned early and everyone went out in to the streets to celebrate with bonfires, bells and fireworks
The celebrations simply spread from there
Independence day was formally established as a national holiday in 1870, and it was reaffirmed as a paid holiday for federal employees in 1938
Here are some ways Victorian era Americans celebrated Independence day
One early tradition was attending speeches from prominent local figures
In a 1938 interview, one woman recounted a 4th of July tradition from her town in the 1870s that went:
“Just before lunch – and we’d always hold lunch up for an hour – some Senator or lawyer would speak.
These speeches always had one pattern.
First the speaker would challenge England to a fight and berate the King and say that he was a skunk.
This was known as twisting the lion’s tail.
Then the next theme was that any one could find freedom and liberty on our shores.
The speaker would invite those who were heavy laden in other lands to come to us and find peace.
The speeches were pretty fiery and by that time the men who drank got into fights and called each other Englishmen.
In the afternoon we had what we called the ‘plug uglies’ — funny floats and clowns who took off on the political subjects of the day…
The Fourth was the day of the year that really counted then.
Christmas wasn’t much; a Church tree or something, but no one twisted the lion’s tail.”
Often the Declaration of Independence was read as well
As mentioned in that interview, they also held parades with floats and military drill and dress
Many public picnics were held where people could hear music or attend balls
The sport of baseball was also enjoyed
People would decorate with bunting and flags, and take part in a lot of activities that sound a lot like what we still do at county fairs today
These included:
bicycle, horse and foot races
A greased pole climbing competition
A greased pig chasing competition…
I even found a picture from a 4th of July cutest baby contest
Finally, just like today, Victorians would put on firework displays
Since the early 1800s Chinese people had been immigrating to America, who have a long history of using fireworks
Americans were of course dazzled by the colorful, noisy displays and immediately integrated the use of fireworks in to our celebrations
One ad from The Reading Times in Reading, Pennsylvania circa July 1899 reads:
“The Fourth of July Fireworks will be right up to date. There will be “Klondike Fountains”, “X-Ray Photographs”, “Old Harry’s Visiting Cards”, and “Money to Burn”.
These are all, names of their fireworks, of course…
There are few traditions though that have fallen by the wayside, and I imagine for good reason…
One report recounting an Independence Day celebration from 1852 says,
“In those days we always had a big bonfire on the public square in the evening.
But they did have a novel sort of fireworks in those days, the throwing of fireballs.
They procured a large number of balls of candle wick which were soaked in turpentine and lighted and then all the boys and some of the men vied with one another in seeing how far and how high these blazing balls could be thrown.
It took an expert to pick up a ball and throw it quick enough, to avoid being burned and blistered by the blazing fireballs.”
Another source describes the celebratory custom of “the firing of the anvil”
You heard me right… anvils… those heavy metal blocks you see metal workers striking molten metal against…
They would fire them up in to the air!
The source describes the process as follows:
“Anvils ranged in size from 10 pounds to 800 pounds, but the ones fired in early Fourth of July celebrations weighed approximately 100 pounds.
These instruments were made of either wrought or cast iron with steel faces.
The bases, in the shape of a square, were hollow.
Black powder in varying amounts was placed into the bottom of the anvil on the ground.
A piece of dampened cardboard was then placed over the powder snugly, leaving just a small opening at the squared end of the anvil.
The opening was lined up directly over the opening in the cardboard. Another anvil was placed on top of the original anvil crosswise.
The black powder was then poured into the hole.
A blacksmith would heat a long, thin iron rod until it was red hot and subsequently apply it to the powder.
What followed was a deafening roar that shook the ground and caused the top anvil to sail into the air.
As the anvils were practically indestructible, the process could be repeated over and over again.
What fun…
My friends, if you are celebrating this year, stay safe, don’t fire any anvils, and have a happy 4th of July
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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CONTENT WARNING
A Good Night for a Murder is a true crime podcast that does cover stories including death, violence, sexual assault, and other adult themes.
Please take care while listening.
EPISODE
So, I know what you’re thinking, it’s called the Red Inn for the murders that took place there!
But actually, that is not true!
It was named the Red Inn for the color of its red roof!
BUT! Before that, it was called the Inn of Peyrebeille (Pay ley bey ah)
Peyrebeille is a town located in Southeastern France
Since 1805, the inn was owned and operated by couple Pierre and Marie Martin
Pierre and Marie started out as poor farmers, but they slowly came in to wealth as ultra-royalists
The term ultra-royalist ultimately meant that they favored policies and practices that made the rich rich,
And, as such, the rich then bestowed favor upon them
Pierre was described as a paid henchman of the local nobility
He had often assisted nobles returning from exile to recover their land from the farmers as cheaply as possible
Sort of like a reverse Robin Hood…
He was generally feared by the peasant community, and was overall considered a bully
His wife Marie was in lock-step with her husband’s behavior, and it was noted that at one point that she had aided in the hiding of a “refractory priest”
What is a refractory priest?
So, during the French Revolution, the those trying to reform the French government demanded that all members of the clergy swear an oath of loyalty above all others to them - even above the Pope
Those who refused the oath were known as refractory priests
When Marie participated in concealing one of these priests, this earned her points with the monarchy and their supporters
In October of 1831, a local horse dealer Jean-Antoine Enjolras (En joel raas) visited the Martin’s inn looking for a cow that had gone missing
It sounds like the Martins received him hospitably (hoss- pid-a-blee), as they served him a few rounds of drinks followed by a cup of herbal tea before he left.
A few days later though, Enjolras was reported missing
The local magistrate opened an investigation and on October 25, he questioned the residents of the Martin’s inn
The next day, Enjolras body was found on the banks of the Allier River, a few miles from the inn,
His skull had been smashed in, and one of his knees had been crushed
By November 1, Pierre Martin and his nephew André Martin were under arrest
The following day, officials arrested the Martin’s servant, Jean Rochette
Marie’s involvement was pretty obvious from the get-go, though she wasn’t arrested until later when it was undeniable that she had likely played a part in the matter
The reason for the delay was because no one in 1830s France really believed that a woman was capable of such crimes…
The trial would begin on June 18, 1833, and was referred to as the trial of the “four monsters”
The supposed motive was robbery
A man named Laurent Chaz, who was described as a beggar, had been staying at the Inn, but on the night in question was unable to pay for his bed and had been tossed out by the Martins
He took shelter in a shed near the property where he claimed to have seen Pierre Martin, Jean Rochette, and a third man named as Claude Pages use a cart to move the body of Enjolras from the inn towards the river
This third man, Claude Pages, was not mentioned outside of this testimony,
But I think the key takeaway is that he was not one of the men they had on trial
This would be the only alleged eye witness though
The Martin’s defense would argue that Chaz was a drunk and was not reliable.
What followed though, was nearly 100 additional witnesses, pretty much all relating indirect evidence and rumors
Remember all of those peasants that Pierre Martin had bullied?
Well here they are… lining up to have their day in court
Bad news for the Martins, is that at the time, the Napoleonic code did permit hearsay evidence…
And those peasants had heard a lot of hearsay about what went on at Pierre and Marie Martins Inn!
Witness after witness stepped to the bench to relate that actually, the Martin’s did away with people all of the time at their inn!
They claimed that nearly 50 guests had likely been robbed or murdered at the inn
The most sensational claims stated that unfortunate patrons would be knocked unconscious, or have poison forced down their throats in their sleep
After which they would be robbed and burned in the oven
Many recounted often seeing foul black smoke emitting from the inns chimneys
More claims said that Marie would first use the best bits of the corpses to make pates and stews, then serve them to other customers!
Several farmers claimed to have seen human hands simmering in cooking pots
Possibly one of the biggest blows to the Martins case though, was that the lawyer for their servant, Rochette, did not even try to argue his innocence
His entire case centered on shifting blame to Pierre and Marie
Whatever Rochette had done, was clearly under the force of his masters.
The trial lasted 7 days, and in the end André Martin was acquitted, but Pierre Martin, Marie Martin and Jean Rochette were found guilty of the murder of Jean-Antoine Enjolras, and all 3 were sentenced to death
Their appeal was rejected, as was their plea for clemency to the King
Their execution day was set for October 2, 1833
A guillotine was set up in front of the inn where the crime was said to have occurred
A crowd of nearly 30,000 gathered, where, just prior to the blade falling for Rochette, he reportedly cried out:
“Cursed masters, what have you not made me do?” which lead many to call in to question perhaps the rumors about the Martins were true.
Now, were the rumors actually true though?
A 1996 re-examination of the case has raised further doubts of any of the rumors, but also of the crime of which they were convicted
Some view the verdict as a miscarriage of justice relating that they could uncover no real evidence that Enjolras was actually even murdered
They say it cannot be ruled out that Enjolras died of natural causes
Other explanations include that he may have died in a drunken accident or from a heart attack brought on by his drinking that day
Moreover, the sole eye witness, Laurent Chaz, was not a native French speaker and was permitted to give testimony in his own language
It’s been argued that his testimony was translated in such a way that framed the Martins as guilty
Some believe the court and town set out to make an example out of the Martins, of which they succeeded
Others since then have validated the cases findings and affirmed the Martins guilt
What became of the infamous inn though?
At some point it was renamed to the Red Inn - for the color of it’s roof, not for murders that took place there - but I was pleased to find out that the historic inn still stands today!
And, you can book a room there!
They also have added a space that is staged with furniture and decor from the 1830s of which they offer tours
There is also a restaurant and gas station next door.
I’ll be sure to provide you all the links you might need to plan your trip in the episode blog!
The events of the Red Inn Affair have inspired two movies,
The first being the 1951 comedy “The Red Inn” where, “A group of travelers, including a monk, stay in a lonely inn in the mountains. The host confesses the monk his habit of serving a soporific soup to the guests, to rob their possessions and to bury them in the backyard. The story unfolds as the monk tries to save the guest's lives without violating the holy secrecy of the confession.”
The second is a 2007 remake of the film, also a comedy, with a similar plotline that goes:
“In the 19th century Pyrénées, a stagecoach stops for the night at an isolated inn run by a couple of murderous thieves. The husband wants to kill and rob them all, but one of them is a priest whom the wife refuses to see harmed.”
I’m curious to know what you think though
Do you think the Martins were guilty of all of those heinous acts of which they were accused?
There were over 100 claims made against them, after all…
Or do you think the townspeople just made all of those up?
Do you even think they were guilty of the one murder they were convicted of?
If you head on over to Instagram, TikTok or YouTube @agoodnightforamurder, you can let me know there.
I’ve posted some photos of the inn now and then, death masks of the 3 convicts, and more.
You can also see the photos and source links for this episode on the episode blog on my website at agoodnightforamurder.com
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The bonus content for Housekeeper and Butler tier Patrons for this episode covers another story that takes place in the mid-19th century in France.
Whereas the Martins may not have murdered any one, the subject the bonus content story certainly did, as a serial poisoner with upwards of possibly 30+ victims.
Listen through the outro music to hear a short preview of this Patreon bonus content
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Thank you for listening,
And I will talk to you again soon