Paule Tessaud and her mother
Photograph courtesy of Time magazine
At the beginning of the day (Friday 16th January 1953) Judge Saint-Saëns noticed a young girl of 8 sitting in the court and he asked what she was doing there. Her mother Mme. Gabrielle Tessaud explained, "I brought my daughter here so that she will be able to know the murderers of her father (Paul) and grandfather (Jean)." Saint-Saëns said that he did not think the trial was a suitable place for one so young, but Mme. Tessaud protested saying that Paule, who had been named after her father, had a right to know how he died. She was allowed to stay.
© Michael Williams ... May 2009