, and who examined the witnesses and the
accused and rendered the preliminary verdict, called the indictment. The
director was, however, in a position to exercise such influence over the
jurymen, who met in his private office, that they could not well avoid
agreeing with him. These jurymen were called the jury of indictment.
There were others who formed the juries of the criminal tribunals
whose duty it was to judge the accused; these were called, in
contradistinction to the jury of indictment, the judgment jury. The
criminal tribunal, to which Napoleon afterwards gave the name of
criminal court, was composed of one President or chief justice, four
judges, the public prosecutor, and a government commissioner.

Nevertheless, from 1799 to 1806 there were special courts (so-called)
which judged without juries certain misdemeanors in certain departments;
these were composed of judges taken from the civil courts and formed
into a special court. This conflict of special justice and criminal
justice gave rise to questions of competence which came before the
courts of appeal. If the department of the Aube had had a special court,
the verdict on the outrage committed on a senator of the Empire would no
doubt have been referred to it; but this tranquil department had
never needed unusual jurisdiction. Grevin therefore despatched the
sub-lieutenant to Troyes to bring the director of the jury of that town.
The emissary went at full gallop, and soon returned in a post-carriage
with the all-powerful magistrate.

The director of the Troyes jury was formerly secretary of one of the
committees of the Convention, a friend of Malin, to whom he owed his
present place. This magistrate, named Lechesneau, had helped Malin, as
Grevin had done, in his work on the Code during the Convention. Malin in
return recommended him to Cambaceres, who appointed him attorney-general
for Italy. Unfortunately for him, Lechesneau had a liaison with a
great lady in Turin, and Napoleon removed him to avoid a criminal trial
threatened by the husband. Lechesneau, bound in gratitude to Malin, felt
the importance of this attack upon his patron, and brought with him a
captain of gendarmerie and twelve men.

Before starting he laid his plans with the prefect, who was unable
at that late hour, it being after dark, to use the telegraph. They
therefore sent a mounted messenger to Paris to notify the minister of
police, the chief justice and the Emperor of this extraor