Translated from P. La Rousse -- Grand Dictionnaire Universal --- Vol. 10, Page 4, Columns 1 and 2

Born at Abbeville, France, in 1747. Died in the same city on July 1,1766. His grandfather was Antoine, Lieutenant General of the Armies in Canada under Louis XIV. Since LaBarre's fatehre had squandered a fortune of more than 40,000 livres of income, he was brought up by his aunt, Abbess of Villicourt. Studious and orderly as he was, he made good progress in the studies of mathematics.

LaBarre was just on the verge to obtain command of a Calvary Company, when a certain Belleval, an old man of more than 60 years, who fell in love with the Abbess, but brusquely turned down by the latter, found a horrible way of vengeance for the harshness of the aunt and the menaces of the nephew, who assisted her energetically. The villain knew that the Chevalier LaBarre and his friend, the son of President D'Etallonde, had recently passed a procession of the "Host" without lifting their hats. He immediately used this fact by presenting it as a willful infringement against religion (1765).

At the same time the Wooden Crucifix on the "Pont Neuf" (new bridge) of Abbeville happened to be found damaged early one morning. Instantly the Bishop of Amiens, LaMonte D'Orleans, sent forth monitory after monitory, threatening with ex-communication those who dared to shield the names of the guilty ones from the arms of justice.

The wretched Belleval, profiting from the excitement of minds, hinted that those who did not salute the procession would well be capable of breaking the crucifix. Hand in hand with Duval De Soicourt, officer of the criminal court, who was on bad terms with the Abbess, because of money matters, they bribed the servants, domestic and workers of Chevalier and his aunt, and investigated LaBarre's life in the most minute details and discovered that this young man had once sung a song in which St. Marie Magdelaine was called a "prostitute". He hurried to the first judge of the Seneschals, Court of Abbeville, who immediately began examination of the incident. A warrant was issued against LaBarre and D'Etallonde. The latter had time to flee to Switzerland. The unfortunate LaBarre was arrested and put in jail. Six witnesses made statements about the occurrence at the procession that LaBarre had not lifted his hat. He admitted it, adding he had only done so by absent-mindedness, not by irreverence. On September 21 eight witnesses related the songs about St. Magdelaine. The defendant admitted them too. He excused himsef with intoxication, as indicated by the witnesses, and with the fact that the derogatory epithet was only to characterize the Saint before her conversion. No evidence supported the indictment of the holy images.

Nevertheless, the other two judges followed the view of their President, Duval De Soicourt, and condemned LaBarre. He was sentenced (1) to undergo inquisition (torture( first grade and second grade to reveal his accomplices, (2) to suffer amputation of his tongue, at the root, in case he could not present it (the tongue) voluntarily, to have it torn out by pincers, (3) to apoligize in front of the great door of the main church, (4) to be brought in a rubbish cart to the square of the market, to be tied there on a pole by iron chains and burnt on a small fire. The sentence was pronounced by contumacy against D'Etallonde. The infamous and horrible sentence was given on February 25, 1766.