The regulars of the courthouse will confirm it to you, the men or women accused of the crime of murder rarely show great imagination. Whether they kill one of their fellow human beings out of anger, jealousy or revenge, the weapon placed on the exhibit table is, in the overwhelming majority of cases, a pistol, a rifle or a knife. . This is how. Is it because the case judged this Tuesday, August 9, 1892 deviates somewhat from the rule? A crowd of onlookers rushes early in the morning to the gates of the Pau courthouse despite the crushing heat that reigns over the Béarnaise capital. The press has been announcing for several days that magistrates and jurors are preparing to judge an assassin accused of having killed twice, using… a makila. In the province of Labourd, everyone knows this stick made of medlar wood and armed with a metal point in its handle, it is the faithful walking companion of the Basques.
Walking, preferred means of transport
At the end of the 19th century, means of transport were still very rudimentary. We travel on horseback, sometimes by stagecoach. The railway is still in its infancy. For the most part, it is therefore necessary to move on foot by surveying country roads that are not always very safe. The makila is thus the faithful ally of its owner, helping him just as much to swallow the kilometers that it allowed him to defend himself, during an attack, either by intimidating the enemy or by fighting him. However, it is rare for a makila to be used for criminal purposes. However, that is exactly what would have happened in the present case. According to Basque and Bearn journalists, the accused of the day is named Arnaud. He is 27 years old. A native of the village of Lohitzun, in the canton of Saint-Palais, he is responsible for two crimes, including that of parricide. Clearly, the attorney general accuses him of having killed his own father and for that, he is very likely to end up on the guillotine…