There is a third windfall， not less large， but carried on in more open sunshine and therefore still more enticing. - Once the "suspect is incarcerated， whatever he brings to prison along with him， whatever he leaves behind him at home， becomes plunder； for， with the incompleteness， haste and irregularity of papers，[120] with the lack of surveillance and known connivance， the vultures， great and small， could freely use their beaks and talons. - At Toulouse， as in Paris and elsewhere， commissioners take from prisoners every object of value and， accordingly， in many cases， all gold， silver， assignats， and jewelry， which， confiscated for the Treasury， stop half-way in the hands of those who make the seizure.[121] At Poitiers， the seven scoundrels who form the ruling oligarchy， admit， after Thermidor， that they stole the effects of arrested parties.[122] At Orange， "Citoyenne Riot，" wife of the public prosecutor， and "citoyennes Fernex and Ragot，" wives of two judges， come in person to the record-office to make selections from the spoils of the accused， taking for their wardrobe silver shoe-buckles， laces and fine linen.[123] - But all that the accused， the imprisoned and fugitives can take with them， amounts to but little in comparison with what they leave at home， that is to say， under sequestration. All the religious or seignorial chateaux and mansions in France are in this plight， along with their furniture， and likewise most of the fine bourgeois mansions， together with a large number of minor residences， well-furnished and supplied through provincial economy； besides these， nearly every warehouse and store belonging to large manufacturers and leading commercial houses；all this forms colossal spoil， such as was never seen before， consisting of objects one likes to possess， gathered in vast lots， which lots are distributed by hundreds of thousands over the twenty-six thousand square miles of territory. There are no owners for this property but the nation， an indeterminate， invisible personage； no barrier other than so many seals exists between the spoils and the despoilers， that is to say， so many strips of paper held fast by two ill-applied and indistinct stamps. Bear in mind， too， that the guardians of the spoil are the sans-culottes who have made a conquest of it； that they are poor； that such a profusion of useful or precious objects makes them feel the bareness of their homes all the more； that their wives would like to lay in a stock of furniture； moreover， has it not held out to them from the beginning of the Revolution， that "forty-thousand mansions， palaces and chateaux， two-thirds of the property of France， would be the reward of their valor？"[124] At this very moment， does not the representative on mission authorize their greed？ Are not Albitte and Collot d'Herbois at Lyons， Fouché at Nevers， Javogues at Montbrison， proclaiming that the possessions of anti-revolutionaries and a surplus of riches form "the patrimony of the sans-culottes？"[125] Do they not read in the proclamations of Monestier，[126] that the peasants "before leaving home may survey and measure off the immense estates of their seigneurs， choose， for example， on their return， whatever they want to add to their farm . .
. . tacking on a bit of field or rabbit-warren belonging to the former count or marquis？" Why not take a portion of his furniture， any of his beds or clothes-presses - - It is not surprising that， after this， the slip of paper which protects sequestrated furniture and confiscated merchandise should be ripped off by gross and greedy hands！ When， after Thermidor， the master returns to his own roof it is generally to an empty house； in this or that habitation in the Morvan，[127] the removal of the furniture is so complete that a bin turned upside down serves for a table and chairs， when the family sit down to their first meal.
In the towns the embezzlements are often more brazenly carried out than in the country. At Valenciennes， the Jacobin chiefs of the municipality are known under the title of "seal-breakers and patriotic robbers."[128] At Lyons， the Maratists， who dub themselves "the friends of Chalier，" are， according to the Jacobins' own admission， "brigands， thieves and rascals."[129] They compose， to the number of three or four hundred， the thirty-two revolutionary committees； one hundred and fifty of leaders， "all of them administrators，" form the popular club； in this town of one hundred and twenty thousand souls they number， as they themselves state， three thousand， and they firmly rely on "sharing with each other the wealth of Lyons. This huge cake belongs to them； they do not allow that strangers， Parisians， should have a slice，[130] and they intend to eat the whole of it， at discretion， without control， even to the last crumb. As to their mode of operations， it consists in "selling justice， in trading on denunciations， in holding under sequestration at least four thousand households，" in putting seals everywhere on dwellings and warehouses， in not summoning interested parties who might watch their proceedings， in expelling women， children and servants who might testify to their robberies， in not drawing up inventories， in installing themselves as "guardians at five francs a day，" themselves or their boon companions， and in "general squandering， in league with the administrators." It is impossible to stay their hands or repress them， even for the representatives. Take them in the act，[131] and you must shut your eyes or they will all shout at the oppression of patriots； they do this systematically so that nobody may be followed up.