Conflagration

On a warm spring day in April 1734, a fire raged through Montreal's merchant quarters. When the flames finally died, 46 buildings - including the Hôtel-Dieu convent and hospital - had been destroyed. Within hours, rumors ran rampant that Marie-Joseph Angélique, a Black slave fighting for her freedom, had started the fire with her white lover, Claude Thibault. Less than 24 hours later, Angelique was sitting in a prison cell. Her lover was nowhere to be found. More than 20 witnesses appeared ...