Hidden 19th-Century Diary Reveals Infanticide and Sexual Crimes in French Village

During a restoration begun in 2000, new owners of the 19th-century Château de Picomtal in Crottes, France, discovered a diary concealed beneath the floorboards. The carpenter Joaquim Martin, aged 38, wrote the text between 1880 and 1881, detailing moral judgments and village scandals from his perspective. Martin explicitly addressed future readers, reflecting on the lives of his fellow citizens. His entries include the murder of four newborns, children resulting from an extramarital affair of a childhood friend, which he witnessed in 1868. The carpenter, a republican with strong anti-clerical views, also documented sexual abuses perpetrated by local priests, including Abbé Lagier, during confessions. Historian Jacques-Olivier Boudon compiled these accounts into the book "Le Plancher de Joachim," verifying many cases and providing new insights into village life. The discovery made international headlines.