Baron Gaisan, the assistant to the Municipal Commissioner of Caen City, gripped the newspaper in his hands firmly. Despite the chill of mid-April, fine beads of sweat formed on his temples.
The headline on the front page of the newspaper boldly read, "Official Investigation Bureau takes action, uncovering corruption among over 40 senior officials."
He saw in that article that high-ranking officials, including the Governor of Poitou and the Municipal Commissioner of Poitiers, had been arrested. The second and third pages of the newspaper were full of details about their corruption.
Since all of these 40-plus individuals were senior officials, with the lowest position being that of a judicial assistant in the city hall—equivalent to a Deputy Mayor—and none of the lower-ranking officials would dare to present any remonstrance to the Palace of Versailles—the shock was tremendous, and the entire nation was watching the affair closely.
