what a ball!”, he went through the old newspapers to find the gaffes, blunders and mistakes of our ancestors

Anthony Soares signs the “Top 50 gags and blunders of our Comtois ancestors” published by Cêtre. The young 26-year-old historian sifted through the local press from 100 years ago to extract the best anecdotes.

“I had to open nearly 7,000 issues of Le Petit Comtois, that represents several hundred hours of work”confides Anthony Soares. But the young 26-year-old historian does not regret this meticulous investigation and these two years spent going through the famous Franche-Comté newspaper. He has indeed unearthed real treasures!

Today he is publishing the “Top 50 gags and blunders of our Comtois ancestors” with Cêtre. 50 anecdotes, blunders or mistakes, reported by the regional newspaper between 1886 and 1942. Like this memorable midnight mass in Salins-les-Bains (Jura) in 1935 which saw the priest and the faithful “dropping like flies”. Or this prank which could have gone very wrong in Oyrières (Haute-Saône) in 1909 with this young man who had disguised himself as a wild boar to scare an old man.

He admits, he is passionate about the local past. And especially by these little stories that hide in the shadow of the big one. “I studied the Petit Comtois a lot for my research dissertation on railway accidents in Franche-Comté or for my work on President Jules Grévy, I also write a column in Hebdo 39: 130 years ago in the Jura, he confides to France 3 Franche-Comté. But it’s also a real hobby that puts me in a good mood in the morning.”

A doctoral student in history at the University of Franche-Comté, Anthony Soares is also guide at the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans (Doubs) and at the Besançon tourist office. “These are often anecdotal news items, explains the historian. Sometimes the newspaper correspondents have nothing to say and so they write that nothing interesting happened. But it allows us to create an alternative regional history.”

A drunkard who enters a police station believing he is entering a bistro says a lot about alcoholism at the end of the 19th century. It’s a journey throughout Franche-Comté where we discover that small villages also have a history.

Anthony Soares, the story.

The author has carefully selected these “pearls” and classified them. “I would have liked to make a calendar of 365 stories, but it was too big, so I chose the 50 best for me, in a completely subjective way,” he smiled. There is no question of revealing to future readers his favorite gags, but a few examples give an idea of ​​the tone of the work. “Each time, we say to ourselves: what a drag!” assure Anthony Soares.

“Very fresh meat”

In 34th position, we find for example this tasty news item which took place in Montbéliard (Doubs) in 1913. “During an investigation into a theft of rabbits committed at Mr. Marconnet’s house, at the fairgrounds, the police discovered that a man named Gairo, of Italian nationality, had dug up a dead rabbit, then, having stripped it, would have sold it… Ugh! This is an original way to obtain raw materials. This sad individual sometimes sells rabbits and poultry, which he offers in cafes and restaurants. Um, um… (Le Petit Comtois, February 12, 1913, no. 10622, p. 2)

“Catch a thief on the fly”

Or, in 43rd position, this funny mishap of a climber which hit the headlines in Pontarlier (Doubs) in 1929. “One night, a thief was surprised when he was visiting the apartment of Mr. Maurice Guyon, Place Saint-Pierre. From the first floor, the man seeing himself caught, tried to jump out of the window, but the vigorous grips of the owner and his brother-in-law, grabbed him by the legs. Dangling for a few moments above the void, the burglar was finally subdued and placed in the hands of an agent, not without having received a few shocks from the spectators who, from the street, had witnessed this scene. (Le Petit ComtoisJuly 4, 1929, no. 11524, p. 2)

“Imitate the squirrel”

In 36th position, we discover this astonishing article, recounting this comical scene in Servance (Haute-Saône) in 1909. “Seeing a young man hunting a squirrel early in the morning, a country guard, thinking that he was a poacher, hid and imitated the squirrel’s cry. At one point, he moved his hands, that’s when the young man, thinking he saw a squirrel, shot the country guard.
The field guard was hit, but he still survived. Not sure if he’ll do the squirrel again afterwards.” (The Little Comtois, October 15, 1909, No. 9454, p. 3).

The work was printed in 1000 copies; It is sold at the price of 14 euros in many bookstores in the region or directly on the publisher’s online store.