Les Patriotes de la région de Québec pendant la Rébellion de 1837-1838

Includes a short biography of John Teed. Teed, an American-born tailor, was arrested for high treason on November 11, 1838, relating to the rebellion in Lower Canada that year. He was incarcerated in the Quebec jail. Teed's lawyer sought a writ of habeas corpus for his client from the Court of King's Bench. The Special Council for Lower Canada had suspended by decrees the law of habeas corpus in 1838, but two judges on the court, Philippe Panet and Elzéar Bédard, declared the decrees unconstitutional and issued a warrant for Teed to appear before them. In the meantime Teed had been transferred to the Quebec Citadel under military authority. The two judges sentenced the jailer of the Quebec jail to imprisonment, and held the military commandant, Colonel George Bowles, to be in contempt of court. The two judges were suspended from their duties for their actions, and their judgements on the Teed case were quashed on appeal.

Les Cahiers des Dix

No. 24

241-254

1959

fr