Charles Simon, nicknamed Biscuit (Cookie) or Ravachol II, (11 May 1873 in Saint-Jean-le-Blanc21 or 22 October 1894 at the penal colony of

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

) was an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

militant and illegalist terrorist, best known for helping to inaugurate the Era of Attacks (1892–1894) alongside

Ravachol François Claudius Ravachol (; born Koenigstein; 14 October 1859 – 11 July 1892) was a French illegalist anarchist mainly known for his terrorist activism, impact, the myths developed around his figure and his influence on the anarchist moveme ...

, Soubère and Jas-Béala by participating in the Saint-Germain bombing. He was killed by the police during the 1894 anarchist convict revolt at the age of 21.

Biography

Charles Achille Simon was born in Saint-Jean-le-Blanc on 11 May 1873. He worked as an apprentice

glassmaker Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container pro ...

. At an unspecified date, he served two months in prison for stealing a sheet of zinc from his employer. Simon met

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

around 1890–1891. Simon, nicknamed Biscuit (Cookie), was introduced to him by the Chaumertin couple, with whom Ravachol was residing. They told Ravachol that Simon, then 18 years old, was a militant supporter of

propaganda of the deed Propaganda of the deed, or propaganda by the deed, is a type of direct action intended to influence public opinion. The action itself is meant to serve as an example for others to follow, acting as a catalyst for social revolution. It is primari ...

and that he 'knew the capital like the back of his hand'. Both militants were deeply moved by the Fourmies shooting and the Clichy affair, which took place on 1 May 1891. In the first case, the army fired on demonstrators, and in the second, the police engaged in a gunfight with anarchists and mistreated those arrested afterward. Simon then decided, along with Ravachol, to avenge the anarchists affected by the Clichy affair. Ravachol stole around 1,500 sticks of dynamite from Soisy-sur-Seine and joined Simon to assemble their first bomb, intended to kill the judge who had sentenced the Clichy anarchists to severe penalties. The two managed to create a first bomb consisting of about 50 sticks of dynamite in Saint-Denis on 7 March 1892. On 11 March 1892, he conducted a reconnaissance of Judge Benoît’s house before joining the other conspirators. Accompanied by Ravachol, Jas-Béala and Rosalie Soubère (Mariette), who carried the bomb under her skirt, the group took the tram heading toward their target. Ravachol then placed the bomb, which exploded, slightly injuring one person. Simon and Ravachol were not satisfied with the failure of their attempt and planned to assassinate Prosecutor Bulot, who had requested the death penalty for the Clichy anarchists. This time, their new bomb consisted of 120 sticks of dynamite, more than double the previous amount. While Ravachol carried out the attempt without killing his target, Simon and the Chaumertins were arrested after being denounced by a police informant. At the trial, alongside Ravachol, Simon took responsibility for his actions and answered 'Absolutely' when asked if he had participated in the bombings. While 'Biscuit' was his militant pseudonym, he gained the name 'Ravachol II' during the trial. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the

Cour d'assises In France, a ''cour d'assises'', or Court of Assizes or Assize Court, is a Criminal law, criminal trial court with original jurisdiction, original and Appellate jurisdiction, appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accu ...

of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

, like Ravachol, who was later sentenced to death. He was deported to the penal colony of Cayenne. He was killed by the authorities on 21 or 22 October 1894 during the 1894 anarchist convict revolt.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Charles 1871 births 1894 deaths French anarchists Anarchist assassins French revolutionaries Propaganda of the deed Illegalists