case no. 55. charon and veuve souillard v. veuve tierce. This case involved the mental competence of an aging widow. Witnesses described many of her acts of “madness” without using emotion terms, although the clear intent was to indicate that these acts went beyond what could be counted as normal expression of fear or anger. When collecting personal property from a M Maugart, for example, she claimed she had not received all that was her due and refused to give him a receipt. She sat in the doorway to his courtyard for two days and nights, ignoring the admonitions of her lawyer who was summoned to talk to her; then she went away leaving all of her things behind. On another occasion, she was seen standing in the rain outside the courthouse for a long period, but refused help. When a huissier (process server) came to her apartment, she threw a pot of soup at his head, then threatened him with an iron. When he returned with the commissaire de police, she locked herself in and refused to answer. The commissaire got a locksmith to open the door; they found her seated with her arms crossed, holding a knife. Neighbors heard her making speeches to herself inside the apartment; one night she made a hole in the ceiling by banging on it with a piece of wood.