Sanité Bélair demands to be shot rather than beheaded, and refuses the blindfold

Suzanne Bélair, called Sanité, was executed by the French on 5 October 1802, alongside her husband General Charles Bélair. Born around 1781, she was a lieutenant in Toussaint Louverture’s army. The sentence handed down was decapitation — the death reserved for women — and she refused it, demanding to be shot as her husband was. She refused the blindfold too, and faced the firing squad with her eyes open. Her likeness was later put on the ten-gourde note. Sources differ on the day: most give 5 October 1802, while Wikipedia’s article on Charles Bélair gives the 15th. This entry follows the 5th.