"Mais le plus important est que tu retrouves cette pute de liberté. Après ce sera aux avocates de jouer pour un régime plus souple... Je te parle comme si tu étais déjà libre...Que "veux-tu" j'y crois. [...] Je lutte et je lutterai toujours pour toi car je t'aime..."

Autograph letter dated and signed by Jacques Mesrine, dated Monday October 18, 1976, 68 lines in blue ink on one recto-verso page addressed to his love of the time, Jeanne Schneider, thanks to whom the manuscript of theInstinct de mort was discreetly smuggled out of prison.
Jacques Mesrine, then incarcerated at Fleury-Mérogis prison, seeks to reassure his love whom he is helping, through his lawyers, so that she might obtain provisional freedom: "C'est que je sens que cela va être bon et cela malgré que les avocates m'avaient déconseillé de le faire... tu sais que je fais de la prémonition (mais dans le bon sens). Je sais que ma lettre les fait réfléchir... cela j'en suis certain. C'est la première fois que j'interviens pour toi. Ca aussi a de l'importance..." ("It's that I feel this is going to be good despite my lawyers having advised me against doing it... you know I have premonitions (but in a good way). I know my letter makes them think... of this I am certain. This is the first time I'm intervening for you. That too is important...") and thanks to whom she should regain freedom: "Mais le plus important est que tu retrouves cette pute de liberté. Après ce sera aux avocates de jouer pour un régime plus souple... Je te parle comme si tu étais déjà libre...Que "veux-tu" j'y crois." ("But the most important thing is that you regain this damn freedom. After that it will be up to the lawyers to work for a more lenient regime... I'm talking to you as if you were already free... What can I say, I believe in it.")
Overflowing with enthusiasm and certainty for the success of these proceedings regarding Jeanne's provisional freedom and sure of the weight of his intervention, the indomitable Mesrine fumes at the idea of a hypothetical refusal by the prison authorities: "Quel affreux pirate qui te donne de l'espoir. Non mon ange, je ne sais absolument rien. Sauf que le Président a dit que je le menaçais sur ma lettre. J'ai été très dur et à juste raison, car la plaisanterie a assez durée. Toi tu supporteras ton refus.. moi je ne l'accepterai plus. C'est pas plus compliqué que cela. Car tu as assez payé... même trop..." ("What a terrible pirate giving you hope. No my angel, I know absolutely nothing. Except that the President said I was threatening him in my letter. I was very harsh and rightly so, because the joke has gone on long enough. You will endure your refusal... I will no longer accept it. It's no more complicated than that. Because you have paid enough... even too much...")
Public enemy No. 1 takes the opportunity again to shatter this reputation as a bloodthirsty beast that sticks to his skin: "Si les journalistes savaient que toutes les infirmières entraient seules dans ma cellule et en toute confiance, on serait loin du "fauve" et de la prise d'otages à la Buffet. Les infirmières ont toujours été sacrées pour moi. Elles sont intouchables comme pas mal d'autres personnes, mais cela les pédés de journalistes l'ignorent ; car ils ne sont pas dans mes pensées et c'est regrettable parfois." ("If journalists knew that all the nurses entered my cell alone and in complete confidence, we would be far from the 'beast' and the hostage-taking like Buffet. Nurses have always been sacred to me. They are untouchable like many other people, but those journalist faggots don't know this; because they are not in my thoughts and that's sometimes regrettable.")
Jacques Mesrine speaks of the creation of his work L'instinct de mort and his health in a fatalistic manner: "Autrement tout est ok, sauf mes douleurs au coeur qui me reprennent... mais je laisse faire, car je n'aime pas prendre de médicaments. Et puis le mécanisme s'arrêtera le jour "J" du destin. Peut-être dans tes bras... qui sait ? ("Otherwise everything is ok, except my heart pains that are returning... but I let it be, because I don't like taking medication. And then the mechanism will stop on the 'D' day of destiny. Maybe in your arms... who knows?")
He ends his letter still full of hope for the upcoming liberation of his beloved: "Ce qui compte pour moi c'est de te voir libre et fini les folies, car je ne veux plus te voir retourner en prison. Je n'ai besoin que de ton amour. Le reste, c'est mon affaire. [...] Je t'adore vivement que l'on ouvre ta cage. Bonne nuit chaton et garde confiance ok."" ("What matters to me is to see you free and no more madness, because I don't want to see you return to prison again. I only need your love. The rest is my business. [...] I adore you, I'm eager for them to open your cage. Good night kitten and keep faith ok.")
Rare and very fine letter from Jacques Mesrine in which he demonstrates all his fierce ardor and his indestructible conviction in his fight for the liberation of his beloved.