He returned to Belley and was for a year the elected mayor. At a later stage of the Revolution, a bounty was placed on his head. He sought shelter in Switzerland, first at the home of some relatives in Moudon and then at the Hôtel du Lion d'Argent in Lausanne. He later moved to Holland, and then to the United States, where he stayed for three years in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Hartford, living on the proceeds of giving French and violin lessons. For a time, he was first violin in the Park Theater in New York City.