The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-12


'Ihere is nothing in modern history with
which to compare the sanguinaTy ca
leer OF the French slaughterer, Vach- f
er, the story of whose crimes I have
told IN a fragnlentary way by cable as
II mas come out from day to day during Z
the past fortnight. The Jack the Rip
per murders il London ten years ago 4
are completely ecipsed by it, and the
revelation IS stu incomplete. twenty /
three transformations have already been
brought home to this bloCdthirsty
wretch, and scarcely a day passes that
another IS not added to the list. 1t /
IS doubtful II the murderer himself (
knows the number of his victims. lie I
nonchaIantiy tells the story OF some
fresh tragedy to the examining magis- /
trate from slime to time as the details (
occur to his diseased mind. InveStiga- /
ton in each case so far has produced
fun cOrrobOratiOn of the murderer's /
narrative. These cases include several /
crimes not heretofore discovered. but |
the victims body has in each instance /
been found where inGicated-in dis |
used we'll or lonely thiclzet.
The story Of this man. who killed
merely for the sake of killing, should !
be made known throughout Christen- !
dom, FOR it constitutes the most start 4
ling warning eff modern times against /
the criminal folly OF turning loose upon
society ~ individual subject to ITS Of
homicidal mania. Vacher, who is only
about > years old. was 4 peasant liV-
ing near Lyons. BE served his military
term in a regiment of zouaves. and
proved SO good & soldier that he was
made a non commissioned OFFICER IL
was complained of him that he was
brutality severe 10 the recruits under
him. A young man, a member OF a
renowned French family. tells how
NacheI once abused him so savagely
While drilling him that he lost his tenn
- per and sprang at the young martinez.
Luckily for the soldier, his companions
seized him before he had succeeded in
striking his torrnentor, otherwise court
martial and sentence to death for as
saplting an officer might have been his
fate under the stern laws of military
discipline in. France.
But there was no suspicion or ground
for suspicion OF Nacher's sanity at that
time just after completing his ser
vice, Nicher was i'll in hospital for sew
erai weeks. During his confinement.
he attempted to blow out his brains
with revolver. and he still carries the
bullet somewhere inside his skull. The
shot produced recurrent ftS of insanity
of so violent q character that ne was
confined for 4 time at the lunatic asy-
lum at Dole DR.. Gilbert the well
known expert Of mental diseases, says
that the physicians at the asylum re-
LEASED Nacher. although they knew he
we're afraid Of an outcry in the press
against the arbitrary confinement Of a
citizen under the preteXt that he was
'insane.
That was three years ago. Since that
time Nacher has wandered through
the country districts of France, leav-
ing everywhere 4 trail of blood. but I'M
detected, even unsupported. until by
fffere Chance he was caught almost red
-. lIssasaded near Lzsoias .about -three.zse
ago Most Of his victims were shepherd
bovs and girls. whom he found teuCing
their focks in lonely fields or on hill
sides, but sometimes he killed men and
women. In each case he seemed seized
with a frenzy after striking down his
victim. and cut and slashed and often
dismembered the body. He told the
magistrate one Gay that he considered
himself a scourge sent by Providence
to afflict humanity. But his motive
was ofte. more rational than sordld.
one man he killed because his victim
wore a clean-looking shirt which Nach-
er coveted Sometimes, he admits, ne
killed because he needed food and
money.
The. murderer was always remark
ablv clever in shifting suspicion from
himself Two years ago he killed
shenherd boy on q country road rev
miles from Lyons. He hacked the
hor7v almost to pieces and then strolled
lated corpse was discovered and there
was immediate search for the murderer
II, All directions. 4 gcndarme mounted
on g bicycle soon overlook WAGNER, and
called upon him to produce his papers
he readily handed out his discharge
from the zouaVes as non-comtlls-
stoned officer.
..Why, that is my old regiment, ex-
claimed the sendarme. I am hunting
a man who has just cut boys throat
Have YOU seen any suspicious charac-
ter as you came along?
"Oh yes" responded the murderer
without the least sign of discomposure
- saw a man running across the fields
TO the north about mile back. AnC
The gendarme hurried off after the
imaginary culnrit.
occasionally by some lucky chance
2 victim escaped him. a boy of /;
,eaned Rodier was herding COWS neal
Clernlont Ferrand one day liz October
y wear ago. when he saw an uSly-look
ing. grinning fellow approach. lie Was
a tramp, poorly dressed and carried
bir load on his back and a heavy
stick in his hand. The boy was fright
ened by the tramp's appearance, ant
% the stranger came near, young Ro
die. under pretense of min6ing hi
cows. ran away The stranger, Vacher
followed
nle? Do you want matches? l ca
give you some
Il want aone,' said the boy, ''an'
don't be coming after me, but keep OIL
the path.
But Vacher came on, and the DO,
kept moving of until he got TO IN
brow Of the HILL where a man ant
woman were digging. When the traml
saw them he stopped short. They eye'
him also as though there was some
Thing wrong about him. The man wa
So sure that Vacher meant mischie
that he took up pitehfork to be read,
for the worst. The tramp said:
This is q horrid country The PEG
nia are worse than dogs. l have bee
fasting for two days and nobody ha
csared me a crust" He had, not 2
minutes before. murdered Rcsine, tn
1s-year-old sister of young Rodier, bu
her body was not found until a wee
later.
At another time three or four wome
in turn escaped him A Nine. March
and had identified Vacher as a ma
who attacked her on the road nea
Lyons at Easter, 1895. She was return
jn,- from market, where she had sol
. some oranges. and a man came be
hind her and seized her by the throa