Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-01-04
A F|END GU|LLOT|NED.
Joseph Vacher Pays the Penalty
Of Many Grimes.
HAD BLOODY RECORD.
Twenty three Murders Laid to His
Door-His Victims Mostly
Young Girls.

Paris, Dee 31.-Joseph Vachcr. the
French Jack the Ripper" was guillotined
at Bourgon- Bresse, capital of the depart
ment of the Ain, this morning. He pro-
tested his innocence and simulated insani-
ty to the last Eacher, who was 20 years
of age. was condemned at the October as
sizes at Ain. Early IN life he is known
to have brutality murdered four boys, six
women and girls and an old widow. Most
of the victims We're tending herds when
Nacher came behind them and cut their
threats.
The crimes Of Joseph Nacher have sur
passed i'll number and atrocity those OF
Jne Whitechapel murderer known as Jack
the Ripper. ms hOmlclual mama hrSt
broke out IL 1891. He claimed arter his
arrest that as every action mas an object
ana as his motive was neither theft nor
Vengeance, his lrreSpOnslbLlty was eStaD-
lIshed. Physiology physicians have re-
Salded the case as interesting. 1t was
shown the Nacher had been confined Ill an
asylum for the insane, and thar While do
ing military duty love affair caused HIM
to attempt self-desUuctiOn by shooting.
The victims of WAGNER were shepherds,
and his mania was particularly directed
against young girls. He first cut the
JlltOaIS OIL MS NlcjllLS NlJI Il kulLS anu
afterwards mutilated them with Il razor.
He was arrested last year, after the police
had searched for him for a long time III
vain.
Ii defense Of Vacher it was pointed
out that when 4 youth he was bitten by
Il mad dog and that the village herbalist
gave him some medicine. after drinking
which he became irritable and brutal,
whereas he had previously been quiet and
inOtfeusive. 1t also appears from these
statements that from that time he had
developed passion for human blood. Re
fcrring to his crimes Nacher IS quoted as
saying:
MY victims never suffered, for while
[ throttled them with one hand. l simply
took their lives with sharp iustrumeut
III the other. l am an anarchist, and
am opposed to society, no matter what
the form of government may be-.
Fancied Himself Hero.
This desperate criminal was notorious
~ vain and fancied himself 4 hero. He
refused to speak about his crimes except
on two conditions. One was that the full
story CT his murders be published in the
leading French papers and the other was
that ne should be tried separately Tor
each crime, Ill the district where II was
committed.
The exact number of Nacher's victims
viii never be known, but It is said that
tWenty-three transformations were brought
home to him in October last, and
the number was added to rs time Wore
on. In fact, it is doubtful whether the
murderer himself knew the real number
Of his victims. He nonchalantly told the
story Of some fresh tragedy from time 10
time to the examining magistrate as the
details came back to his mind and in each
case the investigation has furnished full
corroboratiOn Of Eacher's narrative. THE
bodies IN each case were found in the
IC ri Tod
III unused wells. He seems to have killed
merely for the sake Of killing.
Born near Lyons. Nacher served his
military term i'll a regiment of zouaveS,
and showed himself to be q good soldier
50 much so that he was made a non-com-
missioned officer. although there were
complaints against him OF being brutaly
severe to recruits.
A recruit, a member of a well-known
French family, told how Vacher once
grounds that he lost his temper and
sprang at Facher. Happily for the re-
cruit he was seized by his companions
before he succeeded in striking Eacher,
otherwise the young man would most
likely have been sentenced to dcarh nv =
cOurtmartial.
1t was shortly after Vacher left the
service that he became III. owing to dis
appointment III a love affair and attempts
ed to blow out his brains with a revolver.
The bullet was never extracted from his
skull, and, according to one report the
wound produced recurrent fits Of insanity
and caused him to be confined for a time
III an insane asylum for the insane at
Dole
Since that time and until his arrest
Nacher appears to have wandered through
the country districts OF France commit
ting murders. He was undetected and
unsupported until by mere accident he was
caught almost red-handed near Lyons at
the beginning Of October
Was Seized with Frenzy.
In every case Vacher seems to have
been seized with q frenzy after attacking
his vlctim, rs he cut and slashed them
horribly and often dismembered them.
One day Tacher told the magistrate that
he considered himself to be a scourge sent
by providence to afiict humanity.
Vacher killed one of his victims. he
claimed, because he wore clean shirt
which the murderer coveted and he ad-
mitted that he sometimes murdered people
because he needed money and food.
One of the remarkable features of this
extraordinary case was the clever man
ner in which Vacher succeeded in shift
ing suspicion from himself. About two
years ago ne murdered shepherd bow on
a country road a few miles from Lyons.
hacked the body almost into pieces and
then continued on his way The murder
was discovered within a few minutes af
terWard and search for the murderer was
promptly instituted.
y gendarme, mounted on bicycle. over
took Vacher and called upon him to pro
duce his Identification papers, whereupon
Vacher quietly handed over to the police
officer his discharge as a non-commis-
stoned officer from a regiment of zouaves.
why, that is my old regiment" ex-
claimed the gendarme. 81 am hunting
for man who has just cut q boys throat
Have you seen any suspicious charac-
ters?'
''Oh, yes" answered the murderer
serenely, Il saw man running across
the fields to the north about a mile back
from here"
Thank you" cried the gendarme. ''TIl
be after him"
The gendarme then hurried off after
the imaginary murderer, and the real cul-
prit quietly stole away from the scene of
his crime
The most prominent victim of Vacber
was the Marquis de Villeplaine, who was
killed while walking in his park in the
southwestern part of France near the
Spanish frontier. Vacher crept up be-
hind him, felled him with a heavy stick
and then cut his throat The murderer
carried off the coat of the marquis and