The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01
Had "a Passion for Human Blood, and
SteaIthiIy slew Many sbeperds
and shepherGesses.
NEW YORK POISONING CASE
STILL MYSTERY so FAR AS THE
POLICE ARE CONCERNED.
Captain McCIuslSey Positive Man
Directed the wrapper on the Gift
Received by Cornish.

French Jack the Ripper" was guiuotlneo
at Bourgh-on- Bresse, capital of the Depart
ment of Ain, this morning. He protested
his innocence and simulated insanity to the
last V2cher, who was twenty-nine years
of age, was condemned at the October AS
sizes at Ain. Early in life he is known to
have brutaly murdered four boys, six Wom-
en- and girls and an old widow. Most or
the victims were tending herds when Vacher
came behind them and cut their Threats
The crimes of Joseph Vacher have sur
passed in number and atrocity those of the
Whitechapel murderer known as Jack
the Ripper" His homicidal mania first
broke out in 1894. He claimed after his
arrest that as every action has an object,
and as his motive was neither theft nor
vengeance, his responsibility was estab-
lished 1t has been shown that Vacher had
been confined in an asylum for the insane,
and while doing military duty love affair
caused him to attempt self-des truction by
shooting. The victims of Vacher were
shepherds and shepherdesses, and his rage
was particularly directed against young
girls. He first cut the threats of his VIC
Tins with knife and afterwards mutilated
them with razor He was arrested last
year, after the police had searched for him
for long time in vain.
In defense of Vacher it was pointed out
that when a youth he was bitten by a
mad dog and that the village herbalist gave
him some medicine after drinking which he
became irritable and brutal, whereas he had
been quiet and inoffensive. 1t also appears
from these statements that from that time
he had developed passion for human blood
Referring to his crimes, Vacher is quoted
for
while / throttled them with enc hand, I
simply took their lives with sharp instru-
ment in the other. 1 am an Anarchist and
1 am opposed to society no matter what the
form of government may be-
This desperate criminal was vain, and
fancied himself a hero. He refused to
speak about his crimes, except on two con-
ditiOns. One was that the full story of his
murders be published in the leading French
papers, and the other was that he should
be tried separately for each crime in the
district where it was committed.
The exact number of Vachers victims will
never be known, but it is said that twenty
three assassinations had been brought
home to him in October last, and the num-
Der was added to as time wore on In fact.
1t is doubtful whether the murderer himself
knew the real number of his victims He
nonchalantly told the story of some fresh
tragedy from time to time TO the examining
magistrate as the details came back to his
mind and in each case the investigation
has furnished full confederation of Vacher's
narrative. The bodies In each case were
found in the places he indicated-in lonely
thckets or in unused wells. He seems to
have killed merely for the sake of killing
Born near Lyons, Yacher served his mill
tary term IN regiment OF zouaves and
showed himself to be q good soldier. so much
SO that he was made a noncommissioned
officer, although there were complaints
against him of being brutality severe to re-
cru1ts A recruit, a member of a we'll
known French family, told how Vacher
grounds that he lost his temper and sprans
at Vacher: Happily for the recruit, he was
seized by his companions before he succeed
ca IN striking WAGNER. otherwise the young
man would most likely have been sentenced
to death by a courtzmartial. 1t was shortly
after Vacher left tfE service that he became
i'll, owing to disappointment in love affair.
and attempted to blow out his brains with
revolver; The bullet was never extracted
from MS skull, and, according to one report
the wound produced recurrent fits of in
sanity. and caused him to be confined for a
time in an asylum for the insane at Dole
SINCE that time and until his arrest Vacher
appeared to have wandered through the
country districts of France, committing muir
ders; lie was undetected and unsuspected
UNTIL by mere accident, he was caught al
most red-handed near Lyons at the begin
ming of October In every case Vacher
after attacking his victims, as he cut and
slashed them horribly and often dismem-
One day vacher told the magistrate that
he considered himself to be a scourge sent
by providence to affiict humanity. Vacher
Killed one of his victims, he claimed because
he wore clean shirt which the murderer
coveted and he admitted that he Sometimes
murdered people because he needed money
One of the remarkable features Of this ex
traordinary case was the clever manner in
which Nacher succeeded in shifting suspi-
cion from himself. About two years ago he
murdered a shepherd boy on a country road
few miles from Lyons, hacked the body
almost into pieces, and then continued on
his way. The murder was discovered with
IN a few minutes after and search for the
murderer was promptly instituted A GEN
darme mounted on a bicycle. overfool
WAGNER and called upon him to produce his
ldesnuncatlon papers. 'whereupon Vacher
discharge as a noncommisSioned officer of q
regiment of zouaves.
why Why. that is my old regiment" said the
oHncer. Il am hunting for a man who has
just cut boys throat. Have you seen any
suspicious character"
oh. yes" answered the murderer Sc
renely. Il saw a man running across the
FIELDS 5 to the north about mile back from
Thank. you" cried the gendarme. I'll be
The gendarme then hurried off after the
llaglnary murderer, and the real culprit
crime.
The. most prominent victim of vacher was
the Marquis de Vile Plaire who was killed
While walking in his park in the southwest
ern part of France, not far from the Spanish
frontier; Vacher crept up behind him. felled
MN with a heavy stick and then cut his
throat. The murderer carried off the coat
OF the marquis and his pocketbook contain
in Spain.
The boasting of the murderer led 70 the
detection of number of his crimes after his
arrest. For Instance. he killed a boy six
Teen years Of age, named Bully. near Lyons,
IN June. 1897. The crime would never have
been discovered but for the boastings of
WAGNER, as the lad was a notorious poacher
ana chicken thief and his disappearance
created no stir at all. In January OF the
present year Vacher made furious assault
on warden of the prison at Lyons, where
he was confined. and almost beat him to
death before the prison guards could over
power him. Oct. 80 of the present year
vacher was sentenced to death, since which
ume ne has continued feigning insanity.