New-York tribune., 1904-09-25

OF the public executtoner OF Brittany. under
whom he served as apprentice. He married. in
1868. Mile Raseneuf only daughter Of the chief
executioner OF Algiers and his son, Joseph
FRANCOIS Anatole Deibler. who for some years
had been one OF his assistants. succeeded him as
"Executeur des Hautes Quvres" in 1899, when
under weird circumstances, he retired on half
pay. Louis DeibIer was a modest. retiring little
man, with soft, dreamy. blue eyes, and 20 see
him strolllng about with his inseparable um-
brela, or playing "manie" for two cents game
at his favorite cafe IN the Boulevard de Yer
sailles. as he slipped his after breakfast cup OF
coffee, one would never imagine that this was
the sure handed executioner who had guillo-
tined 1853 criminals including the most noted
Inalefactors Of our time, among whom were
Provost the former trooper Of Napoleon HIS
ma gnihcent corps OF Cent Gardes, who robbed
and killed a jeweller named Lenoble. cutting his
body into seventy-eght pieces which he threw
into seventy-eight different drainpipes; Laprade.
a youth of twenty, who murdered his father,
mother and grandmother; Pranzini, former IN
terpreter to Lord wolseley after the battle of
Tel-el-Kebir. who murdered a notorious Partisan
professional beauty together with her two maid
servants: Eyraud who assassinated the Sheriff
Gouffe and packed his dead body in trunk;
Vacher the tramp who murdered nineteen
women and children; Ravachol. valiant Henry
ali three bomb throwing anarchsts-and
Caserio, tho assassin OF President Carnot
Only once in his long and active professional
career did Louis Deibler "bungle' the decapita-
ton OF "client"-to use his own delicate, but
grewsome. phraseology. This was OF Laprade,
the young athlete. who was guillotIned at Asen
In 1879. Laprade offered such violent resistance
that. in spite of his handouts and chains ne
knocked down two Of Deibler's assistants, and
tba anSued
Deibler who was exceedingly nimble and mus
cular, finally managed to trip up his assailant
with his left foot, and, after beating him on the
temple with paving stone until the unfortunate
wretch became senseless, seized him by the nape
OF the neck, pushed his head through the hole
and let slip the knife. Singularly enough this
was Deibier's first operation chief executioneF
All his subsequent executions were carried out
with remarkable skill and celebrity
The writer witnessed Detbler's execution of
Pranzini in the Place de la Roquette 1t was at
daybreak on an August morning. Pranzinl' who'
according to custom. was unaware of the date OF
his execution had been awakened from sound
sleep. Fortified with three copious glasses OF
rum and provided with cigarette. which he
smoked until the last moment, Pranzini pale
but determined was led forth by two assistants,
one OF whom Deiblers son. suddenly
Deibler tripped the condemned man with his
foot and in an instant Pranzinrs head emerged
from the fatal hole and down came the knife
with a dull thud- The head dropped into a deep,
square box half filled with sawdust The trunk
OF the body was placed in deal board coffin.
which together with the box containing the
head was put in four wheeled cart attached to
a pair of horses and driven at a rapid pace
to the medical school. and deposited there. to be
dissected or experimental upon by the students.
In the latter part of his career Deibler became
exceedingly nervous He suffered from mental
for three days after every execution.
It was at the decapitation OF Starch at Nancy
that he was for the first time affected by
"eInotophohia," malady that frequently at
tscks, exeeutionsrA Afyeg the ,guillotipe opera