South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-04-14
AMAZING
DEATH CELL NOTE
is now REVEALED
French Bluebeard, Who Pays
Life on Guillotine,
Ayers Innocence.


murder Of 20 women have jvst oeen
revealed One Of them. and an-
doubte5Iy tho most extra ordinary.
was written the evening before Blue
beard was gunlotined. az time when
Laldru knew that he had but few
hours 20 live. IT. was addressed TO
Monsieur Godfrey public prosecu-
t1- during Iandru's trial ana who
asked that sentence Of death should
ne passed on him. TIE document
IS written in a clear and firm hand.
u covers seven pages OF fooiscap
paper and is here given I'm part:
ft Is now three months since we
FIRST met. III a few hours I shall be-
70 more. can now surely ask YOU
20 look hack on that trial wherein
met death
You came there marvellously pre-
pared. armed with the most formld-
able documents ever constituted
against one man. You knew the lat
ter perfectly You had most detailed
ana secret notes about me. 7 did not
know YOU ] was alone shut away
Do CELL 7 had no documents A
study of the document drawn up
against me revealed to YOU the in
diofment against me. IL did not re-
vr'l the accused 20 YOU. Your first
duty was a study of the prisoner
Used AT Your Powers.
You used an your powers against
me-. You tried persuasion YOU
threatened penal Law. sou tried emo
- fear You watched my every
8 ovement the slightest sign Of fear.
I did the same regarding Won. Excuse
NEE for this but 7 think ] had some
sort ~ right 90 do so watched YOU
NOT day by day but hour by hour.
'Astonished a. first "a rare thing
usually for a public prosecutor) on
account Of my precise replies.
doubt came into your mind, d terrible
doubt for you whose duties obliged
ycu 70 support the accusation. l
noticed this doubt creep into your
mine and you forever watching me
know that ] had understood
As you. a that time, were trying
10 obtain an avowaI YOU became
troubled seeking In those intermina-
able dispositions of witnesses, OF
which beforehand YOU knew the in
sisElhcance. something which would
reasEsure yeu.
The more this semi-certitUde de- |
lsyed the more the distress iH your
nina became apparent. With your
fine observant talents YOU realized
thar. the prisoner, although subdued
but easy and calm could only be
so because innocent.
Followed Your Thoughts"
The trial dragged on I followed
your thoughts and / was not the only
object OF your preocCupatiOn. Wit
nesses, poor and valueless objects !
which could not explain the alleged
crimes. called your attention. You
were waiting for the second part OF 7
th+, trial Your hopes were based on /
the. famous cooking range. You ex- |
ACTED some feverish gesture, fall I
Ing You had prepared strong and /
terrible phrases. But when YOU saw |
St. small ana more adaptble TO chill /
dren's fun Of cooking, then you real /
lied that there could not have been /
and had not been perpetrated in IL
those abominable atrocities of which /
ycu accused me. Isn't it true that
my cooking range frightened YOU
you reproached me for being Sc
vert Was / severe that day. I'll
taken out and shown that DO wa
barely as big as a poilu's dixie can
Everyone would have smiled TO think
that bodies could have been burned
bon g. You felt this clearly enough
and how those strings loosely strung
around the range and held down with
rel seal seemed frail to YOU.
DO you remember the emotion
created when a woman witness came
forward 10 state that never had she
seen anything Of q suspicious char
ac or in that CRATE
Those seals Re Broken"
To-day ] can now state that al
tr. tlnle 7 almost had the inConCeIv-
ab.a idea of demanding that all those
seal. be broken and that every one
sea that crate. had understood YOU.
however. and i did not want 10 in
crease your anxiety against which
vour honesty was struggling
In YOUR turn tel me why YOU so
carefully and apparently hastily
ordered the veridCation of certain
irs.cations which reached you. II
veu were So absolutely convinced
and were sure that those women who
- q disappeared had been burned inl
- range why did YOU look for
thut elsewhere
The next day the range had dis
arpfared. Experts had come for
wars 10 say ore that he had siited
c.r6ers therefrom. another that he
had burned a sleeps head But the
gratis which could have been used
r0 demonstrate their sayings had
gone Tn its stead a big blackboard
hal. been produced on which q seri-
Gus looking individual chaIked hg-
u-es What 8 relief that was for
youl with what precipitation YOU
came closer no him. YOU encouraged
him with your gesticulation, with
YOUR ewes and he continued 10
dsmonstraf. his curious science. He
showed yor how with a figure.
barred and replaced. one could make
head fall. You wanted that sort
az thing 10 support your address 10 /
the jury
Encouraged by You"
Encouraged by you. the expert 1
continued. continued TO observe I
VOC not anxious 20 follow the de- 4
bate- of the trial but those far more /
interesting OF a sincere magistrate /
AT grips with his conscience and his
duties. From time 20 time YOU
threw a glance in my direction. for
YOU also felt the silent drama played
between ourselves which I believe
was known only by ourselves
why did you mark time where
the evening before that range had
ef0rsp II vv-as not because you want