The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-03-02
Henri d. Landru, Charged
With Staying Eleven,
Executed Today.
MYSTERIOUS TO END
Refuses to Confess or to Ac-
cept Last Offices Of Church
as He Goes to Death.
fBy Associated Press Leased Wire.l

EASSISAsSSG0
Versailles, France Henri Desire
Landru "Bluebeart of Gambais' con-
victed Of the murder of ten women
and one youth, gave his life this
morning in exchange for the eleven
he had taken. The triangular knife of
the guillotine fell at sos o'clock, Is
minutes after the time originally set
for the execution, the delay causing
many to express the erroneous opin-
ion that Landru was making a confess
sion.
Mysterious until death, Landru re-
scented Father Loiselles' query as to
whether he had any confession to
make.
at is an insult to man like me-"
was his reply. "Had any confession
to make I would have made it long
ago." but he never did utter the word
"innocent" as he had failed to utter
it during his "a months of imprison-
ment and 81 days of trial.
Refuses Sacrament.
He refused the sacrament but con-
versed a few minutes with the priest.
81 shall be brave, never fear" he told
the clergyman.
Although plans for the execution
had been kept in the utmost secrecy,
crowds began to gather about the old
Versailles jail little after midnight.
The clatter Of cavalry horses along
Georges Clemenceau street in which
oIoiv 1lx u
audible in Landru's cell and when he
awoke he heard the sound of hammers
as workmen erected climbers of JUS
tice" by the Pickering light Of two
square oId-fashioned candle lanterns.
The guillotine was erected only a
few feet from the main entrance of
the jail. At six o'clock the doors of
the prison opened slowly, revealing in
the court yard the procurator general,
the warden Of the prison and Landru's
two lawyers. NJ o-Giafferi and M.
Dutreuil. Then Landru appeared, clad
in dark trousers and white shirt. His
beard, which was one of his most
striking characteristics and which had
become familiar to thousands through
publication Of his portrait during the
trial, had been trimmed; his head was
shaved and his neck and face were
deathly pale.
Execution Quickly Over.
He walked exactly five steps before
the executioner's assistants caught
him around the waist and levelled him
on the table, which was Immediately
suspended; the heavily weighted knife
slid down and the whole affair was
over in less than twenty seconds. Lam
dru never faltered from the time he
appeared in the door; he gave the
guillotine one look, squared his shout
ders and walked erect, uttering not a
word.
The crowd, which had been kept at
such a distance that it saw nothing Of
the details, uttered no cry, and the ST.
lence was only broken by the bugles
sounding reveille in the nearby bar
racks. The platoon of cavalry with
sabres barred saluted as the mystery
man" went to his death.
Then the hundred or more newspaper
correspondents and the few officials
who had witnessed the execution lett
the scene while outside the lines of
cavalry the citizens Of Versailles and
many from Paris, were asking;
as it all over?"
There seemed to be more pity than
bitterness and never word of in
vective against the man who had just
paid the penalty for series of the
foulest murders in the criminal his
tory of France.