Evening star., 1922-02-25
LANDRU BEHEADED
FOR MURDEROF /
'Bluebeard of Gambais"
FearIessIy Faces GuilIotine.
Refuses Sacrament.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
VERSAILLES. February 25.-Henri
Desire Landru, "Bluebeard of Gam
bais," convicted 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. twenty-five minutes after the
time originally set for the execution.
the delay causing many to express
the erroneous opinion that Landrau
was making a confession. Mysterious
until death. Landru resented Father
Loiselles' query as to whether he had
any confession to make.
TT is an insult to a man like me-"
was his reply. Had 1 any confession
to make l would have made it long
ago." But never did he utter the
word innocent" as he had failed to
utter during his thirty-four months
of imprisonment and the twenty-one
Refuses Sacrament.
He refused the sacrament. but con-
verscd few moments with the priest
Il 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
the execution took place, was plainly
audible in Landru's cell. and when he
awoke he heard the sound Of ham,
mers as workmen erected "timbers OF
justice" by the f1ickering light Of two
square. old-fashioned candle lanterns.
The guillotine was erected only d
few feet from the main entrance of
the Jail. At s o'clock the doors Of the
prison opened slowly. revealing in the
warden of the prison and Landru's
two lawyers. NJ. Mero-Giafferi and NJ.
Dutreuil.
Executed I'm Twenty Seconds.
Then Landru appeared clad in dark
trousers and white shirt. His beard.
which was one of his most striking
characteristics. and which had be-
come familiar to thousands through
publication of his portrait during the
trial. had been trimmed; his head was
shaved. and his heck and face were
QedtulS pdle. ne "dlhcO eAdCtly HVS
steps before the executioner's assist
ant caught him around the waist and
leveled him on the table; the heavily
weighted knife slid down and the
whole affair was over in less than
twenty seconds. Landru never faltered
from the time he appeared in the
door; he gave the guillotine one look
squared his shoulders and walked
elect, uttering not a word.
The crowd, which had been kept at
such a distance that 1t saw nothing Of
the details. uttered no cry, and the
silence was only broken by the bugles
sounding reveille in the nearby bar
racks, and the Angelus bells. The
platoon of cavalry, with sabers barred,
saluted as the mystery man" went
to his death.
No Bitterness shown.
Then the hundred or so newspaper
correspondents and the few officials
who had witnessed the execution left
the scene, while outside the lines of
cavalry the citizens of Versailles and
many from Paris were asking:
'Is it all over?"
There seemed to be more pity than
bitterness. and never a word of in
vective against the man who had just
paid the penalty for a series OF the
foulest murders in the criminal his
fory nf Franco