The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-02-25
HENRI LANDRU, BLUEBEARD,
PAYS EXTREME PENALTY ON
CUILLOTINE This MORNING
Scorns Chaplain Who
Asks Him To Confess
Walks Firmly To
Guillotire Maintaining
Wonderful Composure
To End

Versailles, Feb. 25.-(By the Asso-
ciated Press. Henri Desire Landru
"Bluebeard of Gambais," convicted of
the murder of ten women and one
youth, gave his life this morning in
exchange for the eleven he had TAX
en-. The triangular knife of the gull
lotine 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 Landru was making a confession
Mysterious until death, Landru re-
sented Father Loiselle's query as to
whether he had any confession to
make.
at is an insult to a man like me"
was his reply. Had l any confession
to make, would have made it long
ago." but never did he utter the word
finnoeent," as he had failed to utter
during his months of Imprisonment
and the 21 days of his trial.
He refused the sacrament, but con-
versed few moments 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
the execution took place. was plainly
audible in Landru's cell and when he
awoke he heard the sound of hammers
as workmen erected "timbers of JUS
tice" by the Pickering light of two
nlh 70
The guillotine was erected only
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 Ian
dru's two lawyers, NJ. Moro-Giafferi
and M. Dutreuil. Then Landru ap-
peared clad in dark trousers and white
shirt. His beard which was one of
his most striking characteristics and
which had become familiar to thou
sands through publication of his por.
trait during the trial, had been trim
med; his head was shaved, and his
neck and face were deathly pale He
walked exactly five steps before the
executioneer's assistant caught him
around the waist and levelled him on
the table, which was Immediately up.
ended, the heavily weighted knife slid
down, and the whole affair was over
in less than twenty seconds. Landru
never faltered from the time he ap-
peared in the door; he gave the gull
lotine one look. squared his shoulders
and walked erect uttering not a word.
The crowd which had been kept at
such distance that it 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 pla-
toon Of cavalry with sabres de barred
saluted as the Mystery man" went to
his DEATH
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
vestive against the man who had Just
paid the penalty for a series of the
foule3t murders in the criminal his
tory Of France.