The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-03-17
eUllL0TlME CLAIMS HEAD
OF FRENCH BLueBEARD
Henri landru Pays Penalty Tor Series
ct Foulest Murders In French
Criminal History


versailles.-Henri Desire Landru,
"Bluebeard Of Gambais," convicted Of
the murder Of 10 women and one
youth, gave his life Saturday in ex.
change for II he had taken.
Mysterious until death, Landru re.
sented Father Loiselles' query as to
whether he had any confession to
make.
1T is an insult to man like me-"
was his reply. Had I any confession to
make I would have made it long ago.
But never did he utter the word Gin.
aocent." as he had failed to utter it
during his "a months of Imprisonment
and the q days of his trial.
He refused the sacrament, but con.
eersed a 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 hammers
as workmen erected climbers Of JUS.
tice" by the Pickering light of two
square. old-fashioned candle lanterns.
The guillotine was erected only a
few feet from the main entrance to
the Jail. At 6 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. Moro-Giafferi and NJ. Du.
treuit.
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 the thousands through pub.
lication of his portrait during the
trial, had been trimmed: his head was
shaved and his neck and face were
deathly pale.
The executioner's assistants caught
him around the waist and levelled him
on the table. which was Immediately
upendetl, the heavily weighted knife
slid down and the whole affair was
over In less than 20 seconds. Landru
never faltered from the time he an.
peared In the door; he gave the guill0.
tine one look, squared his shoulders
and walked erect, uttering not word.
The crowd. which had been kept at
such a distance that 1t saw nothing of
the details, uttered no cry, and the 81.
lence was only broken by the bugles
sounding reveille in the nearby bar.
racks, and the Angelus bells.
Then the hundred or more news.
Taper correspondents aud the few Off.
cials who had witnessed the execution
left the scene, while outside the lines
Of cavalry, many persons were asking
twas It all over?"
Henry Desire Landru, the blue.
beard of Gambais," was arrested on
April 4. 1919, on IL counts Of murder
growing out Of the disappearance Of
a boy and 10 women to whom he had
promised marriage. The charmer Of
2SS women of all ages from 20 to 60,
many of them foolish and wealthy
widows, was born in Paris in 1889. He
was mechanical engineer and had
been well educated.
Landru had previously engaged the
attention Of the police through his
swindling operations, for which he was
to prison for a term of four
years. He was married and had two
grown children. He was a dark-vis.
aged man with shining bald head and
long black whiskers. and during the
progress Of his trial for murder, which
began Nov. Z. 1921, before the Yer.
sailles assizes, and ended the follow.
ing November 20, he participated
in his own defense.