Henri Desire Landru, the Blue Beard of Gambais

Henri Désiré Landru was born on April 12, 1869, in Paris, near the lovely Buttes Charmant. As a child, he seemed destined for a life in the church, but his path took a sharp turn along the way. 

In 1912, at was the start of the Great War, and the men were dying on the battlefield, leaving women behind in Paris in need of new companions. 

Henri used this to his advantage. In 1914, he posted his first ad. “Serious man, with nice income, wishes to marry widow or misunderstood women, between 35 and 45 years old, well in all respects, related situation”

Henri used close to one hundred aliases, placing ads in dozens of papers. With such an enticing ad, the ladies were clamoring to meet this wealthy stranger. 

283 women answered his ad, and we know of 10 victims, but many believe, now examining the police documents, that there were far more.  Henri worked fast; he stacked his days with meetings with the madams, hoping to meet the man of their dreams. Carefully noting every single detail in journals that would come back to haunt him. 

Henri is better known as the Bleu Beard of Gambais

Listen to the full episode and check out ClaudineHemingway.com for more 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Bonjour, bonjour, and welcome to Paris in Blue Blanc Rouge. I am Claudine Hemingway, and today I have another story for you about something that happened here in Paris and in France. And it is also a true crime story. So I know there's a lot of people out there that love a little bit of the true crime, and this one is right up your alley. So it's all about a gentleman named Henri de Deseret Landru, who was born on April 12th, 1869, in Paris near the lovely Boucharmont. As a child, he seemed destined for a life in the church, but his path took a sharp turn along the way. Shortly after his birth, his family, which it would also include an older sister, moved to the Ile de la Cité to the Rue de Coitre Notre-Dame, the street that runs on the north side of the cathedral. Henri attended school on the Isle Saint Louis and was a devout member of the Église Saint Louis en L'Île and even served as a subdeacon in 1888. His parents wanted him to follow the path to the seminary, but he had other ideas. In 1889, Henri began a relationship with his cousin, Marie-Catherine Ramy, who lived on the mean streets of Isle Saint-Louis. The young lady was a laundress like his mother and a common job for ladies at the time. Their first child, Marie Henriette, was born in 1891, around the same time Henri finished his three-year military service. Upon his return, the two were married on October 7, 1893, in the Église Saint-Louis en Lille. Three more children followed, Maurice Alexandre in 1894, Suzanne in 1896, and Charles in 1900. During this time, Henri had over 15 different jobs, everything from contractor to cartographer, but none gave him the money he needed to take care of his growing family. His first scam was obtaining a patent for the Laundrieux with a Renair engine, an oil bicycle. He rented multiple offices and a factory and ran ads offering a special intro price, asking for a third of the money up front. As the orders came in, he took all the money and disappeared. One fake name after another and more scams led to his arrest and three prison sentences between 1904 and 1906. A psychiatrist confirmed that he was, quote, sick mental state, and could sidestep being sent to Guiana in South America, where many prisoners died. Evading the login, he bought a garage and quickly resold it, but he never paid the original owner. As the First World War started, he was sentenced to four more years in prison in absentia. He rarely served any of his terms in evaded capture, outsmarting authorities and changing his name. It was his last sentence that inspired him to take his criminal activity up a notch, and it would also be his undoing. It was the start of the Great War, and the men were dying on the battlefield, leaving women behind in Paris in need of new companions. Henri used this to his advantage. In 1914, he posted his first ad, quote, serious man with nice income, wishes to marry widow or misunderstood woman, between 35 and 45 years old, well in all respects, and related situation. Henri used close to 100 aliases, placing ads in dozens of papers, with such an enticing ad the ladies were clamoring to meet this wealthy stranger. Two hundred and eighty-three women answered these ads, and we know of ten victims, but many believe, now examining the police documents, that there were far more. Henry worked fast. He stacked his days with meetings with these different ladies, hoping to meet the man of their dreams, carefully noting every single detail in journals that would come back to haunt him. From his diary on may nineteenth, nineteen fifteen. ten thirty Cafe Place Saint Georges, Madame H. eleven thirty Metro Landry, Madame Le C fourteen thirty Concorde North, Madame LE. fifteen thirty Tour Saint Jacques, Madame Du. seventeen thirty, Madame Va twenty fifteen Saint Lazare, Madame L. The women needed to be lonely and without a circle of friends or family that may miss them as well as having money. With each meeting he would size them up quickly and decide if they filled the criteria. Short man with a pointy scraggly beard had a way with the ladies, and he could be quite charming when he needed to be. A proposal of marriage quickly came and then a trip to the bank to add Henri to their bank account and also a power of attorney. Relationships worked quickly back then, from first day in the park to engagement in a matter of days. Once Henri got access to their bank accounts and home, he would offer to take them away for the weekend before they return to be married. His first victim, or victims, as it was a package deals, was Jean Couchet and her son. Jeanne was a 39-year-old widow and she worked as a laundress in Paris. The two met by chance in the Jardin de Luxembourg in February of 1914. He first rented a house in La Chausse Pre Gauvernay, near Chantille, north of Paris, but quickly moved to a more remote location in Renaway, northwest of Paris and near the Seine. Renting under an alias and keeping to himself, the neighbors at first thought he was a German spy. In 1917, he moved to Gombay, west of Versailles, and even more remote. The Villa Trick sat alone in the country, which the neighbors were thankful for. Soon after he moved in, the neighbors noticed a very large stove being delivered. The town thought he was rather odd and never saw the same woman with him twice. For weeks there was nothing, and then Landru appeared with a woman on his arm, and for days they would be seen in the garden, then nothing except for a horrid odor coming from the chimney. In the small town of Gombay, years before, Father Thibault lived alone and liked to have endless glasses of wine sitting in front of his large fireplace. One night he had a bit too much, and he passed out and fell into the fire. Father Thibaut burned to death, and the horrific smell spread through the village. The people of Gombay sadly never knew the smell would return, and it just did. Worried his victims could identify Laundru, he cut their bodies up and burned their heads, hands, and feet in the oven and tossed the rest of their bodies in a nearby lake. World War I allowed him to slip through the law as the focus was on the war and police were less than three-quarters as many as normal. Goombay only had one man on their police force. In 1918, Madame Pella sent a letter to the mayor of Goombay, asking about her friend Mademoiselle Anne Colombe, who had been engaged to a Monsieur Dupont and moved with him to Gumbay. There was no record of a DuPont and replied that they didn't know either of them. Months later, another letter arrived, this time from Mademoiselle Lecoste, looking for her sister, Celestine Buisson, who had moved there with Monsieur Fremier. Now the mayor thought this was odd. He didn't know any of these people, so he put the families in touch with each other. They learned that their loved ones had answered an ad in La Journal on March 16th and May 1, 1915. Too many things began to add up and they filed an official complaint with the prosecutor's office of the Seine. Inspector Jules Boulin visited the home L'Emitage that was owned by Monsieur Trick and rented to Monsieur Fremier. Fremier hadn't been seen in weeks, even though neighbors rarely saw him. The first break came when Boulin learned that Fremier's mail had been forwarded to a Paris address, Boulevard Ney in the 18th arrondissement. The address belonged to Celestine Buisson, another victim. On April 8th, 1919, Mademoiselle Le Coste was walking down the Rue de Rivali and noticed Landru and a woman coming out of the Lyon de Fayance table store. Jules Bellin called the police right away, but when they arrived, the store had already been closed. Finding the name of the clerk, they went to the suburbs, woke him up, and asked if he kept any records. Sure enough, Lucien Goulet had purchased two sets of dishes to be delivered to his address at 76 Rue de Roche in the ninth. It was late at night, so Boulin waited on the street for two days with no sight of Henri. In the early hours of april twelfth, nineteen nineteen, Boulin decided to wait on the landing outside his apartment. Just after eight AM, he knocked on the door. Landru yelled through the door and told him to come back as he wasn't dressed, but Boulin wasn't going to take no for an answer. After he persisted, Landru finally let him in. Standing in his pajamas, Boulin and his men interrogated him and the young woman who was with them. Fernanza Gray was distraught at the questions and fainted in the kitchen. The man she knew was lovely, although she did learn later that he tried to poison her twice. It was his fiftieth birthday. During a search for his apartment and storage units, piles of women's clothes, wigs, and even dentures were found. However, the most damaging piece was a locked trunk with business locks and details of his crimes and every piece of paper. At the central police station on the Ile de la Cite, which he was questioned for for 24 hours, he offered no information, including his real name. Day turned into night and still nothing. Back at his apartment, detectives found photos labeled with Olny's name and brought them back to the investigator. When confronted, Landrieu finally admitted that was his real name. A search found eight convictions and an endless list of crimes he was wanted for. On April 14, 1919, Belin charged him with murder. As the investigation began, detectives discovered the link to Gumbay, where they uncovered a pile of remains in the ashes of the fireplace and stove. Combined, it was more than 9,000 pounds of charred debris, of which 3,300 was thought to be human remains, including 47 teeth. In a shed at the far edge of the home, detectives discovered three dogs with a rope around their neck under a pile of papers. They belonged to his last victim, Marie Theria's Marchander. Landru told the authorities he was asked to kill them. It was all very calculated. After he killed them, he would return to Paris to their home and clean it out with the help of his son Maurice, filling two storage units with their furniture, clothes, and anything the unfortunate victim had owned. Landru took exacting notes of everything. He noted each and every piece he sold, the date and how much he was paid, also noting what he bought, saws and coal. All of this would be a slam dunk today, but this was over a hundred years ago and forensic science wasn't quite as advanced. At the time of his arrest, he had two small black notebooks on hand, one hidden in the lining of his coat, documenting the names of all the women he met. He kept every piece of paper in receipt, and the train tickets exposed his entire crime. Court trip with Laundriew always had the same timeline. They would meet, they'd have a few simple dates, and once he realized they had means, he'd propose, visit the bank, then go away for the weekend together to the country home, and they would never return. Laundrieu would buy two tickets in one direction, but only one ticket for his return. As investigations went through box after box, they found the single train ticket over and over. He clearly intended to return to Paris alone, and his excuse was rather flimsy. It was now the spring of 1919, World War I was behind them, and the press had a new tool at their disposal, photography. As soon as the story hit the papers with photos of Landru, more families wondered if that could be the reason of the disappearance of their loved ones. Mademoiselle Friedman contacted the police on April 16, 1919, saying she recognized him and that he dated her sister, whom she hadn't heard from in four years, and this was just the start. Newsstands couldn't stack the issues fast enough, and Lumetin named him Le Barble de Gombay, the bluebeard of Gombay, based on the 17th century story by Charles Perrault. On August 18th, 1920, a year and a half after his arrest, Judge Bolin filed charges. The supporting documents were over 7,000 pages, and the evidence was close to 5,000 pieces. On November 7th, 1921, his trial began at the Assayes Court in Versailles. After two and a half years of daily coverage in the newspaper, it was the place to be. All of society wanted to see, including Maurice Chevalier and Colette, who was dispatched from Lumetin. Colette covered many high-profile murder cases, and another one was coming up soon. Bien sûr, Colette couldn't tell the story like anyone else and always gave a little extra empathy to her subjects and their life. Regarding Landru, she wrote, quote, Did he kill? Then it is while whistling a little tune and wearing an apron for fear of stains. We remained stunned in front of the tranquil and gentle murderer who keeps a diary of his victims and rested, perhaps while at work, with his elbow on the window and feeding the birds some bread. End quote. His popularity and obsession resulted in 800 marriage proposals and close to 5,000 fan and love letters. For 20 days, the trains from Paris to Versailles were filled, and as the trial came to a close, the public hung on every detail. On November 21st, the courthouse was filled for the testimony of Fernand Sagray, his one-time lover, who was a lucky survivor of Landru. She couldn't get through her first day in the stand and returned on the 22nd. She told how they met on the tram one day and he followed her until she acknowledged him. On November 30th, 1921, at 6 40 p.m., the jury was sent to deliberate. At 9 10 p.m., the jury returned with a guilty conviction, although there had never been a body to prove he had killed a single one of these ladies. On February 25th, 1922, Landru was led to his death in front of the courthouse of Versailles. Sentenced to death by guillotine. His lawyer asked him once more if he wanted to confess anything. Landru told him it was a suitcase he was taking with him. Also asked if he wanted a shot of rum and a cigarette, but replied they were bad for your health. At 6 10 AM on February 25th, Anatole Deblar dropped the blade and the life of Landru ended like his victims, without a head. After his family declined burial, he was added to the Death Row Cemetery near the courthouse. Years later, his family moved him to a hidden location. In Hollywood, the Museum of Death displays Landrieu's head, or so they say. Much like the penis of Napoleon, can we really know it's his? Where was his family in all this, you might wonder? His wife slash cousin, Marie Catherine Remy Landrieu, tried at first to plead ignorance, but during the investigation, another side emerged. At first, Landrieu fooled his family into thinking he was a traveling antique salesman. And that was partially true. He did travel and sold all the items he stole from the women he scammed, then killed. Checking back in every few months until their assistance was needed. His son Maurice was arrested when he was found with jewelry that belonged to a few of the victims that his father had gave him. After serving two years in prison, he was released and went back to helping his father clear out the apartments and selling the belongings of the victims. His wife, Marie Catherine, would dress in the missing women's clothes and accompany her husband to the bank, pretending to be the missing women and entering their accounts. His daughters at first pleaded their innocence, but records found that they would rent buildings and homes under other names for their father. Fernand Sagray never really recovered from the trial. She moved to Lebanon to be a teacher, but returned to Paris and sued the director Claude Chabrot for his depiction in his movie about the killer. On January 21st, 1968, the anniversary of the day she met Landru, she killed herself by jumping into the moat of the Chateau de Flare. The bluebeard of Gombay continues to inspire. Charlie Chaplin made Monsieur Verdeaux in 1947, and countless movies and documentaries come out every other year. As for the oven that was the scene of so much horror brought into trial in November 1921, it was auctioned off not long after. On January 23rd, 1932, the director of the Musée Gravin, the Paris Wax Museum, was a winning bitter with 4,200 francs. They also had the bathtub and still do that Morat was killed in. Later was sold to Laurent Roquier, who wrote a play inspired by the story in 2005, and the location now is unknown. And on a more touching note, the French doctor who was called to inspect the pile of ashes later buried a box of bones and remains silently under a weeping willow tree in the Jardin de Plants. I always find this tree when I visit the garden and take a little moment in a little prayer for those victims of the bluebeard of Gombay. The house of horrors in Gombay is still there. The Villa Trick was sold and became a restaurant for a few decades, and it's now a private residence. I'm not sure I would want any food from that kitchen or to live there, but maybe they got a good deal. Neighbors say people are always stopping to look around and talk about the property with so many of the horrific acts that occurred. Recently in 2018, RF1 and the team of investigators believe from looking through all the documents that there may have been far more victims. Of the 283 names in his journals, 72 of the women were never looked into. A few more victims could have died at his hands, but we may never know. Of his victims, in February 1915, was Jean Couchet, she was 39 and was missing in Vernoy. That same year, Andre Couchet was her son, was 17 and disappeared at the same time. June 26, 1915, Therese Labrador Lynne, born on August 12, 1868 in Argentina, also went missing in Vernoy. Again, August 3rd, 1915, Marie Angélie Goulin, born april fifteenth, eighteen sixty three in Bella Ville. December eighth, nineteen fifteen, Bert Anne Ayon, fifty five, born in La Harve, missing in Gambay. December twenty seventh, nineteen sixteen, Anne Colomb, forty four, was a widow in Gambay. April twelfth, nineteen seventeen, Andre Anne Babali, nineteen. September first, nineteen seventeen, Celestine Buisson, also Gambay. November twenty sixth, nineteen seventeen, Louise Josephine Jomay thirty eight. April fifth, nineteen eighteen, Anne Marie Pascal, born on november fifth, eighteen eighty. January thirteenth, nineteen nineteen, Marie Therese Machandier, born on october twenty seventh, eighteen eighty one in Bordeaux. She was a former prostitute and owner of a house on Route Saint Jacques in Paris. She was known as the beautiful Matisse, thirty-seven, disappeared in Gombay, along with her three dogs. It's quite the story. And I honestly think of this every time I walk through the Jardin of Luxembourg. And when I give tours to people in the garden, I always mention a little story about Henri Deseret Landru. But check out my website, ClaudienHemingway.com, where I have some pictures of the bluebeard. And if you don't know the real story of the Charles Perrault bluebeard story, go and check that out. I remember learning it from my French teacher where she taught it to me in French. So it's a it's a very it's a very uh apt comparison for the two. So thank you so much for listening, and I hope you are all having a wonderful September. And I will be back next week with another new episode.