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It was ten past six in the morning of a cold and clear day: February 25, 1922, a century ago. Henri Désiré Landru crossed the courtyard of the Versailles prison, listened unblinkingly to the priest’s blessings, and placed his head under the guillotine. He was 52 years old. Those who attended the execution say that he remained unperturbed until the end. Landru, the French Blue Beard, never acknowledged the prosecutor’s accusation of having murdered ten women, whose bodies were never found. He ironized in the 23 days that the trial lasted about the lack of evidence and the impossibility of proving his guilt. At the last moment, before leaving the cell, his lawyer Vincent de Moro … See More