The Guillotine part II
Bent_Axel
Here you may find a short description of people related to the
guillotine.
The names are in alphabetic order.
(Bourreau is the french word for executioner).
A Antoinette, Marie
French queen. Guillotined the16th of October 1793. (25 VENDEMIAIRE
Y.2)
More info about Marie Antoinette
B Beaurieux
A doctor who in 1905 made an experiment with the severed head of Henri
Languille. Read his report
Berger, Leon
Assistant executioner and carpenter who in 1870-72 improved and
developed the construction of the guillotine. All guillotines
manufactured after 1872 are based on his design.
Bontemps, Roger
Born September 20th 1936 in Aydoilles. Convicted for the killing of
prison guard Guy Girardot and prison nurse Nicole Comte under the
mutiny at the Clairvaux prison. Executed together with Claude Buffet
on the 28th of November 1972 in the Santé prison, at 4.45 a.m.
Buffet, Claude
Born May 19th 1933 in Reims. Convicted for the killing of prison guard
Guy Girardot and prison nurse Nicole Comte under the mutiny at the
Clairvaux prison. Executed together with Roger Bontemps on the 28th of
November 1972 in the Santé prison, at 4.45 a.m.
C Chevalier, Marcel
(Bourreau) Born on the 28th of February 1921. The last executioner in
France. Succeeded André Obrecht in 1976, and was on duty until
abolition of the death penalty in 1981. He executed 42 people, but
only 2 as chief executioner. They were Jerome Carrein, in Douai, on
the 24th of June 1977, and Hamida Djandoubi, on the 10th of September
1977 in Marseilles.
Corday d'Armont, Charlotte
She was executed on July 17,1793 (28 Messidor Y.1) for the murder of
Jean-Paul Marat. At the execution the assistant executioner François
le Gros, lifted up the served head and slaped the cheek, which
blushed. Le Gros was sentenced to three month of prison for his breach
of scaffold etiquette.
D Danton George J.
Revolutionary leader. Executed April 5th 1794 (16 GERMINAL Y.2)
Deibler, Anatole
(Bourreau) Born on the 29th of November 1863. Son of Louis Deibler,
whom he succeeded on the 2nd of January 1899. He executed 395 people
(18 in Algiers, 78 as his father's "aide", 299 as chief. His last one
was Abdelkader Rakida in Lyon the 24th of January 1939). In february
of 1939 he collapsed with a fatal heart attack in the Métro station
while setting off to execute Pilorges in Rennes.
Deibler, Joseph
(Bourreau) The first Deibler to be working in France. He emigrated
from Germany around 1816.
Deibler, Louis
(Bourreau) Born on the 12th of February 1823. In December 1898 he
abdicated in favour of his son Anatole. Louis Deibler excuted 154
people as chief executioner
Desfourneaux, Jules-Henri
(Bourreau) He was born 17th December, 1877 at Bar - Le - Duc and died
on 1st of October, 1951. Desfourneaux's debut as an aide was in
January 1909. His introduction to the " profession " was by way of his
granduncle, Edouard Mathieu Desfourneaux who had been an aide to
Heidenreich. Another (far) relative Leopold Desfourneaux who was an
aide to Anatole Deibler.
Desfourneaux succeeded Anatole Deibler. In June 1939 he executed
Weidmann. The last one to be executed in public. It was his first
official execution as chief, although he had executed two others
between the death of Deibler in February and this appointment.
E
F Fabricius, Jørn
Born in Denmark on the 14th of November 1950. Has been interested in
the guillotine ever since he heard of it for the first time in 1963.
He has build several models of it. The latest guillotine related thing
he has build is this web-site. ;-)
Fesch, Jacques
Was condemned for the murder of a policeman, and guillotined the 1th
of October 1957. 30 years later a cardinal made a statement about his
innocence, and pleaded President Mitterand to give him his honour
back.
G Gau, Lambert (28 years old) was executed on the 22th of June 1965
for murder on the french island of Martinique.
Gorguloff, Paul, the assassin of President Doumer, was executed by
Anatole Deibler outside the Santé prison on 13th September, 1932.
Guidon
Carpenter who made scaffolds. He was authorised to build the first
guillotine, but his price was much to high, so the order was placed
with Tobias Schmidt.
Guillotin, Joseph-Ignace
J. I. Guillotin was born at Saintes on the 28th of May 1738. He did
not invent the guillotine, though his name got stuck to the machine.
Dr Guillotin proposed the use of a mechanical device carrying out
death penalties. Guillotin died on the 26th of May in 1814, not in the
guillotine, but of a carbuncle in his shoulder. On October the 8th
1795 a warrant for an arrest was issued against Dr Guillotin. (This
warrant is on display at Le musée de la Préfecture de Police in Paris)
H Heindreicht, Jean-François
(Bourreau) He succeeded Charles Andre Ferey in 1849. In 1871 when the
posts of regional executioners were abolished, he became the first
national executioner for all of France. One of his assistants was
Louis Deibler
I
J
K Kershaw, Alister
English author who wrote the book A History of the Guillotine first
published in 1958.
L Landru, Henri-Desiré
A serial killer who was guillotined by Anatole Deibler on 22th of
February in 1922.
Louis, Antoine
Member of Académie Chirurgical. Leading the fist practical steps
towards creation of the guillotine. It was on his description the
first guillotine was build. Antoine Louis was born in Metz 1723, and
he died in Paris in 1792.
Louis, XVI
King of France. Executed on the 21st of January 1793 (2 PLUVIOSE Y.1)
at the place de la Révolution (now place de la Concorde). His
executioner was Charles-Henri Sanson
M Maurice, Philippe
On the 2nd of September 1981, Philippe Maurice granted clemency from
François Mitterand. Maurice would have been the last person to be
guillotined, if the sentence had been executed.
N
O Obrecht, André
(Bourreau) Born on the 9th of August 1899 and died on the 30th of July
1985. He was chosen from more than four hundred applicants when the
post as Bourreau fell vacant in 1951. André Obrecht was a nephew of
Anatole Deibler.
P Pelletier, Nicolas-Jacques
The first official victim of the guillotine. He was executed on the
25th of April 1792, on the place de Greve. (now place Hotel de Ville)
Petiot, Marcel
One of the most prolific mass-murderers in French history (27
victims), was executed inside the Santé prison on the 25th of May,
1946. Executed by Henri Desfourneaux. (picture taken after the
execution)
Q
R Ranucci, Christian
Executed on 28/7/1976 at age 22 at the Beaumettes prison in
Marseilles.
Robespierre Maximilien de
Revolutionary leader. Executed on the 28th July 1794 (10 THERMIDOR
Y.2). Robespierre was born in Arras the 6th of May 1758.
Roch, Nicolas
(Bourreau) Grandson of Antoine Roch. In 1843 he replaced François
Desmorets as executioner at Lons-le-Saulnier. In 1853, he was promoted
to executioner at Amiens in succession to Henri Ganier. In 1872, by
then occupying the post of executioner at Paris itself, his five
assistants included MM. Berger, Ganier and Desfourneaux. Died in 1879.
S Sanson, Charles-Henri
Executioner in Paris during the revolution. Executed the King Louis
XVI. He executed a total of 2918 people.
Sanson, Henry
Son of Charles-Henri Sanson. Succeeded his father at the end of the
18th century.
Schmidt, Tobias
German hapsicord-builder who was involved in building the first
guillotine.
T Troppmann, Jean Baptiste
He killed a whole family (father, a pregnant mother and six children,
from 17 to 2 years old) in 1869. Nobody knows why. He was executed on
the 19th of January 1870 in Paris. He was 20. During the execution, he
managed to bite the fingers of Nicolas Roch.
U
V
W Weidmann, Eugene
Convicted for six murders. He was the last person to be guillotined in
public in France. On the 17th of June 1939 at 4:32 he was executed
outside the prison Saint Pierre rue Georges Clémenceau 5 in
Versailles. The building is still there, but it is not a prison
anymore, but the Palais de Justice.
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