The history of the last public guillotining in France

• The history of the last public guillotining in France

Born in Germany in 1908 by Eugen Weidmann started stealing from a young age and, even as adults, did not give up their criminal habits.

Serving five years in prison for robbery, he met future partners in crime zillion Roger and Jean Blanc. After the liberation of the three started working together, kidnapping and robbing tourists around Paris.

June 17, 1938. Eugen Weidmann shows police a cave in the forest of Fontainebleau in France, where he killed a nurse Janine Keller.

They robbed and killed a young dancer from New York, chauffeur, nurse, theater producer, the anti-Nazi activist and a real estate agent.

December 21, 1937. Weidman led away in handcuffs after being arrested by the police.

Employees of the National Security Bureau in the end came out on the trail Weidman. One day, after returning home, he found the door of the two police officers waiting for him. Weidman shot at officers with a pistol, wounding them, but it still managed to knock down the criminal on the ground and disarm him with a hammer, lying at the entrance.

March 24, 1939.

in March 1939. Weidman during the trial.

in March 1939.

March 1939. Installation of special telephone lines for ships.

As a result, the sensational trial and Weidman zillion had been sentenced to death, and Blanc - to 20 months in prison. June 16, 1939, French President Albert Lebrun rejected the petition for clemency Weidman and replaced zillion death sentence to life imprisonment.

in June 1939. Weidman on the court.

Morning of June 17, 1939 Weidman met on the square near the prison of Saint-Pierre in Versailles, where he was waiting for the guillotine and whistling crowd.

June 17, 1939. A crowd gathers around a guillotine waiting Weidman execution outside the prison Saint-Pierre.

Among those who want to see the execution of the audience was future famous British actor Christopher Lee, who at the time was 17 years old.

June 17, 1939. On the way to the guillotine Weidman passes the box, which will be transported his body.

Weidman placed in a guillotine, and the chief executioner of France Jules Henri Defourny immediately lowered the blade.

June 17, 1939. Weidman guillotine in a second before the blade falls.

Present at the execution of the crowd behaved very effusively and noisily, many of the spectators broke through the cordon to wet handkerchiefs in the blood Weidman as souvenirs. The scene was so horrible that the French President Albert Lebrun completely banned public executions, arguing instead that they contribute to the deterrence awakening base instincts of people.

Guillotine, originally invented as a quick and relatively humane method of killing, continued to be used in non-public executions until 1977, when Marseille closed doors executed death sentence Hamida Djandoubi. The death penalty was abolished in France in 1981.