Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris (52 page)

  1
“At the death of my sister”
Henriette Bourdon,
Audition
, March 21, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

  2
the layers of rumor
See, for instance,
Le Matin
, March 18–19, 1944; APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

  3
Even his favorite
René Nézondet,
Petiot “le Possédé”
(Paris: Express, 1950), 12–14.

  4
One former classmate
Jean Delanove to Alain Decaux, December 2, 1975, Alain Decaux,
C’était le xxe siècle: la guerre absolue 1940–1945
(Paris: Perrin, 1998), 263.

  5
“intelligent, but not enjoying” Dossier de réforme
, July 7, 1920, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

  6
“incapable of [making]”
Ibid.

  7
Young Petiot seemed
Jean-François Dominique,
L’affaire Petiot: médecin, marron, gestapiste, guillotiné pour au moins vingt-sept assassinats
(Paris: Éditions Ramsay, 1980), 17–27.

  8
On January 11, 1916
Ministry of Pensions Report, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

  9
A hand grenade
Etat Général des Services et Campagnes, 91 ème régiment d’infanterie, Report on Petiot (1097), APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

10
“mental disequilibrium, neurasthenia” Extrait du registre du contrôle de psychiatrie de la Vo Région
(February 26, 1918–March 29, 1918), Report, October 15, 1936, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

11
“Here, what is” … “it is the law”
Communication of “Lucien B,” January 13, 1976, Decaux
C’était le xxi siècle
, 263–265.

12
“mental imbalance, along with sleepwalking”
8 ème Corps d’Armée, 15 ème Division, 30 ° Brigade, Place de Dijon, Committee Report on Petiot, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

13
Petiot was discharged
Dossier No 363831 in police report, March 15, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

14
“continuous surveillance”
Ministry of Pensions Report, April 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

15
“delicate and nervous” … “very intelligent and understands” Dossier de réforme
(July 7, 1920), APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

16
The first two years … He completed his third
Faculty of Medicine, January 9, 1945, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

17
His thesis
This was entitled
Contribution à l’étude de la paralysie ascendante aiguë
.

18
a legitimate degree-holder
Faculty of Medicine, January 9, 1945, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° V.

19
“very banal”
Dominique,
L’affaire Petiot
, 34.

20
“Dr. Petiot is young”
Prospectus for Petiot’s medical practice, APP, Série EA, carton n° 181.

21
One recurring rumor
Marcel Jullian,
Le mystère Petiot
(Paris: Edition No. 1, 1980), 61.

22
Madame Husson
Dominique
L’affaire Petiot
, 42.

23
“Horse cures!”
Nézondet,
Petiot “le Possédé,”
27.

24
“that could kill an adult”
AN 334 AP65, 3310.

25
“It was a veritable” … “I think I will”
Nézondet,
Petiot “le Possédé,”
32, 7, 18, 34–35; Tomlins,
Die in Paris
, 156.

26
the approximate equivalent
Thomas Maeder,
The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot
(Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980), 134.

27
“That’s nothing”
Dominique
L’affaire Petiot
, 57.

  1
“the charred remains” Paris-Midi
, March 12, 1944.

  2
a sickening sweet … “it smelled just like”
Jean-François Dominique,
L’affaire Petiot: médecin, marron, gestapiste, guillotiné pour au moins vingt-sept assassinats
(Paris: Éditions Ramsay, 1980), 10.

  3
“a pile of skulls”
René Piédelièvre,
Souvenirs d’un médecin légiste
(Paris: Flammarion, 1966), 73.

  4
“respectable people”
Massui,
Le cas du Dr Petiot
(Brussels: E.D.C.1944), 11.

  5
“it was impossible to tell”
Marie Lombre, Report, June 3, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

  6
“cries for help”
Victor Avenelle in report, March 17, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° II, and elaborated in his
Audition
, May 30, 1944, in carton n° III. See also
Paris-Soir
, March 28, 1944.

  7
Others claimed to hear
APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° II; Several biographers also cite the testimony of another Petiot family living on rue Le Sueur. There was none in 1944. But eighty-two-year-old Amais Petiot had lived on the fourth floor of No. 18 until 1942, and her husband Eugène until his death in 1935. The second oldest of their four children was also named Marcel Petiot.

  8
smaller pile of lime … brown suitcase Objets saisis rue Le Sueur
, 13/3 PV No. 4, March 14, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

  9
a cart
Report, March 13, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III. The cart, lime, gas mask, needle, bust, the jars, and other items here were sealed as evidence by March 15, as outlined in Charles Deforeit’s report, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

10
a black satin dress
Report,
Objets saisis
, March 14, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

11
old-fashioned woman’s hat
As police learned, the former owner of 21 rue Le Sueur, Princess Colloredo-Mansfeld, had purchased it for a friend, Georgette Mazeaublanc, who lived in the house between 1932 and 1939. This woman left the hat there when she moved out. Report, March 28, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° II.

12
twenty-two toothbrushes
Georges Massu,
L’enquête Petiot: La plus grande affaire criminelle du siècle
(Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1959), 198–199.

13
specimens of human genitals
Report, March 15, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

14
“Order from German”
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 234; Maeder,
The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1980), 10.

15
then a twenty-four-year-old
Inspector Hernis, in his investigations, later discovered her age. Note, March 22, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° II.

16
René Nézondet remembered
René Nézondet,
Petiot “le possédé”
(Paris: Express, 1950), 34–35.

17
“If she returns”
Frédérique Cesaire,
L’Affaire Petiot: Grands procès de l’histoire
(Paris: Éditions De Vecchi S.A., 1999), 14.

18
Petiot was seen loading
Nézondet,
Petiot “le Possédé,”
38.

19
“A murder is”
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 13.

20
Massu was a native
Massu “Biographie,” APP, KA 108, n° 93298.

21
In January 1908
Massu personnel record, APP, KA 108, n° 93298.

22
“Motor Car Bandits”
Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler,
The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009), 208–248. See also Richard Parry,
The Bonnot Gang
(London: Rebel Press, 1987).

23
“good training”
Georges Massu,
Aveux Quai des Orfèvres. Souvenirs du Commissaire Massu
(Paris: La Tour Pointue, undated/1951), 11. The methods used at the time are described by a former chief of police judiciaire, Commissaire Guillaume, in
Trente-sept ans avec la pègre
(Paris: Editions de France, 1938), 44–48, 202–205.

24
“without raising the voice”
Massu,
Aveux Quai des Orfèvres
, 13–14, 244.

25
The massive, unruly
Janet Flanner,
Paris Was Yesterday 1925–1939
(New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972), 216–217;
Life
, July 10, 1939. George Sand’s granddaughter testified at the trial, for the defense.

26
“about forty years old” … “considered dangerous”
Arrest notice, March 13, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

27
“The steps of an investigation” … “an idiot”
Massu,
Aveux Quai des Orfèvres
, 8.

28
about nine thirty
Alice Denis,
Audition
, March 12, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° II.

29
“Yesterday evening”
Raymonde Denis,
Audition
, March 12, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° II.

30
a veritable prewar café
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 226.

31
504 vials Réquisitoire définitif
, December 31, 1945, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° VII, and for the conclusion of a large amount far surpassing the average, AN 334 AP 65, 3361.

32
“diabolical and grimacing”
Report, March 16, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

  1
no fewer than ninety-five
AN 334, AP 65, 3313 and 3422. This part of Petiot’s practice was already being reported by
Le Matin
, March 14, 1944.

  2
Massu now learned
Georges Massu,
L’enquête Petiot: La plus grande affaire criminelle du siècle
(Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1959), 45–46.

  3
In early 1942
André Larue discusses some of the drug seizures at this time in
Les Flics
(Paris: Fayard, 1969), 213, and another view is in Gérard de Villiers,
La brigade mondaine: Dossiers secrets révélés par Maurice Vincent, Officier de police principal honoraire
(Paris: Presses de la Cité, 1972).

  4
Jean-Marc Van Bever
APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I, particularly folder 13.

  5
the most exposed
See, for instance, Lucien Zimmer,
Un Septennat policier: Dessous et secrets de la police républicaine
(Paris: Fayard, 1967), 143–154.

  6
Petiot had written
AN 334 AP 65, 4168.

  7
“go out and steal” … “only known cure”
John V. Grombach,
The Great Liquidator
(New York: Zebra Books, 1980), 141.

  8
He had, however, become
AN 334 AP 65, 4171.

  9
“Perhaps Jeannette had”
Thomas Maeder,
The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot
(Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980), 23.

10
In November 1941
AN 334 AP 65, 4182–4183.

11
“It is no longer necessary” … a fine
Grombach,
The Great Liquidator
, 144.

12
“14 vials of heroin”
AN 334, AP 65, 4193–4194.

13
It was hardly his fault
AN 334, AP 65, 4192–4193. Both Baudet and Desrouet would later blame each other.

14
According to the police report
Fernand Lavie,
Audition
, March 14, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° III.

15
Petiot offered to make
Ibid.

16
“Do not trouble yourself”
Claude Bertin,
Les assassins hors-série: Gilles de Rais, Petiot
, vol. 10 of
Les grands procès de l’histoire de France
(Paris: Éditions de Saint-Clair, 1967), 165.

17
Khaït also recalled
AN 334, AP 65, 4201.

18
The maid, who received the letters
AN 334, AP 65, 4206.

19
“You wretch!” Le Matin
, March 14, 1944, and Petiot’s reply, Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 51.

20
“Rest assured”
Marcel Jullian,
Le Mystère Petiot
(Paris: Edition No. 1, 1980), 142; Georges Massu reports the incident with slightly different words in
L’enquête Petiot
, 52.

  1
“The New Landru” Le Petit Parisien
, March 13, 1944.

  2
“burned alive” L’Oeuvre
, March 13, 1944.

  3
“demonic, erotic” Le Matin
, March 14, 1944.

  4
double life
The question of a double life was also posed in French papers, for instance
Le Petit Parisien
, March 16, 1944.

  5
“shady ladies” … “twisted corpse”
Associated Press, May 28, 1944.

  6
spotlights
The United Press, in turn, broadcast the report in various newspapers, for instance,
Milwaukee Journal
, March 15, 1944. The claim had already been reported by
Le Matin
, March 14, 1944.

  7
“You have often heard”
Georges Massu,
Aveux Quai des Orfèvres. Souvenirs du Commissaire Massu
(Paris: La Tour Pointue, undated/1951), 242–243.

  8
“catastrophic”
Ibid.

  9
many bodies, but no signs
Jacques Perry and Jane Chabert,
L’affaire Petiot
(Paris: Gallimard, 1957), 20.

10
“I should have been”
Albert Massui,
Le cas du Dr Petiot
(Brussels: E.D.C., 1944), 35.

11
“A shiver ran down” … “His black eyes”
Associated Press, May 4, 1944.

12
“horrible and icy”
Georges Massu,
L’enquête Petiot: La plus grande affaire criminelle du siècle
(Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1959), 184.

13
having trouble sleeping
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 83.

14
“Boss” … “It’s almost certain”
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 86. Rumors of Petiot’s drug habit were soon circulated further,
Le Petit Parisien
, March 15, 1944.

15
“did not want to provide”
Report, March 14, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

16
“very bad reputation”
Ibid.

17
On March 11, 1930
Report, March 14, 1944, APP, Série J, affaire Petiot, carton n° I.

18
“Furiously, he pressed”
Seguin’s testimony appears in Jean-François Dominique,
L’affaire Petiot: médecin, marron, gestapiste, guillotiné pour au moins vingt-sept assassinats
(Paris: Éditions Ramsay, 1980), 51. Petiot’s fingerprints are found in folder 42 of APP, Série J, carton n° I.

19
Speculations rose Paris-Soir
, March 20, 1943, and more fully in
Paris-Soir
, March 21, 1943.

20
“by accident”
Jean-Marc Varaut,
L’abominable Dr. Petiot
(Paris: Balland 1974), 51.

21
“anthropometric” techniques
Marcel Le Clère,
Histoire de la police
(Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1947), 105–107; Colin Beavan,
Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case That Launched Forensic Science
(New York: Hyperion 2001), 76–93.

22
five million measurements
Claude Cancès with Dominique Cellura, Alissia Grifat, and Franck Hériot,
Histoire du 36, quai des Orfèvres
(Paris: 2010), 53.

23
“enthusiastic admiration”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Naval Treaty,” in Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler,
The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009), 153.

24
“A right foot”
Dr. Paul’s testimony in F.A. Mackenzie,
Landru
(London: Geoffrey Bles, 1928), 201. This book was reissued in 1995 in
The Notable Trials Library
of Gryphon Editions with an introduction by Alan M. Dershowitz.

25
“the doctor of” … “thigh bones, craniums, shinbones”
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 78–79.

26
Massu and Paul
Massu,
Aveux Quai des Orfèvres
, 212; Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 80.

27
In most cases Premier Rapport préliminaire et succinct
, APP, carton n° VII.

28
“three garbage cans” Le Petit Parisien
, March 15, 1944.

29
“It’s not an autopsy”
Massu,
L’enquête Petiot
, 79.