LACOMBE THE SPIKY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 78, 3 April 1926, Page 33

LACOMBE THE SPIKY.

AN ANARCHIST MURDERER. MAN WHO DEFIED POUCH. HUMAN HEDCEHOG'S ADVENTD___. A story of an Anarchist murderer, who defied capture by wearing a leather suit studded with steel spikes, 1b told by Mr. H. ABhton Wolfe In a book of reminiscences and adventures In many lands. Mr. Ashton Wolfe came into the public eye aa the Interpreter at the trials of Mme. F-.hmy and of Jeanne Pierre Vaquler. In his book, "The Underworld," he appears in a much mere picturesque role. Writers of sensational fiction hare a lot to learn from the author, for their best efforts have rarely surpassed (his tale of "Lacombe of the Spiked Suit," which forms one of the several lurid chapters. Mr. Ashton Wolfe relates how he became an associate and helper of the late Dr. Bertillon, the famous French criminologist, and the part he played In some sensational crime investigations in Paris. . Apache Murderer. " Lacombe of the Spiked Suit" was an Anarchist apache who seems to have lived by murder and roblbery. Mr. Ashton Wolfe hit his trail when he was called In on a Paris murder mystery to use his special apparatus for photographing flnger-iprints. An American art collector had been strangled, and in the same house a young man was found sitting bolt upright In a chair stabbed to the heart. Thanks to Mr. Ashton Wolfe's photographic records, the police l_e~tl_e_ the murderer as a shoemaker named Lacom.be, who had a small heart tattooed on the back of his right hand. Lacombe was run to earth In a cafe, and was pounced on by deteotives. Mr. Ashton Wolfe, who was with the men of the Surete, tells how the murderer laughed loudly, an_ shouted that no one could take him. "With devilish Ingenuity he had made himself a complete suit of leather, studded from top to bottom with an long steel spikes, fastened on the Inside, points outward. "Valiantly a half-dozen police again threw themselves upon him, but their pluck was In vain. His twists and struggles tore their hands and clothes to shreds. "Of course," admits the author, "he could have been Bhot, but we had received no Instructions to this effect. His spiked had been hidden by a long cape, and everyone had been taken by surprise." Days and nights of search for the fugitive followed, but before the police found him again he had masked himself, Robbed a railway station, Shot the station-master dead, Set fire to the dead man's house with petrol, and Burned the widow to death. Bomb in Each Hand. Next comes the story of Lacombe's second encounter with the police. This is how he greeted the deteotives: " 'Don't come near me,' he shouted. 'I have a bomb in each hand and two more in my pockets. At the first step you take I will throw tnem and blow you and myself to pieces.' ••There was no mistaking his murderous intention. In each hand he held a round, black object; and we could see his pockets bulging with other weapons." Lacombe beat a hasty rebreat, and there was a terrific explosion, which hurled his pursuers to the ground. "(From a distance Lacombe had thrown one of his pombs. Lacombe's next exploit was to murder his sweetheart, "Casque dOr" and he followed this up by killing Mr. Ashton Wolfe's man, Ducret. This so upset Mr. Wolfe that he said to the private detective with whom he was working, "We'll let the police do as they like, and take Lacombe ourselves." This Is how it was done. Mediaeval Chain Mail. "At home I had some very fine mediaeval chain mail, complete with gauntlets. "1 suggested we should put the mall shirts on under our clothes, and put gloves over the steel gauntlets. "Thus protected, we should be able to cope with the Bpiked monster, and resist knife thrusts besides. "On the second night we ran him down in a low haunt. As we came In we heard htm bragging he was Invulnerable. Wasting no time, we walked straight up to Mm. ... ' "Then began a terrible fight; he tried bis best to lacerate us. jerking bis tody to and fro. . . . IFlnally We managed to throw him down, and the handcuffs clicked on his wrists. ... "A. oar quickly drove us to the headquarters, where surprise at our capture held all tbe regular police speechless.