Extremely sensitive content – 18+ only
This article recounts the execution of Euzebe Vidrine – Louisiana’s first convicted serial killer – on August 8, 1924, along with the context of his crimes, the sensational trial, and his bizarre final request. The content is based on contemporary newspaper accounts and archival sources. We condemn all acts of violence. This article is for educational purposes only, not to glorify or advocate for crime.
Euzebe Vidrine: The Final Moments of a Serial Killer Who Begged to Die
On August 8, 1924, in Ville Platte, Louisiana, a crowd of thousands gathered outside the courthouse grounds . They did not come to protest or to mourn. They came to witness a death – the death of Euzebe Vidrine, 26, a young farmer sentenced to hang for the murder of Robert Leo Wiggins, the son of Evangeline Parish’s former sheriff . This execution was notable not only because Vidrine confessed to five murders but because he himself repeatedly urged authorities to execute him as soon as possible. He wrote a crime diary, posed for a photograph on the gallows, and his final words were not a plea for mercy but a command: “Cut it, Charley, and be my friend.”
1. The Unrelenting Killer: 5 Murders in 3 Years
Euzebe Vidrine was born on July 12, 1898, in Ville Platte, Louisiana . He was known as a gentle, quiet young man with no violent tendencies . However, in his early twenties, depression and drinking awakened a monster within him.
His first victim was Pierre Vidrine (no relation), a 70-year-old farmer. When Vidrine heard that this farmer suspected him of stealing hogs, he hid behind a tree and shot the old man with both barrels of a 12-gauge shotgun as he was plowing his field . He was tried but acquitted due to inconclusive evidence .
Just months later, in December 1921, Vidrine struck again . He hired a driver named Charles Garbo in Lafayette to take him to Kaplan. When the driver got out to put on chains, Vidrine shot him in the back, took his money, and fled . That same night, he hired another driver, an African American man named John Roy in Crowley, to take him to Eunice – he shot and robbed him as well, this time netting only a nickel . A few weeks later in Orange, Texas, he repeated the pattern with driver Lee Duke, stealing 75 cents, a watch, and a pistol .
The culmination of his crime spree was the murder of Robert Leo Wiggins on May 19, 1924. Wiggins, 27, the son of the former sheriff, had given Vidrine a ride. Along the road, Vidrine shot Wiggins, dragged his body to a tree, and attempted to drive away, but the car stalled . Bloodhounds tracked the scent directly to Vidrine’s home, and he quickly confessed .
2. The Last Request: Writing a Diary and Posing on the Gallows
After being sentenced to death, Vidrine made an unusual request: he wanted to live long enough to write a book about his crimes. The Governor of Louisiana granted this request . By candlelight in his cell at Evangeline Parish Jail, Vidrine wrote lengthy confessions, admitting to five murders and blaming alcohol and a lack of religion for his downfall .
He also warned young men: “Stay away from women, firearms, and liquor.” When the book was finished, he repeatedly urged the judge: “I am ready to pay the price. Send the hangman right away.” He said death would “take a load off my mind.”
Vidrine’s final request before his death was to have his photograph taken on the gallows. The image of him walking to the scaffold with the noose already around his neck has become one of the rarest and most haunting crime artifacts of the era .
3. The Execution: “Cut it, Charley, and be my friend”
At around 12:45 p.m. on August 8, 1924, Vidrine was led from his cell to the gallows erected inside a stockade adjacent to the jail . Thousands of spectators stood outside.
He gave a rambling 25-minute speech – concise and strange. He spoke to the crowd about his life and his sins, but showed no fear or remorse. Sheriff Charles Pucheu stood beside him, axe in hand, ready to cut the rope holding the trap door.
When the speech ended, Vidrine turned to the sheriff and said: “Cut it, Charley, and be my friend.” The trap door opened. Euzebe Vidrine fell. He was pronounced dead at 1:21 p.m.
His body was placed in an open coffin inside the jail for the rest of the afternoon, and thousands filed past to see his face one last time .
4. The Final Photograph and Legacy
The photograph of Vidrine on the gallows – his face calm, his eyes staring directly into the camera – became one of the most iconic images of early American capital punishment. Unlike other criminals who tried to hide their fear or display defiance, Vidrine seemed to have found the peace he had sought throughout his criminal life.
He is recorded as Louisiana’s first convicted serial killer and one of the most notable public executions in state history . His book, “Confessions,” was released simultaneously with his execution, and his calm death left the public questioning: Did he kill because of mental illness, because of alcohol, or simply because he felt destined to kill?
Euzebe Vidrine was not America’s most notorious serial killer, but his story is one of the strangest. He did not flee from justice. He did not beg for mercy. He urged the government to end his life quickly and used his final moments to record his crimes, pose for a souvenir photograph, and give the press an unforgettable quote: “Cut it, Charley, and be my friend.” Vidrine’s execution serves as a reminder that the history of American capital punishment includes not only solemn ceremonies but also bizarre, haunting, and deeply human moments – even from a killer.
Primary Sources
RMY Auctions, “Lot #1162: 1924 ‘Public Hanging in Louisiana'”
Vermilion Today, “The Big Four Riddle” (2014)
The Portal to Texas History, “Las Sabinas, October 1979”
The University of Utah, “Mt. Pleasant Pyramid, August 15, 1924 – Slayer Admits Five Murders”
Find a Grave, “Leo Robert Wiggins (1897-1924)”
Crime Solvers Central, “Euzebe Vidrine”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “The Extraordinary Case of Euzebe Vidrine” (1924)
Evangeline Today, “Spectacular murder trial occurred 90 years ago” (2014)