Gilles Garnier

<p>1573: Gilles Garnier

In the town of Dole, France, a series of children went missing and were later found torn apart in the woods. During the autumn of 1572 (timeline accounts vary), townspeople were charged with finding the werewolf responsible. In November, a hunting group witnessed a wild animal attack on a child, and someone recognized that the beast had features that resembled the local hermit, <a href="http://werewolves.monstrous.com/gilles_garnier.htm" target="blank">Gilles Garnier</a>. A week later, when another child disappeared, Garnier and his wife were arrested. <a href="http://bmysteriousworld.runboard.com/t116" target="blank">Fifty witnesses</a> testified against Garnier, and he was put on the rack. He confessed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Garnier" target="blank">hunting, killing, and eating children</a> who ventured into the woods, and said he shared the meat with his wife. In January of 1573, Garnier was burned at the stake. Modern speculation is that Garnier was guilty of murder and cannibalism, as he found children easier to catch than wildlife. But the werewolf confession is attributed to either mental illness or torture.1573: Gilles Garnier

In the town of Dole, France, a series of children went missing and were later found torn apart in the woods. During the autumn of 1572 (timeline accounts vary), townspeople were charged with finding the werewolf responsible. In November, a hunting group witnessed a wild animal attack on a child, and someone recognized that the beast had features that resembled the local hermit, <a href="http://werewolves.monstrous.com/gilles_garnier.htm" target="blank">Gilles Garnier</a>. A week later, when another child disappeared, Garnier and his wife were arrested. <a href="http://bmysteriousworld.runboard.com/t116" target="blank">Fifty witnesses</a> testified against Garnier, and he was put on the rack. He confessed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Garnier" target="blank">hunting, killing, and eating children</a> who ventured into the woods, and said he shared the meat with his wife. In January of 1573, Garnier was burned at the stake. Modern speculation is that Garnier was guilty of murder and cannibalism, as he found children easier to catch than wildlife. But the werewolf confession is attributed to either mental illness or torture.</p>