Whitehorse Star, September 27, 1902

COLD BLOODED KILLERS

A RECORD OF CRIME

FOURNIER CONFESSES TO THE MURDER OF GILBERT DUFOR.

A Dominion Creek Miner -- Dufor was shot by LaBelle and his body thrown into the River -- LaBelle's past career.

The sight of LaBelle a few days ago as he was taken into goal at Dawson acted on Fournier, his partner much the same as a red rag would on an enraged bull, and he declared that, at no matter what consequences to himself, he would help to convict his late partner of the heinous crime with which he stands charged.

The night of LaBelle's arrival Fournier did not sleep, but paced his cell without rest, and in the morning sent for his attorney and told him that he wished to make a confession as to his own share in the deed and also the part taken by LaBelle.

Fournier made a clean breast of the whole affair, and also gave the details of the murder of Gilbert Dufor, a Dominion creek miner, which took place after the commission of the murders at the little island below the mouth of Stewart river on June 23d.

About the first of July LaBelle, under the name of Lavelle, and Fournier, under the name of Gournier, accompanied by Dave LeBlanch, a friend of LaBelle's, left Dawson, ostensibly for the Fortymile country, but instead of stopping there continued down to Eagle City, where LeBlanch, having become suspicious, parted company with them and remained, while they induced Dufor, who they knew had considerable money, and who was on his way to the outside, to go on with them.

The party camped one night on the bank of the river, about 40 miles above Circle City. In the morning they all got up and prepared and ate a hearty breakfast. After the meal was over Dufor picked up a rifle and said he would shoot some birds he saw in a tree close at hand, but LaBelle told Dufor that he had better let Fournier do the shootings as he was an expert shot with a rifle.

Dufor gave the gun up to Fournier who, when he received it, pointed it in the direction of the birds and was preparing to shoot when he heard the sound of a shot and Dufor dropped dead at his side with a bullet through his heart. Immediately on the accomplishment of the deed LaBelle searched the dead man for money and secured $705, of which amount he gave $105 to Fournier and retained the balance.

After tying sacks weighted with stones to the body they threw it into the river, then proceeded on to Circle City, where they learned that officers were stationed at St. Michael waiting for them to make their appearance. From Circle City they doubled back and came up to Dawson on the steamer Susie, working their way as members of the crew under assumed names.

Upon arrival at Dawson Fournier claims LaBelle deserted him and started for the outside without making any further divisions of the spoil.

In the Vancouver World of the 12th inst. appears the following account of the career of Ed LaBelle for the past few years previous to his coming north: "Many remember LaBelle, Dugalle, to give him his proper name, when he was employed as bartender for W.C. Anderson at the Clarence hotel in Victoria.

Others remember when he came there first as valet to his brother M. Dugalle, he taking the name of Pertonelle. Then for a time when his alleged employer left him he worked as a bootblack and afterwards became bartender for Mr. Anderson. During all this time he was carrying on opium smuggling on a large scale, and had command of $50,000 at any time.

He once was behind the bars in Victoria, when a United States marshal, who was in Victoria on a visit, told him that he knew what he was doing and if he ever got him on the other side he would "pinch him." LaBelle's answer was that he would never get him alive.

LaBelle was very steady until he trusted some friends to go under the guise of English tourists to San Francisco on a yacht on which was concealed in many ingenious ways thousands of dollars' worth of opium.

The friends sold both the opium and the yacht and returned him nothing. He then went on a prolonged spree and spent thousands of dollars in Victoria resorts. Then he tried smuggling in a small way and got mixed up with the Canadian opium ring of Portland, who operated partly from Vancouver.

One of the leaders of that ring was a delegate from the Portland Yacht Club to Vancouver at one regatta. He was an Irish-Canadian and came from near Stratford, Ont. Ostensibly he was an attorney in Portland. After that ring was broken up, LaBelle was nabbed by the very man who had told him he would "pinch" him, as he served the drinks over the bar of the Victoria hostelry. He got clear and continued his operations, being mixed up for a time with the notorious Rogers and then went north.

He is a most versatile genius, and as valet, bootblack, bartender or cook in a logging camp he is equally at home.

To go further back into the fantastic history of LaBelle, it was he who in the days of smuggling rings on the St. Clair river, invented the since famous bottomless trunk. It was he also who was held for dynamiting in connection with the proprietor of the St. Clair hotel at Sarnia, Ont., in a fiercely fought prohibition campaign in that town some 15 years ago.

LaBelle shortly after that adventure was arrested and while being taken handcuffed from Fort Gratiot to Detroit, had the daring madness to leap from the fast flying express, breaking an arm in the track, but even with this handicap and bad internal injuries, so completely covering his tracks that the officers, returning almost immediately, failed to capture him.

In those old days, the name of LaBelle in the Detroit and St. Clair rivers country stood for all that was daring in the smuggling game, although as a common criminal he was never classified.

Whitehorse Star

Saturday, January 17, 1903

A GRUESOME INVITATION.

Mr. P.A. Book this morning received the following from Dawson:

SHERIFFS OFFICE

Yukon Terr..

Dawson Y. T., Jan, 10th, 1903.

Admit P.A. Book to witness the execution of Victor Fournier and Edouard LaBelle in the goal yard. Dawson at 7:45 a.m. January 20th, 1903.

R. J. ELLBECK

SHERIFF Yukon Terr.

Mr. Book was of great assistance to Detective Walsh in his long hunt for LaBelle and was one of the most important witnesses for the crown in the trial of the two murderers

Whitehorse Star, January 24, 1903

LABELLE AND FOURNIER

HANGED ON TUESDAY MORNING IN DAWSON JAIL YARD.

The two convicted murderers pay the penalty of their awful deed -- Fournier made confession.

Edouard LaBelle and Victor Fournier, who were convicted of murdering Bouthilette, Constantin and Beaudoin, paid the penalty of their infamous deed on Tuesday last. Efforts had been made to secure a new trial but the Minister of Justice refused the application, consequently the law took its course at 7:45 Tuesday morning.

Both men walked to the scaffold unaided. Fournier maintained his self command to the last. La Belle, on the other hand, was visibly affected although he at no time lost his nerve.

After the reading of the death sentence to the unfortunate men in their cells, the doleful procession was formed and, headed by Sheriff Elibeck, wended its ways to the goal yard where the scaffold had been erected.

In the procession were a number of the officials, the police and a few representatives of the Dawson papers. Both men mounted the scaffold unaided. After the usual formalities had been gone through and before the trap was sprung both men were asked if they had anything to say.

Both admitted to their hearers that they fully deserved the awful punishment which was to be meted out to them. LaBelle spoke at greater length than did Fournier. He advised all who were present to take a lesson from his life, which, he said, had been misspent. The sad ending of his life should be a warning to all to do better. In conclusion he expressed a wish to meet them all in a better world beyond.

The black caps were then donned and the nooses adjusted. Both men repeated the Lord's Prayer after the clergyman. When the words, "Forgive us our sins," were said by the murderers the trap was sprung and the souls of the unfortunate men were hurled into eternity at 7:45 exactly. Thus one of the most deliberate and desperate murders that has ever been committed was expiated by the hanging of Fournier and LaBelle.

Mr. Alexander McFarlane who defended Fournier during the trial, has made public a confession which Fournier recently made to him. Fournier admitted that he had killed Bouthilette but asserted that LaBelle murdered Constantin and Beaudoin.