Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1839-03-23
MISCELLANEOUS.
From The Memoirs Of M. Berger.
THE BRlGANDS OF ORGERES.


THE BRlGANDS OF ORGERES.
BY the way of diversion in our debates be-
fore the civil tribunal, we had at Charities the
extraordinary spectacle of criminal process
which was entered up against the band OF
Chaaffeurs, known by the name of the Bri-
gands Of Ofgeres, and who were at the bar to
the number of hundred and ten or twelve.
An entire church In the centre Of the town had
been purposely prepared with compartments
to place them in the presence of the jury. Ev-
cry morning they were taken from che prison
and marched in column to the audience, under
an escort of gendarmie, having at their head
q large red headed man, whose face alone re-
vealed the perfection of villainy; he was the
avowed chief ofthc band. 1t had been neces
sary to release him from the gulies at Brest to
confront him with his accused comrades,
But above all with the witnesses and the
numerous victims of their crimes who still
survived.
The history of these brigands ofthe long
duration oftheir crimes and atrocities, that al
SO otther arrest, had something in it of incre-
dibjlity, for the epoch at which modern civil
zation had arrived.
There exists, ten or twelve leagues from
.Chartrte, towards La Vendomeis, a vast sfor-
est, called the forest Of Orgeres. In the most
remote and the thickest part Of this forest vast
caves had anciently been opened, whence
stones had been extracted to contribute to the
construction of the magnificent Cathedral of
Chartres. In the lapse of years malefactors
had taken refuge in these caves, and had found
ed species of subterranean colony, which re-
peopled itself. This colony had mode ofgo
vernment, police, rules, and regulations,
adapted to the dreadful kind of profession
which it had embraced This was theft given
IN charge 20 the initiated, with orders to pros
ecule it, in case of necessity, with open vo-
lence, with tortures-nay, with murder if need
were.
These brigands of Orgeres had even afar
OIL in the province, emissaries, who traversed
them to observe those dwellings which, from
their isolated situations were more easy to sur
prise or to surround. and specified them to the
chief of the troop who, like the old De la Mon
tague, from the depths of his retreat, delega-
ted on the spot the men who we're to proceed
to the execution.
Those wrstches introduced themselves most
frequently in the night, under tne most inside
GUS pretences, into the habitations pointed out,
which they mastered by enchanting the culti-
vators and the male servants. With respect to
the women, they terrified them by the most
frightfI threats! if they resisted they were
bound, great fire was lighted. ITO the heat of
which they were exposed by the soles of their
feet, until the violence of the pain had wrung
from chem an avowal of what they or their
possessed, or until they had pointed
out tn, place where money or vauables were
The repetition in many places ofthese fright
ul tortures had procured for the bandittl who
them the name of Chauffeurs thea
Lers.) Tney had spread alarm every where.
Many of them had been taken by the police
for theft committed with efffactlon; many had
been committed to the galeys; but as yet
none had been convicted of the crime Of heat
ng Still less had justice succeeded in disco
1ering the central cavern, where all the stolen
lrticles were concealed to be afterwards sold
!, the neighhorIng markets Of Orgeres at
which their identity was not to be recogni-
.ed.
Chance at length unravelled the long impen-
trable mystery these miscreants, two gen
armes We're one day riding along the forest
fOrgeres, when one had alighted and enter
d the copse esped child about ten years old
those dress was old enough to excite bis Curl
sty;h beckoned him to him in friendly man.
or; the boy, who was suffering from hunger,
pproached and asked for bread. The gend-
rme offered him good breakfast If he would
,llow him; the boy ysuffered himself to be led
way, and mounting behind The gendarme was /
onducted to the nearest inn.-- There the two 4
endarmes, true to their word, paid him a (
lmptuous meal. 4
Whilst the boy was feeding with great glee, /
le gendarnes watched him; they observed he
,cketed whatever suited him, and that with
1t concealment, as ifthe act Of taking every
ing was matter Of course. Thus silver /
rk, a cork screw, and knife had most OPEN
found their way under the skirt Of their
'uthinl guest. Upon asking him why he 7
us done so, his ingenious reply was that the Z
ticies pleased him; be gave no other motive, b
i'd suspected not that any other could be ask
|, or that there was any harm in providing fos 4
'es-self in that fashion. He had daily seen his I