Database: Louis-Dominique Cartouche

Born near the Temple in Paris, the man who came to be known only as Cartouche robbed carriages on the roads and mansions in the city. And yet, despite his brigandage, chicanery and non-stop misdeeds, Cartouche became popular with the Parisian populace: he was known to target the rich in what was otherwise a bleak period marked by economic crises and meager means of subsistence. There were a number of songs in praise of Cartouche. Betrayed by a henchman, he was locked away in the Grand Châtelet before being broken on the wheel on November 28, 1721, at the place de Grève in front of a large crowd eager to see the robber who had for so long defied the police and, indirectly, the monarchy.*
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* Missed out the bit about his years with the Brotherhood. Ah, the craft cozener. "Broken on the wheel?" There's a story in that.
Category:Database: People
Category:Helix database entries