Chauffeur (criminal)

A chauffeur (French, "heater upper") was a type of French criminal active from the 18th to the 20th centuries. In gangs, they carried out home invasions on remote, rural dwellings, then tortured the householders into revealing the hiding places of savings or valuables. This was often done by burning victims' feet in the fireplace, which gave rise to their name.

The Chauffeurs de la Drome torture a victim, Le Petit Journal, 15 November 1908

A notable gang was the Chauffeurs de la Drome, who were responsible for eighteen murders between 1905 and 1908.[1]

These attacks continued after the Second World War. Le gang des Romanis was active in Bourgogne and Le Gang d’Albert was active in Picardy until their leaders were separately captured and executed in 1952.[2]

References

Malcolm Anderson (25 August 2011). In Thrall to Political Change: Police and Gendarmerie in France. OUP Oxford. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-969364-1.
Alain BAUER (21 February 2013). Dictionnaire amoureux du Crime. edi8. pp. 104–107. ISBN 978-2-259-22072-9.

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[Anderson2011-1] Malcolm Anderson (25 August 2011). In Thrall to Political Change: Police and Gendarmerie in France. OUP Oxford. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-969364-1.

[BAUER2013-2] Alain BAUER (21 February 2013). Dictionnaire amoureux du Crime. edi8. pp. 104–107. ISBN 978-2-259-22072-9.