The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-30 00:00:00

The following particulars, the substance of which is
derived from a letter written by Lord Muncaster, have
been published:—

'• On Saturday, the 9th of April, Lord Muncaster, who,
with Lady Yluncaster and a friend, Mr. Frederick Vyner. a
younger brother of Lady de Grey and Ripon, woo travelling
in the East, applied, through the 15ritish Legation at Athens,
for information as to the safety of visiting the plains of
Marathon, and if an escort was necessary and could be fur-
nished to enable them to 110 so.
" The reply was to the effect that the road was sate; that
there were no brigands in Attica. but that an escort would
lie provide& Accordingly, on Monday, the 11th of Am 11,
at 010 a.m.. the patty. consisting of Lord and Lady Mist-
canter, Mr Frederick Vyner, Mr. Herbert, one of the Secre-
taries to Her Majesty's Legation, Count de Boyl, Secretary
to the Italian Legation, and Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd, with their
y. ung child, five years of age, left Athens in two c irrieges
under the escort a four mounted gendarmes for Marathon,
accompanied by a Suliote named A,exandros, the most ex-
perienced and intelligent dragoman in Greece.
'On traversing the plain, they found a small detachment
of six infantry soldier,. and afterwards a larger one of 25,
apparently patrolling the road. Aft- r exploring the scene of
one of the most interesting events in history, they started to
return to Athens. The detachment of 25 men appears to
have endeavoured to keep company with them, but was
unable to do so, and they again passed the sinaller party
of six men, who succeeded in keeping tolerably close in their
rear

"At 4.30 p.m., entering a thickly-wooded part of the road
near the bridge of Pikerneas, t,o m3unted gendarmes riding
one on either able of the carriages, and two front, a volley
was suddenly tired into them, killing one of the gendarmes,
and m ,rtally wounding another. The road was immediately
tilled with brigands, who forced the occupants out of the car-
riages, using much violence, terikir g. though not severely,
Lady Muncaster. and tearing off her watch and lockets, and
menacing with knives the lives of all They hurried their
captives up the side of Mount Pentelicus, but had scarcely
got 50 yards front the road when the six infantry soldiers
came up and at once commenced firing into the brigands,
who returned ti e tire.
"The soldiers, finding themselves overmatched 'the brigands
being upwards of twenty in number,' happily discontinued
the engagement, which would have been probably fatal to
the cap:ives, who were collected in a body in their midst.
'The brigands then hurried .'eir prisoners up the slope tot
Pentellcus, and after two hours' walking they put the ladies
on the horses of the dismounted gendarmes, and, with one
servant, let them no to Athena
"After the ladies had gone, the five gentlemen and
Alexamlros were compelled to walk with them up and down
wooded ravines, sometimes resting for half an Muir, till
about two am on Tuesday, the 1.2(h of April, when they
stopped in a dry waterm,urse to kill and roast three lambs,
making their captives sit round the tire, and pressing upon
them the insides of the annuals. Weariness and depression
of spirits had deprived them of appetite, even if the food had
been more attractive, and they partook .4 nothing except
some black bread and water, which was all the nourishment
they had for upwards of 48 (T hours.
" Resuming their march they halted again about daybreak,
and all Tuesday lay under some bushes; luckily it was fine,
no they elid not suffer much. During that day they comulted
as to what was to be done, and it was agreed to ask for one
of their number to be allowed to so to Athens to arrange for
payment of the ransom they demanded, and en amnesty.
After several hours' talk between Alexandra. and the captain
of the band, the terms of ransom were settled so far as that
the captain of the brigat.ds reduced the etiorm,us sum
demanded, of .00 ow to the still enormous and extravagant
sum of £25,00. He would not, however, stiffer any further
discussion, but, growing impatient, said emphatically,
intsh quickly The captives then arranged that Lord
Muncaster ski uld he the person to go in and make the
, arrangements necessary for his own and companions' release
—a promise being exacted by the brigands that, falling in his
masion, he was to return, and that the lives of the where
depended on his succeas. I hey promised to let Lord Mac-
caster go that night, but did in .t 1,3 so, as they could get no
guide, and none of the brigands dared to be seen with one
of
.their captive... .

On Tuesday, throughout the night, they walked over
boggy plains, and up and down Mlle, wet through from
heavy rain, In which they lay down for three hours, till six
in the inoming, when they started again, and then stopped
for the day in a ravine, where a shepherd was found and a
small cart obtained in which Lord Muncaster proceeded to
Athens . . .

He, of coons, made immediate arrangements for sending
food and clothing to his unfortunate friends, and for obtain-
ing the money, which was promptly and generously pla,ed
at his disposal by a merchant in Athens. The only difficulty
lay in the transport of so large a sum In gold."

The following account, by Mr. Thomas Cook, of the
earlier circumstances connected with this terrible
tragedy, has been forwarded for publication :
. . .
- - - - - - • •

"Greet brigandage has long been the terror of visitors to
Athens, and has tended very much to deter timid tourists
from entering the country. On the day of our arrival here
Monday, April 11; an exciting and distressing illustration of
this 'reign of terror' was realised. The three next chairs to
that which the writer occupied at the table d'hdte were
turned down for an absent party, who did not arrive to take
possession of them. In the early morning they had gone, in
the company of others, to see the famed battle-fleld of
Marathon. The party consisted of the Lord and Lady
Muncaster, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd and their little daughter, Mr.
Vyner, a travelling friend of his Lordship, Mr. Herbert,
Secretary to the British Legation, and Mr. Boyl, Secretary to
the Italian Legation. One of the chief guides of the city ac-
companied them and an escort of four policemen. We are told
that on the previous night, at the ellnner.table of our hotel,
they laughed and joked about their anticipated excur-
sion, and their exposure to the possibilities of an attack of
brigands. Their jokes were turned into sad realities, and
soon after dinner, on Monday evening, the two ladies, the
little hassle, and two of the policemen, returned to tell the
:story of the capture of the nobleman and gentlemen of the
party, their guide also being detained. It is reported that
as the party were returning from Marathon, throimh a
narrow pass between the hills, the four policemen were tired
at, and two of them received mortal wounds' one of them
dying immediately, and the other lingering till this morning.
A po.e of about thirty heavily-armed brigands rushed from
behind the bushes which lined the sides of the road and
captured the whole of the gentlemen. The ladies were also
required to dismount from their places in the carriages. The
ladies, after enduring the menaces and curious examinations
of the highwaymen, were liberated, and, accompanied by
two of the policemen returned to Athena The police-
men were empowered to offer term. of ransom, on the
double condition of an amnesty and a sem of £1,000,000
drachmas, amounting to about £.32,000 sterling. N o
wonder that this sad event should excite the whole
Populations of city and country as the news spread ; and as
there was danger of exaggeration and mistake, we at once
telegraphed to our London office the names of the party and
the chief facts, adding the assuring words that 'Cook's party
were all safe.' The propriety of this course was soon evident,
as one of our party was told up the linens that the captive.
were of cur number. At the time of writing these notes,
little reliable information can he obtained, but a great
variety of rumours are afloat. This morning {Wednesday) it
is positively gated that it is part of a political movement
for embarrassing and effecting a change ,if Government. But
the haul is considered to best, valuable that the captors will
not reduce their demands, and the grave question is where
the money is to costa from. On receipt of the news, a Iron
of cavalry was despatched and also a number of foot soldiers;
but, with the view of saving the lives of the captives, they
have been recalled, and the matter is one of bandit-diplomacy
—one of the unavoidable humiliations of a weak Govern-
ment.

" Most disastrous is the event regarded by the people of
Athens, as it must have the eftrit if discouraging still fur-
ther the visits of those upon whom they have to rely for
most of their support. Guides are deploring the loss of oc-
cupation ; hotel keepers may well fear the consequences;
fah proprietors and cabmen view the results with the same
feariul apprehension; the complications which it will occa-
sion cause quiety-didposed politicians to tremble ; and the
whole population is moved with fear, with the exception of
those who are suspected of having sympathy with the per-
petrators of the crime. our own party would have been
'over the hills and far away ' hut for this event, but it is
now deemet prudent to keep within the precincts of the
city. Should political ends be aimed at, the plo Is likely to
be widerpread, and there would in all probability be more
than a single and daring hand of 30 brigands. I will wait
and see the result of reported impending negotiations, and
finish them notes at the latest moment before the departure
of the mail.

"Thursday Morning, April 14.
" At the moment that the closing paragraph of the above
was written. yesterday, Lord Muncaster arrived at the hotel,
being brought here in a little waggon, in charge of a peasant
of the mounra.ns, on parole, for the purpose of negotiating
with the tlovernment, and to get supplies of food and cloth-
ing for his Lordship's friends in the brigand camp. The
Minister of War and our Minister, the lion. Mr. Erskine,
hail a conference at the hotel with his Lordship, after which
the noble captive, true to the word and honour of an English-
man, was reported to have nustained the integrity of his
parole mid allowed himnelf to be taken back in the same
Ignominious manner in which he had been brought hither,
in charge or large supplies of food, furnished by our host
It was currently reported that the terms proposed by the
brigands for the liberation of the captives had been raised
from 424000 to £40,000, the amount to be paid in English
gold, and a free pardon assured to the thieves and
murderers. That the last appellation is strictly correct was
affirmed by the funeral of one of the policemen, which we
witnessed inimediately after the reported departure of his
Lordship. Thin eat event drew together an mimosas con-
cellist of spectators of all classes lathe cathedral and at the
grave. About a score of our party being recognised In the
cathedral, we were invited to places close to the chair of
the dating archbishop, and to each of us was prenented
a ratto!e. to he held In accordance with the custom of the
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