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

The Leicestershire Chronicle publishes, in ita issue nf
the Hod of April, the following letter from Mr. J. E.
Hodges to hie brother Mr. George H. Hodges, of
Leicester : .

Athens, April 13.
.1 most now tell you of an event which has occurred
here, %MI which has filled Athens with excitement, It seems
that Lord and Lady Muncaster, Mr. Vyner, Mr. and Mrs.
Lid, d, and daughter (a child of six years old), all of whom
were staying at this hotel, accompanied by the Secretaries of
the English and Italian Legations, left here on Monday
morning for a vidt to Marathon, a few miles from
here. They started In two carriages, accompanied by
well.kuown guide, and a guard of four soldiers. They
took luncheon with them, intending to be back to
dinner. It appea,a they had completed their excursion, and
had got about half-way home again, when they were attacked
by a party of brigands, numbering about thirty. They
stopped tne carriages, shot one of the soldiers dead oil the
spot, and severely wounded another. they then took the
whole party prisoners, except one coachman, who escaped,
and came in here, while we were at dinner, with the news.
Their places at Mine being einpty, there had been some
joking about their having been captured ; we little thinking
such was the dreadful fact. The nun was taken at once to
the lion. Mr. Erskine, our Minister here, to relate the story,
and in a short time a party of soldiers was sent in different
directions in pursuit.
. _ . -

" About half-past loot night Lady Muncaster and Mrs.
Lloyd and child retarded with the two unwonniled soldiers I
continuing the news, and adding that the gentlemen had been
taken to the monntains, and that the brigands demanded a ,
ransom of a million drachmas. It appears none of the party
are injured. although one of the ladies was struck to force
her out of the carriage but they were not even robbed. No
further news was he,trd till I est morning, when, by the
advice of Mr. Erskine, the soldiers were recalled, it being
thought that if the brigands were attacked the lives of their
captives might Le endangered. The troops are now back
again I have just been talking to &gentleman who is travel-
ling with the party, and who has just returned from an
interview with the lion. Mr. ErAllie, and the impression is
—the money will have to be paid, and that very soon, as it
is an easy matter for the brigands to escape into Turkish
territory, where they would be comparatively safe. As you
may imagine, the excitement is intense, and we have had no
further rows till now Wednesday.
"The King, with one of his Ministers. has just arrived, and
has sent for Lord Muticaster to his palace. Ufa a marvellous
thing th it, within two hours of the emits! of Greece, are a
set of scoundrels dictating terms to this Government, as
though they were a puwerful nation, with au accredited
Minister in the form of a brigand, who brings despatches,
coolly waiting an answer!
"1 have entered soniewhat into detail, as from the position
of the captives, It will create considerable sen-ation, and of
course there will he various stories of this affair; but this I
know Is correct as far as events have transpired.
"While I was sitting to-day writing in my room, I heard a
great commotion, and, on going out to learn the cause, found
Lord Munesster had been released on parole, either to send
tile ransom. or to return himself in three hours. You will
lie surprised when I tell you that, after he had had an inter
view with Mr. Erskine and two other gentlemen, a
wretched-looking horse and cart drove to the hotel door,
which was filled with food and clothing for the captives.
as it is said the brigands have none. Lord Muticaster foi-
-1 lowed in a carriage, and has gone hack to the brigands.
'rime result of his interview with Mr. Erskine has not
transpired. The troops, however, are not to be sent in
search—and all this happening in a civilised country—sup-
posed to have a Government. We intended to have gone
to Marathon on Thursday ; but, of course, shall not do so
• now. I have just returned from the funeral of the solder
I who was killed. The Greeks bury their dead with their
I feces exposed, in fact, there is no coffin lid at all. The ser-
vice Was very grand and impressive, and the church crowded.
It was a painful sight to see the relatives, friends, and
comrades kiss the dead man before he was carried out of
church.
" Aprlll4.

'it is the strangest thing that there is a regular corre-
spondence going on between the captives an I their friends in
this hota More food nod clothing is seot for, and Lord
.

uncaster is back here again. A cut-throat looking'scoundrel
is waiting outside his door, having brought him a letter. It
is stated that the brigands have raised their demands, and
also demand a free pardon and if not accepted in three
days, they declare they will cut the throats of their captives
and leave them."

With reference to this melaroh iyevent a correspou
dent writes as follows :

'lt is doe to the memory of the victims of this dreadful
tragedy, Englishmen who have been murdered hi a foreign
coubtry, that the following points should be clearly under-
stood :

----- •
1 lhat the expedition to Marathon was undertaken wirh
the full knowledge and consent of the Greek Government,
nutter the formal protection of an escort, and even, as there
Is reason to believe, with the assurance that such protec-
tion was unnece:sary.
• •• • •

2. That the capture of the whole party oc-urred within a
very few miles of Athens, nod that when it hail so taken
place the means of ransom to the last Lathing were imme-
diately forthcoming, without reference to the Greek Govern-
ment.

3. That the Greek Government were distinctly warned
that any employment of force against the brigands would 10
followed by the massacre of the prisoners, and that they
gave a solemn promise, which was communicated to tha
brigands that they should not be m, lested.
4 That, false to this promise, the Greek Government did
send, or allow to he sent, troops, who surrounded the
brigands, and thus deliberately provoked the massacre.
5 We know that the annesty was a vital point with the
brigands, and would have saved the prisoners. The Greek
Government refused this on apparently frivolous grounds ;
but assumirg that their onjection to it was reasonable, it was
at least a matter for further consideration. By attacking
the brigands, the Greek Government destroyed all chance of
success, and are thus now wholly and solely responsible to
the English people."

The Athens Correspondent of the Levant Herald,
writing on the 12th, gives the following account of the
capture of the party :
Yesterday, about 9 p.m., the bad news reached Athens
that the baud of the Arvaniti and Sperms, composed of
twenty-two brigands, had captured between Marathon
and Pikermi, at five hours' di-tance from the capital, eight
foreigners of distinction,—namely, Lord and Lady Muncaster
and their c'usin who arrived here three days before Mr tier.
bert, Secretary to if. M. legation, Count 1.1.1te, Met secretary
of the Italian legation. Mr Lloyd, an English barrister, with
his wife and a little daughter six years old, together with
the Italian servant of Count Boyle and a dragoman.
The party had left Athens on the niorniog of the hth for
Marathon, and after having visited the historic battle-
field, was returning to the c spital, when, about three
pm, bevies reached a entail stream, they were saluted
by a discharge of firearms from • party of brigands am-
bushed round the spot The shots were first fired
at the gendarmes who escorted the carriages, and with
such effect that one man and his horse were killed and
another wounded by the first volley, two others were at 1
the same time pounced on and captured. The carriages
were also immediately seised, and the reborn then dashed •
out from their cover in two bodies, one of which kept up the
fire against the escort—which was only composed of ten foot
and four mounted soldiers who had closed in round the scene
of the fight, while the second body, sword In hand, seized
the carriages anti made the travellers alight. This latter
party then carried off their prisoners in the direction of Pen-
telicus, while the remainder of the band covered their rear.
The disorganised escort kept up a dropping fire after them,
but soon gave up the purenit—the robbers say the
escort) shouting out that if they persisted they would
murder the whale of the prisoners. After the soldiers
had retired, the brigands being more free In their move-
mentsoilrected their steps towards Peritellens, which
they reached in • couple of hour.. They there released the
two Naos, the tithe girl, the Italian servant, and the two
, gendarmes, after having stripped them of all they possessed.
The liberated prisoners arrived at Athens about eleven
o'clock, in a stare of consternation which may be imagined.
On the way they met eight suspicious looking characters
wearing the fustanella, going in the direction of Pentelicus,
who were probably to form a reinforcement of the band of
brigands. The news of this audacious outrage, perpetrated
almost at the very gates of the capital, spread like lightning,
and threw the whole town into the greatest excitement.
Crowds continued to throng the cafés anti streets until one
in the morning. It seems that the Government were
entirely ignorant of the presence of a band of thirty A ttican
brigands ; and people do not hesitate to accuse the Cabinet,
and %hove all the Minister of War, especially, of culpable
ignorance .d neglect. It is said that the brigands demand
a ransom of £30,000 for their prisoners.
_

Writing on the 13th, another correspondent of the
same paper says :
. . . .

On Monday evening all Athens was thrown into a state
of excitement by a distressing rumour. A mounted gend-
arme was said to have ridden up to the Hotel d'Angleterre
with the news that a party of English touries, who had been
to visit the field of Marathon, had fallen into an ambush on
their return, and been seised and carried off by a band of
brigands. The news, unfortunately, proved too true Lord
and Lady Muncaster, Mr. Fredk. Vyner, Mr. Lloyd, an English
barrister, with his wife and little girl, the lion. Mr. Herbert
secretary of 11.11 M.'s legation, and Count de Boyle, Secre-
tary of the Italian legation, had left Athens on Monday
morning on a pleasure trip to Marathon. The authorities
had given them a guard of four mounted gendarmes
and had sent on an order to the police posts on t e
road to add five men on foot to this escort. All went
well until the return home, when, after having
passed the village of Bikermi—fandliar to men of
science on account of the interesting fossil-remains
discovered there—the party found themselves sud-
denly rolled to a halt by a band of fifteen brigands, who
covered them with their levelled rifles. on the mounted
escort attempting( resistance, a discharge of musketry
brought two of them from their saddles mortally wounded,
and killed the horse of a third. The five gendarmes on foot,
who were some little distance behind, were stopped by
another batch of the bandits apparently told off for that pur-
pose. In this way, these latter, numbering in all twenty-
eight romans, were "masters of the situation." flaying
offered refreshments to their prisoner., and attended to the
immediate wants of the n ouoded, they then released the
ladies and servants, and carried the gentlemen away with
them having first given to one of the liberated party to take
Into Athens a letter in which they fiklithe ransom for their
prisoners at £50,000 sterling.
So matters stand for the moment. Lady Muncaster, and
Mrs. Lloyd and her daughter, have returned to the Hotel
d'Angleterre, anti the two wounded gendarmes have been
taken to the military hospital, where hut little hope is enter-
tained of their recovery. Mr. Erskine, her Majesty's
Minister, has been in constant communication with the
Government and with the police authorities. One of the
first results of his interposition was to put a stop to all
pursuit after the brigands, lest the lives of those whom they
had in their power should be endangered. That point
settled, Mr. Erskine sought to negotiate with regard to the
ransom ; an offer of 7,ooostg. was refused, and the band do
not appear disposed to abate in the least the enormous sum
they first demanded.
lhe public consternation at this event is indescribable.
Every one was aware that brigandage had increased to an
insufferable extent; but an outrage like this, committed
almost at the very gates of the capital, upon the persons
of foreigners of high position, is an act of audacity with-
out a precedent. At the time of the occupation of Greece
by the English and French troops in 1856, a French captain
rue Initially carried off by briganos from the French camp
^et -Yee,' r'-o- • • teo P lint tn, ,I••erk 0. .....en.

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