The Express.
London, England, 1855-08-27 00:00:00

CAPTURE OF BRIGANDS AT SMYRNA.

C7lOll •

BMYRNA, Araysz 16.
Last Sunday morning an unusual sight was pre-
seated at the entrance gate of the large building here,
which serves as polies ace, prison, and Pacha's
hones. A man's head was suspended about seven
feet from the ground, and it soon appeared that it
was the head of Simon, the chief of the gang of
brigands who lately carried off Dr. MCraith to the
mountains, burnt the French model farm, robbed the
mails, and murdered unoffending country people. The
constant influence exerted upon the Pacha by Col.
Storks, our military oommandant (who, by the way,
is about to replace Lord William Paulet at Scutari),
and by the French Consul—oar own sonsal being far
too old and feeble to be active, either fee good or evil
—has had the good effect of keeping up a tolerably
active system of rural polies. The threat pursuit
under Hamid Bey proved a complete failure, so that
it was determined to scatter the forces, to offer re.
wards for the robbers either alive or dead, and to
imprison all persons suspected of harbouring or shel-
tenng them, or supplying them with food or
ammunition. Aooordingly rural police wations
are established about the various roads and
passes, some 200 picked men being employed
on this duty. A reward of 1001. was offered for
Simon or his head, and 201. for any of his baud.
Nearly a hundred people known to have had com-
munications with the robbers were brought in from
different villages. Some were imprisoned, other*
fined, and about fifteen sent to the Baguio at Constan-
tinople. These measures at once made it difficult for
the band to procure food and shelter, and had the
good effect of convincing the poor country people that
they would be protected from the menaces of the rob-
bers. Among those arrested on suspicion were seven
members of former gangs, under Yanni Katergi, who
after his imprisonment had retired from the profes-
sion. The information derived from them proved of
great use to the police.
One of Simon's band, named Kirisko, was taken
with him, and from his statements, it appears that
Simon was fully informed of all the proceedings
against him, and that he had accordingly determined
to leave the country for a time with this Kiriako, and
to go to Greece, or some of the islands, to organise
a band of at least 80 members, which he calculated
would be quite large enough to defy the police. The
two brigands first intended to embark at Smyrna.
They accordingly went to the vineyard of an accom-
plice, about four miles from the town, where Simon
procured a European dress and a donkey, and accom-
panied by the son of the farmer, came into town. He
first went in search of a gardener named Thodori,
who has for some time past kept out of the way of the
polies. Not finding him, he found a brother of Tho-
don's and his own brother, to whom he gave about
1001 in money, his arms, &c. Then finding it would
be unsafe to attempt to get away by sea, he deter-
mined to rejoin Kiddie, and make towards the en-
trance of the bay by land, arranging with his brother
to meet him at a certain rendezvous.

Having returned to the vineyard, he changed his
European costume for his mountain dress, and the
two brigands made for the mountains on the north
side of the bay, armed with a small knife only. On
Saturday morning they were on their way from the
high lands to the coast, near a farm called Ali-
Aga, when two guards hired to defend the farm saw
►nd stopped them. They said they were masons
going to the farm, and, on being asked for the teakere
or passport, said they had none. They were accord-
ingly taken to the nearest station of the rural police,
following the two guards without resistance, where
they were recognised. They were tied with cords
preparatory to brinOng them into Smyrna. Simon
submitted to this with apparent willingness, but on
the road he suddenly threw himself on one of the
guards, and attempted to seize his arms. Another
guard, who was following, immediately shot him. He
was not killed, and begged his captors not to take
him living to Smyrna, but to take in his head. This
they did.
Kiriako was brought in, and und -meat a long exa-
mination before the Pacha and Colonel Storks. He
is a bold determined villain—eon of a mason named
Vapili, in a neighbouring village, a very honest man,
who has long been sadly affected by the conduct of
his son, and gives 'oilstone° to the police. It is not
long since that Kiriako, in revenge, set fire to his
father's house. When Dr. M'Craith was brought to
the police office to identify him, he made no denial.
and the Doctor gave evidence that he was the
man who killed an inoffensive old Turk
in his presence. A Smyrnist, who was
taken with Dr. ht'Craith was also brought up
to identify him. This miserable cowardly creature,
probably afraid of being visited by the vengeance of
others of the band, swore that he never saw the
robber before in his life. " You lie, dog." said
Kiriako ; " I was the first man that took you." He
was placed for some days in the black hole of the
English hospital, where drunken English soldiers are
confined, as the Turkish prison was not thought safe
enough. He was then removed, and many think and
say that "ah accident has happened to him ;" in
other words, that he was tied up in a sack and
drowned at night. Others say he is kept for a publio
example, and will be hanged if the Sultan can be
induced to sign a death warrant, which he very
seldom will.

These arrests most prove " a heavy blow and
great discouragement" to brigandage in Smyrna, but
much still remains to be done. It is said that Yamir
K►tergi has escaped from Constantinople, as I told
you last week, and some pretend to have seen him at
Bondjah, some five miles from hence; others deny it,
and assert that he is still at Constantinople. There
is no means of arriving at the truth. Certain it is
that a second band of robbers, under a certain Luca,
have appeared this week about Bondjah, but it is ex-
pected that they will be obliged to give up for want
of food. Letters were found on Simon from another
bandit chief to the southward, offering to join his
forces; and it is clear that the system is wieldy ex-
tended over Asia Minor. There are accomplices in
this town, who act as bankers, and allow interest for
the money. The police are on the look out for an
Armenian, who is said to have been Simon's banker,
and to hold his share of the 5001. paid for Dr.
M'Craith's ransom. I tell you all this as a specimen
of the state of social affairs in this part of Turkey.