Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-08-30
A BULGARIAN BANDITI.
The Cossacks of the Sultan.

The following interesting story, which
reads like sensational romance, is told
in the Pail Mall Gazette:
| During the Grimean war body Of
Poles, known as The Cossacks of the
Sultan, was attached to the Turkish
contingent. This corps was retained as
part of the Turkish army after the dis
solution Of the contingent, and has re-
Gently been stationed in Bulgaria. where
it has done good service in checking the
depredations of a formidable bandit
named hOushtchou 0glou, who has for
some time acted in connection with the
insurgent agitators on the other side of
the Danube, and is said to have taken a
prominent part in the revolutionary ex-
pedition which lately entered Bulgaria
from the Danubian principalities. An
account of the history and adventures of
this bandit, interspersed with valuable
information on Bulgarian life and char
acter, has been contributed to the Rerue
Contemporaries by Madame Caroline
Suchodoiska, the wife of an officer in the
Cossacks of the Sultan
Many years ago, when KOushtchou
was young man, his personal beauty
and skill in all athletic exercises made
him universal favorite, and the village
girls used all their arts to attract him.
His choice fell on a beautiful maiden
named Mitza, whose parents, poor but
respectable peasants of an adjoining vii
lage, fully approved his suit All went
well for time, and preparations were
made for the betrothal of the young
couple; but unfortunately Koushtehou
was called away to distant district on
business, and Mitza went with her father
to work in field belonging to wealthy
Turkish pasha in the neighborbood.
The pasha, struck with her beauty and
innocence, pursued her with his atten-
tions, and the unfortunate girl was too
dazzled with his brilliant promises to
make much resistance. The pasha'
passion was short-ived, and he soon
abandoned her. Meanwhile Kousht-
chou, having earned sufficient sum to
enable him to marry, returned to his
village and claimed the hand of his be-
trothed Mitza, conscious of her guilt,
but dreading to confess it, made no OBJ
lection to her lovers proposal, and the
ceremony of betrothal, which in Bull
garia is held to be almost as binding as
that of marriage, was performed in the
presence of all the principal people of
the village. But she could not long
conceal her disgrace. The consequences
were terrible. Her father died of shame !
and grief; she became a maniac, and /
still wanders about the hills, an object /
of fear and alteration to the superstitious
peasants, who look upon idiots as sa-
cred and Koushtchou fed to the hills, /
vowing vengeance against the Turks. /
Since then he has led the life of sort /
of Bulgarian Fra Diavolo Accompa-
MED by devoted band of followers, he 4
secured the whole country, killing every
Turk he met, and imposing contribu-
tions on his countrymen to support him
in his lawless pursuits. His popularity
among the women contributed greatly
to the impunity with which he carried
on his depradations. In every village
there was girl who acted as his ac-
compliee, informing him whenever a rich
Turk happened to be passing through,
and warning him against the approach
Of the troops. He soon obtained such
4 reputation among the villagers that
they never thought of resisting his de-
nands for food, clothing or money for
his band, especially as it was known
hat he appropriated considerable pro-
portion of his booty to the maintenance
IF churches, the relief of the poor and
,ther charitable objects. An attempt
was once made by the government to
,apture him through another bandit,
lamed Hussein, who was then confined
n Turkish prison. Aussein was lib
,rated and promised large reward if ]
lie would betray his former chief; but
lie only joined his former companions,
md, being captured second time, was
,urnt alive by the troops. ssy.1 lE
The attempts made last year to stir {
ID an insurrection in Bulgaria were to a
,reat extent carried out with Kousht- ,
hou's cooperation. The Polish Cos /,
acks pursued him for months all over /
he Balkan, and succeeded in breaking
p his band and capturing its principal :
hiefs but they failed to catch Kousht- I
hou himself. On one occasion an old 4
,urkish woman came to them with t
Bulgarian priest, saying that she knew 2
be bandits hiding place, and was in the
abit of bringing him bread and brandy n
very day but when the troops came