The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-06-23
GREEK BRIGANDs.


system under which these desperadoes pursue
their calling 1t is taken from Il curious
pamphlet written last, year by a certain An
drew Moskonsco, q cavalry lieutenant in the
Greek army He states that after the fall of
Constantinople, in 1853, and the subiugaton
of Greece by the Turks, bands of patriots,
particularly from among the tribes known as
the Clepita and the Armatoli, joined together
to resist the tyrants and, retreating to the
mountains and fasthods of nature there set
up u code of laws, and formed a small but
independent government in the midst of the
conquered country. Gradually, however,
these heroes dwindled into robbers; and the
warfare against tyranny became a spelling of
the weak Their code of laws, as at present
existing, is a strange mixture of harbarity
and chivalry 1t contains fifteen clause.
which are as follows:
l. All treachery to be punished by cutting
off the eNtremities Of the traitor as IN exam
pie to others.
2. On the second otiense, the traitor to be
killed and exposed.
B. The rich to be captured, and not allowed
to depart till they have paid ransom, and
sworn not to njure the brigands by relation
OF their adventures to the authorities.
A. The captives, it not ransomed to he
strangled
b. Ii the ransom be short of the sum nam
ed, lots to be drawn whether the captiyes
shall go free, having one ear cut oil to show
that the sum was deficient, OF shall be killed.
6. Captiyes once captured must, if recap
tured, pay second time.
T. All soldiers to be killed
s. The bearers of the ransom to be respect
ed, and small money to he given them on
their departure.
9. After the ransom is paid, before the cap
tive is released he is to be kept and enter
tanned some few days, to see what manner of
man he is and before he goes, his beard is
! to be shaved of
10. All robbers plotting with government
to be killed
H. No one to be admitted into the band as
Il member who has not previously committed
Il criminal act.
| II. Should "A captive escape, his keeper is
to be held responsible, and expelled from the
band.
l3 Never to steal the goats and sheep
from the shepherds, but to pay for all taken
IA. TO offer gifts ut any monastery or
hermitage by way Of cNpiation for sin
Is. Not to be cruel to captives to go in
shares in eyerything and never to injule
women.
/ 1t is the shepherds who support the brig
ands, and by whose means they are so we'll
hid from the authorities. The shepherds
supply them with bread, meat and Wine,
serve them as guides in times OF danger, and
ii is their children who are educated to be
brigands, and who reinforce their ranks Iu-
mense precautions are taken by the robbers
against surprises. In the fine weather they
come down from their strongholds among
the rocks and evergreen olives to the more
sheltered country to retire again in the Win
ter. They always travel by night. proceed
ing in file through the open country; never
through the marrow passes, for fear of an
ambushes. The smallest object the tantest
sound, startles them; and down they drop
flat on their stomachs till their confidence IS
renewed. A tree waving in the breeze, OF
the rustic of dead leaves as they walk over
| them shoeless for fear of noise. is often
enough to cause one of these panics. Before
starting on any OF these journeys, they al
ways appoint rendezvous in case Of sepal-
alton. Their scouts go on in front, driving
horses or oxen, and habited a. drovers IN
der their shelter follows the main body, peep
ing constantly beneath the cattle to see if an
enemy is approaching: and behind come the
vanguard, who, ii any thing is amiss, wLi5-
tie like night bird and the hand djspersrs.
1t is said that the crows are the best detecq
tves Of the robbers. When the band are
| III tutl tlplft9. DIV IlO 10
their unclcanly habits, emitSo strong a smell,
that the crows, imagining it to be carrion,
collect in swarms, and hover above them, SO
that the soldiers are often guided to the spot
by seeing the dark cloud in the air
There is regular system OF treating for
the ransom OF the captives. A letter is first
conveyed by the robbers from the captive to
! his friends This generally contains n safe
conduct for the messenger who shall be choe-
en- to go to the robber camp and treat, and u
plan marking out certain places he must stop
at. He travels by night, on Il white horse,
and carries "A small bell, which he rings at
certain convenient and solitary situations,
where he is answered by 4 shrill whistle if
all is we'll Unless the whistle is heard he
must not go on, and the whole plan is so az
ranged that the man himself does not know
where he is going to, so that ii is impossible
for the authorities to discover the brigands'
haunt thereby. AT certain spot the robbers
meet him. and conduct him into the presence
of the chief Then Il regular BARGAINING j.;
commenced The chief names a sum. which
the messenger, if he is a man of determines
ton, and represents well the insufficient
means OF the captive, can often get reduced.
When the bargain is finally struck, the
messenger goes back for the money hy a diff
terent road to that he came bv, and returns
with the same ceremonies and precautions
The ransom is delivered to the cle in pres
ence OF all the band, who light n taper and
examine the coins to see if they are GOOD.
The captive is then brought in, looscd from
has ropes, his beard cut of, and then he is
kissed Ivy each robber on the cheek, while
they all cry out several times, "Kallal p that
IS to say, "Regone, and be of good health. y
Should the robbers he beseged during the
time OF the bargaining both captive and ran
som are destroyed
The robbers great object is to territy the
people into bringing sufficient ransom; there
tore when it is deficient, or the captive is too
poor to pay at all, the most horrible crueltieS
are practiced. There are several such cases
known to have occurred quite lately. One
man, whose ransom was short of the sum
named, was tortured and stripped naked and
slowly burned with u lighted fuse to such an
extent that he can never recover A .bov of
flfteen had his ear cut off from the roots be-
cause hundred drachmi of the ransom was
wanting. But the most terrible account
} was as follows: Three peasants had been
! taken prisoners. Two of them were enabled
; by the sale of their oxen to make up a sum
sll1hcient to content the brigands. The third
was poor man, and could pay nothing. lie
was condemned to death. He fell at tbri,
feet, praying for mercy. The law torbids
!, it," was the answer Lots were drawn as tn