The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-04-01

murdered in the vicinity of Marathon,
the SO called band of Oropos were at
William, the ancient Idyllia, little west
of the route that. passing by Eleusis,
runs between Athens and Thebes. In
the course of single night they had
walked sixty four kilometres over steep
mountains, and halted in good season by
bridge over which the travellers were to
pass. The whole Greek army were in
prrsuit of them after the crime, but in
vain, although they were still on the
same mountains whence they had de-
scanded to commit the murderous as
sault.
The success of the Greek brigands
would be inexplicible to any one who
should Hken Greece to any other noun
tain region of the civilized world. On
the mountains of Greece there are no
roads and no houses. Only eagles, vuI-
lures, brigands, and Greek shepherds
can live and move about on their steep
sides. Hence the chief difficulty with
which the Greek government has to con-
tend. Fear and ambition also contribute
70 render the undertaking more difficult.
Entire villages often side with these out
laws for the sake of self preservation.
The brigands are, indeed, in many in
stances, the real masters of the villages
\ single fact is recorded as an exception
to this rule, which is highly in honor to
the mayor OF Delos. Some ten years
ago he aid his three sons put three brig
ands to death in their house. 1t was on
the fete of ST George, Greece's patron
saint. The brigands thought that they
were the masters OF Delos, and they de-
cided to celebrate the festiyity in the
very house of the mayor. st night,
while they were the prey of bestial intox-
ication, they were taken and shot by their
hosts, and the country was relieved of
the dread which their presence had caus-
ed. The mayor and one of his sons,
however, paid later on with their lives
for the good they had done their cour-
try. The remnants OF the band avenged
the act by capturing father and sons, cut
ting them to pieces, and exposing their
dismembered bodies on the main square
of the city.
Another of the reasons why brigaIdsge
has not, so far, been extirpated from
Greece is that politicians, out of ambi-
tion to secure Office, use tie brigands to
intimidate their opponents. When the
former are elected the immunity of their
brigand aids naturally follows. Prime
ministers and ambassadors, as history
proves, have IN several occasions secured
the services OF pr1gnnds Turkey being
particularly notorious for creating in this
way embarrassment to the Greek gov
eminent.
The majority of these brigands have
been, at some period Of their lives, shep-
herds. In no country is there such a
type of shepherd as in Greece. They
live nomadic life, and have little in
common with civilized beings. Ostensi-
bly, living very simply, they are de7Our-
ed by such a thirst for money as has no
parallel. It IS fair to say, however, that
the greatest number Of them are not
Greek. They are generally considered
as AIbanians, and are distinguished by
the name of YIackopimenes, or FIacks.
They are mostly men of family, their
woman and children living in Thessalia
and Epirus. Their destruction is next
to impossible, until an understanding
shall have been reached between Greece
and Turkey, by which the two nations
shall earnestly cooperate for the purpose,
the existing frontiers affording too many
facilities to these dreaded outlaws to es.
cape the persecution Of either nation.
To this game Of constantly moving from
Turkey to Greece and from Greece to
Turkey, the celebrated bands Of Spanos
and Meghiras owed their long immunity.
The new limitation Of frontier, according
to the treaty of Berlin, for which Greece
is gallantly struggling, would perhaps
improve the public security; but, more
than all, the country would be benefited
by an extensive development of its pub
lie works. The finances of the state,
however, leave little room for hope that
such roads as would facilitate the chase
and capture Of the brigands by the troops
will be open for many years to come.