American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-04-10
The Greek Brigands.

1
patch announced that Colonel Synge, Of
the British army, together with his
wife, had been captured by Greek brig.
heavy ransom. NJ details of the cap
ture were given. A few days ago a
London paper printed dispatch from
Constantinople saying that the brigands
had sent a letter demanding $75, OOC
ransom for their captives, and threaten
! ing that if this amount was not given
them within ten days they would send
Colonel Synge's head to Salonica. Three
days later news was sent TO London that
the British Consul at Salonica had re-
ceived a letter from Colonel Synge say
ing that he and his wife were kindly
treated, and. that the brigand chief was
absent, necessitating the interruption
of negotiations for their release.
Greece has not unreasonably been
styled the cradle of brigandage. From
time that land has witnessed
some of the boldest captures in the his
tory of outlawry. From time to time
the civilized world is startled by the in
teIligence that some traveller has been
seized by a band of Greek brigands and
murdered If the ransom demanded for
his life has not been promptly paid. 1t
is natural that great anxiety should be
felt in regard to Colonel Synge and his
wife, particularly by all persons who
are acquainted with the history of
Greek brigandage.
Greek brigands mostly live in small
bands in the Businesses of the numerous
mountains by which the country is
broken. In daytime they hardly stir
from their hiding places. which are
grottoes and rocky places. When
night comes they move to q spot far
away-so distant that the police would
never think of being on the lookout for
them-and commit their depredations.
As an illustration of the rapidity with
which they move, the band of the Ar
vantakis brothers, coming from Turkey,
had passed the Greek frontier in the
vicinity of Lamia, on January 10,
1870. The Minister of the Interior,
Mr.. Laimis, being informed by tele-
graph of the fact, Immediately gave
orders calculated to lead to the arrest
of the band. or. at all events, to driv-
ing them beyond the frontier. But
nothing could check their advance
Such was the rapidity of their move
ments that the Greek military and
police force dispatched against them
did not catch sight of them, although
their presence in the vicinity was daily
signaled to them by the officers of the
Government. On one occasion, how
ever, the brigands were surprised, and
q conflict ensued in which they lost
seven men. Three of the brigands
were taken prisoners and carried to
Athens, where they were summarily
sentenced and put to death. The
Others of the band, only nine in num-
Der. succeeded in reaching the noun,
tains that separate Attica and Beotia
from the province of Maegarides, whence
for several years they plundered the
country, numbering some hundred peo-
pie. and ever battling the most active
researches of the Greek troops.
On the eve of the day on which four
English travellers were captured and
murdered in the vicinity of Marathon,
the so-called band of Oropos were at
Villa, 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 kilometers over steep
mountains, and had halted in good
season by a bridge over which the
travellers were to pass. The whole
Greek army was in pursuit of them
after the crime, but in vain, although
they were still on tho same mountains
whence they had descended to commit
the murderous assault.
The success of the Greek brigands
would be inexplicable to any one who
should liken Greece to any other mount
ain region of the civilized world. On
the mountains of Greece there are no
roads and no houses Only eagles, vul-
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
contend. Fear and ambition also con-
tribute to render the undertaking more
difficult. Entire villages frequently
side with these outlaws for the sake of
self-preservation. The brigands are,
indeed, in many instances, the real mas
tiers of the villages.
Another of the reasons why brigand-
age has not, SO far. been extirpated
from Greece is that politicians, out of
ambition to secure Office, use the brig
ands to intimidate their opponents
When the former are elected the immu-
nifty of their brigand aids naturally fol-
lows. Prime Ministers and Ambassa-
doris, as history proves, have on several
occasions secured the services of brig
ands, Turkey being particularly noto-
riOus for creating in this way embarrass-
ments to the Greek Conveniently Y
Sun.
The crematory at Washington, Pa,
has regular fixed rate of charges