Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-06-30
A Battle WITH BRIGANDs.
Desperate Fight Befween Native Police mcn
and Circassiau Bandits.

/ witnesses do not altogether agree as to
+he details of the capture Of Kel Tahir's
robber band. But the main facts are
these: The chief for the past three
! years has been the terror of the roads
and villages between Siyas and
4 Samsoun and Sivas and Yusgat.
Soldiers and zaptiehs had repeatedly
been sent after him, but he hal
hitherto succeeded in defying them
all, often wounding them with inn
4 punity. The villagers were growing
more and more helpless before him.
and would give up INTERESTINGLY what
ever geld, or even whatever girl, he
demanded. Eight days before he en-
countered our zaptiehs he came from
the direction of Samsoun, adding to
his band Of six one new recruit.
1t is certain that he had sent word
to the caimacam of Yenikhan, nine
/ hours from Sivas, that he would soon
visit that village, ard that as he had
| given notice beforehand, he would ac
cept no excuses in place of the bag of
gold he should demand. From differ
ent sources came reports, as well as
from Knoshack, the village where he
was finally taken, that he was demand
ing and waiting for fifty liras and four
girls. On Wednesday the Zaptiehs
struck his trail, and early on Thursday
morning, as they neared the KiZilbash
village of Knoshack, some two days
from Sivas, toward Yusgut. they en-
countered a villager sentinel whom
the robbers had forced into thew SER
vice to watch the approach of the
zaptiehs. The sentinel took courage
and gave no alarm. The ZaptiehS
quickly committed their horses to the
charge of the villagers, and crept up
on foot, and surrounded the house
where the robbers were resting. Our
vail had already outlawed the whole
band, and had promised entire immu-
nifty to any one who should kill them.
AS the house was surrounded,
Chashambeli Hassan Bey, one of the
robbers, whose horse had been put in
distant stable, was standing at the
outer door, and was turning to enter
the room to raise the alarm, when he
was shot dead. At the report of gun
Kel Tahir springs out like a flash,
draws in the body of his fellow COM
rade, and shuts the door. The captain
of zaptiehs calls out to him: " Kel
Tahir, enough, surrender, surrender,
or we must shoot you" But his only
answer was volley after volley from
revolvers and Winchester rifles,
through the windows and up the CHM
ney. The Zaptiehs, sixty in number,
were mostly protected by walls and
village carts. They had orders to re-
serve their fire till the robbers were
tired. The captain mounts the roof
over the outlaws and shouts again:
"Tahir, why will you compel us to kill
you? Surrender" Tahir screams, all
the while firing his repeater into the
earth of the fiat roof in the direction
of the captains voice: 81 know Sivas
prison, was there two years ago. /
would rather die somewhere else" The
order was then given to tear off the
top of the chimney, and to cram down
lighted straw.
But the zeptiehs were no quicker
than Tahir; he snatched up the native
beds and crammed them into the
chimney to prevent the smoke from
coming down into the room. The
brigands' bullets now began to tear
through the roof, and the order was
given to bore through the side wall of
the house. This done, the captain of
the besieging force drew near and
shouted: Surrender, | say" Tahir
replied: Cali right, captain; come up
to the hole you have made in the
side and l will hand you nv weapons
through" "No, no, Tahirp' rejoined
the captain, "you have got as old a fox
as yourself to deal with now. Take
off your coat and belt and come out in
your shirt, and not a hair of your head
shall be touched. If you don't you are
a dead man." The firing out and in
from the window continues, and a
bullet strikes into the stable, and
Tahir's noble horse falls dead before
the manager.
Suddenly the firing from the house
cease, all is quiet inside. The be-
siegers strain their eyes with atten-
ton, and the word is passed round
that the brigands are mounting. The
captain issues his final orders: zap
tiehs, stand steady and firm now.
Give them little room if they want
to come" The door of the house
swings back, and out dash five mounted
CircasSians who put spurs into their
horses TANKS and urge them on for
dear life. The new recruit came out
each hand The noble steeds dashed