Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-04-23
RoLLlcklNo BANDITS.
The UndIgnIhed Way In which III
RlRhk Ran.n..A

The UndIgnifed Way In which They
Right Peasant Wrongs in Servia.
Some twenty extraordinary bandits
nave been terrorizing the peasants in
the Vicinity OF the small village of Bella
ErKWa, West Sefvia, for the last two
years. Nine days out of every ten they
pass In a decent and orderly fashion in
their mountain home. On the tenth dsy
they descend in body on some little
village, plumber the well-to-do citizens
with moderation, and right the wrongs
OF the community according to their own
unique ideas of justice. The Belgrade
newspapers recently gave the par
nculars Of the last raid of these Con-
t1nental White Caps. The town clock
was just striking midnight in Bella
Erkwa When the leader of the gang en-
tered the door Of the village tavern. He
found the parson and the town council
and the other big bugs in a very mellow
condition. The sight Disguised the
bandit very much. He had the land
lady lock all the doors and give him the
key. Then he scolded the twenty men
present severely for their intern
perance and boxed the ears of the par.
son and the mayor. At half past twelve
o'clock he called in fifteen followers to
consult with them as to the best
way of furnishing the drunken
dignitaries. The parson was voted
to be the worst offender and
the landlady next to the worst The
parson was laid across table face down
ward and the landlady was compelled to
spank him hard fifty times with piece
OF two-inch plank. Salt and red-pepper
were rubbed on the parsons skin where
the landlady's stout arm and the plank
had torn it, and he was asked how much
money he had. About SO. The bandit
chief took $3.50 The landlady was
fined $500 by the White Cap court for
getting the parson and town council
full. She protested she hadn't cent in
the world. She was placed under the
same treatment from the parson and the
plank that she and the plank had given
to the parson. This brought S25 from
her cssh-drawer. A peasant, whose
sister had saved So for her marriage
dowry, fetched the money from home
during the ensuing arni stice and gave
1t to the landlady to help her pay her
fine. The bandit chief told the landladv
she might give back the dowry within a
week, and, to impress his instructions on
her memory, burned a little cross on the
back of her hand with red-hot iron.
He allowed her six months in which to
get the 1897 still due him on his S4OO de-
mand. Just as the chief began to make
q little farewell speech, he was inter
rupted by building contractor who had
recently signed an agreement with the
town council to erect S275 church for
S2SE The contract or explained that the
council had held him to his contract, al
though he had told them that the con-
tract would ruin him. The chief had
the town clerk produce the contract in
question, burn 1t, and draw up another,
In which the builder was allowed $500
for his work. After this contract had
been duly signed and sealed the bandit
drank bottle of wine, sang patriotic
song, led triple cheer for the Servian
King, and babe the paralyzed big bugs
Of Bella Erkwa goodbye, with the warn
| Ing that he would return in three
months to see that every one whom he
had taken under his protection was get
ting his rights.-N. Y. Sun.