The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-07

AIIEAEI III l. I'M 0EOGs1hs
and. He denies that he is Ferrantos and
laughed at the statement made by Greeks
in court to the effect that he and his
brother Demetrius attempted TO rob and
kill the king of Greece and his daughter
while they were driving together soon
after the close of the war between Greece
and Turkey.
Constantine Yamoulis, another Greek
who was in court, insisted that the prisoner
and the notorious brigand were one and
said that Christofero had boosted of h
fact while talking with him, telling of his
exploits and explaining that he had come
to this country to escape arrest and death,
as there was a heavy price on his head.
The charge made against the prisoner
was that he lured Nicholas Zoutouble, a
Greek sailor, to his room in East Thir-
teenth street. The sailor, who was in court
with his head almost bidder with band
ages, said he resisted and attempted to
take the robbers weapon from him, but
that Christofero beat him with the re-
volver until he fell senseless and then rob
bed him.
The most positive Identification Of
Christofero was made by George Zegou-
IAS. q = VA 4OAA0C A4 "AAo W.
He said that the prisoner had been known
in the Greek quarter as 1.-THE Big Greek"
and that his couRtrymen had been SO
afraid of him that he had escaped punish
ment for many deeds of violence, the VIC
Tins being afraid to testify against him.
Zegouras said fear of the giant had de-
TERED many persons from disclosing to the
| police their belief that he is the noted Fer
rantos.
Zegouras, who was 8 witness for the
sailor, said Christofero was, like himself,
a fern collector.
"He came to this country about a year
ago. Zegouras said. aHe told me his
name was Ferrantos then and boasted that
he had killed several men who interfered
with him. I took him with me one day
when / went to a wood near Canaan,
Conn, to collect ferns. Soon after that he
| came into my room when l had some
| friends there, fiourished g. revolver n
| said he would kill the first man who went
to that place for ferns again. / did not see
| him for some time after that. / wrote to
| my father, In the province of Naupactius,
| Greece, and gave a description of the man.
| He replied that beyond doubt he was the
most noted of Greek outlaws.
81 went to Canaan again about a month
ago with a friend to collect ferns. We had
| Just begun work when we heard a pistol
shot and a bullet passed near us. We look
ed up and saw Ferrantos standing behind
a tree. He was aiming again. We left
our baskets and ran. He fred five more
shots at us, but one hit us. I got a sum-
mons for him when we returned to the
city, but he disappeared.
Demosthenes Canellas, a Law clerk, OF
No. 81 Catharine street, said he knew the
prisoner as a desperate nan 81 was IN a
Greek restaurant in Roosevelt street a year
ago." he said, when he attacked the pro-
prietor because he could not get money
from him. / went after q policeman n
he chased me for several blocks with a stu
letto. I was advised then not to appear
against him, and he escaped punishment.
He has threatened several times to shoot
me on sight.
If Zegouras and the others ara right in
saving Christofero is really Soteoros Fer
rantos, it is astonishing that he ever de-
scended to any calling so commonplace as
fern picking. Ferrantos and his brother,
Demetrius, were hunted for months by
Greek soldiers and were charged with the
murder Of several men and women b
resisted their attempts at robbery or as-
tempted to capture them.
The climax of their career of crime,
some of their countrymen said afterwards,
was their exploit in holding up" the
king of Greece and his daughter. They
sprang at the horses heads and covered
the coaohman with revolvers. The king
struck the horses and beat the bandits
with his cane. The carriage almost ran
over the robbers, and as it passed one OF
them fired at it several times.