Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-02-01
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
Held for Ransom.

and an officer on leave of absence, de-
clded to Remain there with friends for
few weeks, while the rest of us went
on to Marathon and Athens. The
major had very pronounced ideas re-
gardinS brigandage. The subject had
often been under discussion with our
party, as we were all foreigners and
fair game, and the major had sworn by
the beard of his father that If ever
captured by brigands lie would let
them cut him up piecemeal before lie
would pay cent of ransom or permit
any of his friends to. He was a fairly
wealthy man. but he objected TO pay
ment on principle. He was so deter
mined and outSpoken in this matter
that / believe il finally led to his cap
ture. One day, Il week after ouT depar-
ture. lie went out from Kastri on horse
back attended by n servant, and the
servant returned alone and i'm Il great
funk to say that his master had been
attacked, overpowered and carried off
toward the mountain.
II was the first case of brigandage
around Kastri- for ten years. and au-
thoritIes were so slow to act that the
fellows got clear away with their cap
tive. The major had told his friends
how he felt OIL the subject of ransom
and that If he were ever captured to
refuse to pay n shilling. but as soon as
they heard of his being taken they
made preparations to meet any moder-
ate demand on the part of the brig
lrs
told afterward by one OF the band who
left it and was pardoned 10y the gov
ernment There were five in the gang
when the attack was made. The major
shot one dead in his tracks and badly
wounded Il second before he was over
come. They tied him to the back OF a
donkey and made no stop until they
reached mountain retreat Within
half az hour of his being freed from the
donkey he had done FOR another of the
band by pushing him over Il cliff. This
left but two men of the five, but next
day they were joined by four others.
They may have thirsted for the majors
life, but brigands hold TO the one OBJ
ject Of ransom as long as possible. The
major was ordered to write Il letter to
his friends in Hastri and inform them
that his ransom had been fixed ut what
would be S11 900 in American money.
He defiantly refused to do so. More
than that, he told the leader to his face
that not one penny should he paid Ey
anybody. no matter what the results
might be. To discipline" him they
sliced off the lobe of his right ear and
sent it down to Kastri with n note OF
their own composing. The miSsivc had
hardly gone when the major got his
hands free and killed one OF the brig
ands outright by hurting rock against
his head. They had had him only forty
hours, and yet in that time he had kill
ed three of the band and laid up a
fourth The amount Of ransom was
raised to $4,000 and the captive was
treated like some savage animal. He
constantly reviled and dared and deiied
them, and when they shifted their
quarters from day to day they had to
carry him Ike log.
The people ut Kastri could only raise
about 5000 in the time given, and so
it was extended five days. but the
whole of the majors left ear was sent
in as warning that they must hustle
around. They got $4,000 together be-
fore the time elapsed, but the brigands
refused this and sent in the majors
forefinger and a further extension of
two days. The money could not be
raised. 1t was well known that the
captive was against ransom, but his
friends knew that he would not escape
with his life if the money was not paid.
When the last day of grace expired, |
the major was informed that he must |
die. He laughed in their faces. Mu-
tilated as he was, he would not have |
taken his liberty as n gift. 1t is seldom
that the brigands of Greece have ever
accepted a smaller sum for the ransom
of a captive than the one first set. and |
they have never been known to turn a
captive loose, no matter how hard |
pressed. If the ransom cannot be raised. 1
the captive must die to strengthen their /
position in succeeding case. In this |
instance they were probably secretly |
glad that the ransom could not be rails |
ed. 1t was an hour after sunrise when |
the major was Informed. and so far |
from begging for his life lie jeered at |
them. Bound hand and foot. he was /
placed in sitting position with his |
back to a rock and two men stood be- |
fore him with guns. He was supposed /
to be securely bound, but he had work |
ed at the ropes until he could cast them |
off. He did so all of a sudden, and, |
springing up, he wrested the gun from |
the hands of one end then turned and /
Drained the other. There were four
others yet to deal with. however. and
one of them grabbed up rife and shot |
the captive dead as he was advancing |
upon them.
1t proved a pretty costly adventure
for the brigands. They had lost five
men killed and one wounded and failed
to get any -ansom at all. and during
the week following the majors death
the soldiers potted two more. of them
and drove the rest out of the country.
Neither did the English government sit
still under the affair, but holding