The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-09-13

N2-=ASWH mn mn have been studying bits of
lIlIl X Hill reports that have come in
-N l,IN NV from Macedonia from va
E1-&l lious chiefs of chetas Sc
cret agents and other in
dlvldual members of the organization,
all regarding n certain incident which
occurred some weeks ago down in
Southern Macedonia, in the caza, or
district of Tevgeli. 1t was much tele-
graphed about st the time and men
toned in the European papers, but
some of the main facts and all the
details have as yet remained secret.
Putting together the dry official re-
ports to the committee with the mar
ratives of several participants or wit
nesses who arrived here several days
ago, and excluding obvious individual!
exaggerations, there still remains the
story of an event which stands out as
remarkable, even in this country of
sensational events. 1t is Just such a
one as you may find here and there
In the pages of Herodotus-a second
Leonldas in another Thermopylae. 1t
is the story of how thirty y-cight conf
tails, well armed and we'll entrenched.
for a whole day stood off the repeated
attacks of 2000 regular Turkish
soldiers, horde of several thousand
bashi-bazouks, several hundred Alban-
ians and band of thirty Greeks
These numbers are quoted i'll the Turk
1sh reports.
Few people familiar with events
here for the past few years have not
heard of Apostol Voyvoda, known to
the Turks and gendarmerie officers as
Captain Apostol. There is a standing
price of 5000 liras, or Turkish pounds,
on his head. He is a small, dark.
keen-eyed man of about thirty-fve
years, who can neither rad nor write
and always signs his dispatches, writ
ten by his secretary, with a rubber
stamp hanging as watch charm.
Were he man of education. he would
be one of the general leaders, for he
is Intellectually keen. But lie is the
Robin Hood of Macedonia. 1t is about
him that the story centres.
A week before Lent Apostol came
here to Kustendil, to recross the from
tier some days later with several horse
loads of munitions. lie was going to
take them to his Cwn district cache
them in the mountains to use them as
reserve for the summers fighting
With him were Save Michaeloff, his
sub-chief, and thirty-eight men. On
the day before the beginning of Lent
Apostol and his band were in the
Giavato Mountains. He wanted 10
get over into the Cherni-Dervent Noun
tains; between the two ranges runs
the River Vardar. During the day he
had sent a courier across the river
to the village of SpalivO, asking the
villagers to send horses for the ammu-
milton. As was afterwards known,
the courier was stopped in the inter-
mediate village of Stoyak, where
company of soldiers were Quartered.
And this is the'feason he was stopped.
A Greek shepherd boy, wandering
about the mountains with his flock,
came accidentally upon Apo5tors band
in hiding for the day. They took him
prisoner. Now, every Greek, is an
enemy to every Bulgar, and for some
moments the boys life was in danger.
Perhaps it was his youth which ap-
pealed to the chief; at any rate, he
released him. The boy at once went
to the village of Stoyak and reported
in no t,I,y
tains, and later pointed out the courier
passing through the village for Spalivo.
The latter was arrested. When night
came and the horses from Spalivo did
rot appear, ApostOl decided that per-
haps the villagers had lost the wa,
so he and his men shouldered the am
munition bags among them, descended
to the river, crossed it, and by MOON
light had reached their destination,
Spaivo. This village was several
miles higher up the same bank of the
river on which stood Stoyak, where
the soldiers were quartered. On one
side are high mountain bluffs, on the
other the River Vardar.
But as the villagers had not received
Apostol's message, they, not expecting
him, had made no preparations. First,
they had allowed their dogs free, who
noisily announced the entrance of the
bandsmen into the village. Their bark
ings were heard by some Albanian
shepherds short distance outside.
However, the ammunition was
stored in an old, half-broken-down de-
serted house, and two of the bandsmen
were detailed to sleep upon it. Apostol
Michaeloff ana their companions then
divided themselves among a half dozer
houses nearby. In half an hour al
were asleep, save few of the vii
layers, who remained awake to guarc
against surprise. Meanwhile the sol