The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-11-02
Caucasus Overrun By Daring Bandits

Persia. When Russia got too strong for
him he made for Teheran. and became
aide-de-camp of Shah Muzeffir Ed.n.
Muzeffir found him indispensable, owing
to his linguistics. When Muzeffir pro-
posed to visit Russia he wanted to take
Kerim with him. The Russian minister
interviewed. II am a great friend of Ke-
inns" he said. "Kerim is the most agree
L. able man in Teheran society. But II your
iesty takes him to Russia he will
certainly be hanged" Soon afterwards
Kerim killed a Persian general and fed
10 Turkey, and his headquarters till late
Iy were Melgared, near Lake Van. where
he had palace, harem, so servants. and
a shooting domain covering many square
miles.
Kerim is now brigandizing in the eau
casus apparently because he got tired of
this bourgeois palace life. and probably
when things are too hot he will return to
his palace, or make for Paris and start
pathological society. Another well ed
ucated Caucasus robber who is just now
busy is Alabad~e. Alabadze operates on
a section of the Satoum- Baku railway,
between Tiflis and Elizabethpol He be-
longs to the class of revolutionary Geor-
gan bandits that sprang up in 1905. The
Christian Ceorgians here differ ST. ongly
from the Moslems for the Moslems are
all feudal, romantic and Anticipated in
their notions. while the Georgian BAN
revolutionaries. Alabadze was a friend
30
ly killed. Simonoschwli and Kalandadze.
These bandits were practical. The three
preferred killing tax collectors to car
rying off handsome girls In January
Simonoschwili and Kalandadze attacked
the Tif1is postoffice and we're both killed.
Alabadze retaliated by killing Nikolsky,
the police official whose activity led to
his friends deaths. Since then Alabadze
has kept all Georgia busy. In February
he murdered a sergeant who was car
rying government money. Then he de-
scended on Atchasu village, killed a Co.'S
sack and made off with $3.50. and IN June
he executed four robber es, and got
wound In his leg. For three weeks he
rested. He next robbed postman near
Novo Saratowska, to the west of Eliza
bethpol. Later the postman and
''strazhnik" tried to intercept him In
gorge. Alabadze flung the strazhnik into
a stream, breaking his neck: the post
man got away.
The most picturesque Mohammedan
brigands are Selim Khan and a man
who calls himself Abdul Mattel" "Ab-
dull the Avenger." whose real name no
one knows. Both are Abreks by race.
celim Khan has killed in fair right'-ac-
cording to local notions-42 men. and he
has 70 or 80 roberr'es to his name. In
1910 5000 troops were out sea rchiny for
Selm. and when some Of them found
him he defeated them in a pitched bat
tle Ali the troops could do was to cap
ture his family. They seized Madame
Selim Khan. her two sons and the chill
dren and wives of several Of his COM
rades and sent them as exiles to Yene-
seisk, In Siberia. This. II was imagined,
would bring Selim to terms. Lately the
bandits families were let 20 home. and
settled in the village of Start Yurt. near
Grosni. The police imagined that Sci IN
would visit his wife. and that In that
way they would catch him. They were
right only In the first supposition.
selim appeared at Start Yurt In unex-
pected strength. put the little garrison
to night, and paid his wife VISIT He