The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-06
''BABOUNSKY" IS
 ROBIN HOOD OF
 SERBIAN PEOPLE
Former School Teacher Has Become a Guerilla
 General. |

GevgheH, Serbia, Jan. Gone o1
 the most picturesque figures of the l European war is the Serbian ttxomi-
 tadji" guerilla Ivan Stoikovitch | known to fame as "Babounsky.'' The | name is drawn from the famous Ba- l bouna Pass, where recently the Serbs
 so long held the invading Bulgarians
 at bay. Ivan Stoikovitch comes from
 that part of Serbia and is, therefore
 known to his followers and to the | Serbian population at large by @ nick
 name indicating the fact,
 | A slight man, tall, with honest gray-blue eyes and the pale features | of a student, he impresses the stran-
 ger with anything but the terror | which his name inspires. Nor do his looks belle his real profession. Fol l the redoubtab1e 'Babounsky'' was 9 l school teacher until fired by an ardent 1 patriotism he gave up his classes tC
 gather about him a band of intrep- i'd spirits in the fight for the release of the Turkish part of Serbia from 1 the Ottoman yoke.
 l Ever since the first Balkan war he and his followers have been under arms. Unrecognized by the laws ot war; they have taken their own risks | of capture and instant execution Their refuge is in the Serbian noun tains, and they have been willing to l trust their security to their own as
 
 their numerous hiding places.
 | During the brief periods separating the first Balkan war from the second and the second Balkan war from the present European struggle, the inter nal administration of Serbia was in such a state of disorder that it seem ed to "Babounsky'' better to retain
 his band under arms and to assist in
 the administration of a rough and ready justice than to send his follow CTS to their own freSides. In this capacity even in the short intervals of peace he kept his name as a kind of modern Robin Hood-the friend of
 the weak and the terror of the evil
 doer.
 Especially since the complete break down of the Serbian administration following the flight of the government to Scutari, has s'Babounsky'' become a parsonage of prime importance in Serbia Before the advancing Ger man and Bulgarian armies, town after town was evacuated. Sometimes the
 inhabitants were able to take a, few of their belongings with them3 more often they were forced to leave with the clothes they wore as their only
 possessi ons But especially. in the southern part of Serbia, where the greater part of the inhabitants are really of Turkish or sBuIgar1an ex- traction, only the Serbs fled and the Turks and the Bulgarians remained. While waiting for the arrival of the armies of their compatriots, they were not averse to going through the de- serted Serbian dwellings andN acquir- ing a few useful articles,
 "Babounsky' did not approve of this. Naturally the deserted dwell fngs and all in them would fall into the hands of the conquerors. That was all right-the chance tof war. But that former neighbors should do the footing was not in "Babounskys' code. And those who tried it were dealt with in a most summary man ner.
 suspected of giving information to the advancing BuIgar armies also re- ceived short shrift.' A story is told of the first Balkan war when a cer- tain pseudo-Serb known as "Kech- lo' was suspected of treason to the Serbian cause. 'fBabounsky's'' band appeared upon the scene one night and 'sKechko'' and four others were ar rested, tried in secret by the band at midnight and sentenced to be "sent to Salonika''-that is, taken to the banks of the Vardar river, stabbed and thrown in, their bodies to drift down with the current to Salonika. All five were lined up on the bank Baboun- blows to be struck. But unfortun-l ate1y t'Kechkos executioner,s a law yer from Belgrade, had never killed a man before and his hand slipped The five bodies were thrust into the Vardar, but ''Kechko'' was still alive.
 A week later the Serbian consul at SaIonika was called to the hospital. "Kechko" told him the story of his escape from death, but begged that it be kept secret until after his depar- ture for the United States. Ulti- mately recovered from the unskillful stab of the Belgrade lawyer, ''kechlfo' quietly departed for America where he still livess unterrified by the famous guerilla.
 Whenever the allies troops have need of fresh meat or wood or mules with what is required. The next day twenty sheep, two cords of wood or a hundred mules are brought into Nego- tin or Raphadar as the case may be by a Serbian peasant. The peasant col lects an equitable sum for the goods delivered and in time each Serbian who has been involuntari1y levied upon for lamb or wood or mule re- ceives his payment. "Babounsky'' does not even keep a commission.
 When, too, either Serb or Bu1gar in one of the towns occupied by the allied troops behaves in aa grasping or dishonest way towards the French or the British it is not long before the punishment arrives The punish ment may take various forms, from death for treason to a dozen blows with a stout stick for cheating one of Serbia's allies: The punishments however, are rare. t'Babounsky's rep utation is too well known. The magic phrase: Listen, my friend-I shall see that 'Babounsky' hears of this!" usually has it's effect