BRIGANDS IN TURKEY.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 2 June 1880, Page 2

BRIGANDS IN TURKEY.

,», Consular reports from Salon ica de clare that, with the exception of tbe towns and their immediate vicinity, the country . is completely in tbe hands of the brigands. Thirteen distinct bands are en* umerated, containing in all about abont one hundred and fifty men of various creeds and nationalities — Greeks, Lu*zo, Wallachn, Bulgarians, Albanians, and Turkish deserters. At a certain time ■ some of the bands received subsidies from Athens, and profeeged to be the represent tatives of Hellenic aspirations, but of late they have divested themselves of this semKpolitieal character, and play tbe part of simple brigands, levying black mail from Mussel on ns and Christians indiscriminately. There seems to be a certain tacit understanding that no band should poach on the other's preserves, for there is no instance of the same mdi* vidual being kidnapped a second time after. he had been once ransomed. Their system is to support themselves by levy* ing contributions on the peasantry, who are forced to supply them with food and shelter and money, and who are so afraid of vengeance that they rarely report the matter to tbe authorities. When oppor tunity offers they, kidnap rich proprietors or merchants for the purpose of getting their ransom* The sums demanded vary from £1500 to £4000. Several proprietors of farms within thirty miles o£ Sal* oniea have not dared to visit their properties for the last two years from fear of being captured. Occasionally a demand for money is made from men known to be wealthy without any attempt being made to kidnap them, and there is so little faith in the racial means of protection, tha?** such demands are generally complied with. The brigands avoid as much as possible all oontyiet with the military forces, but they have no fear of tbe local police or pivil authorities, who are too often, it is said., in league with the chiefs. Certainly, when a well fcnown chief comes into a Tillage or town be lives openly at free quarters, and no attempt is made to capture him. One of the best and most feared of the chiefs is Niko, who has carried of Colonel Sjnge. Whether he

is a pure Greek or a Hellenized Luizo* Watlacb is not certain, but there is little or no doubt that Ue is a native of Lamia, a Greek town nea* the frontier, and that several of his near relatives, having been convicted O f brigandage, are already in pnson. His same inspires terror through- i out a large part of Hsessaly. Not j 0 ( ago be kidnapped two children and caosed m< wh,ch he demanded as a ransom w aß not forthcom.ng. InVpetitioa recently ■ presented to the Bishop by the peasants of the neisbborhood of Aliafeaon it is said tbat there are in that district a large number of brigands wbo not only rob and murder, but carry off young girls aad married women and keep them prisoners in the mountains. From Veria it is reported that the tillage of Tranitsa has been by a band of sixty bn. gands, and twenty-tbree peasants carried off.