ROBBER BAND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 13

ROBBER BAND.

ENGLISHMAN'S ADVENTURE IN. SYRIA. KIDNAPPING .FOE EANSOM. A j perilous adventure among brigands near Smyrna has. befallen a young Englishman, Mr; Eric Paterson, wnose family have been long resident in Turkey, and own a house on the outskirts of a village called Bournahat, five miles to the north of Smyrna.. Mr. Erio Paterson, .in an interview "with a .representative of the "Morning: Post," gave the following account of his experiences r— : "Two months' before the attempt my father was warned that there were brigands in the neighbourhood, and that they had singled me out as a good catch. In consequence I. never went' unarmed, and .one of our three cavasses, or guards, always accompanied me. On this particular evening (November 3) as .I: was going to our little . club I 'was three times accosted by a man riding a white horse; on- each occasion he asked ' me Mme trivial question "which I am now sure was only a pretext to 'make sure of my identity, I thought no more of■; the matter,: and after spending .'an hour at the club was returning home accompanied by my friend, Mr. Herbert Joly, and the cavass. .On'leaving-the club I again: saw the man' on the. white, horse, making off ahead of us. He was soon out of sight and we- walked on'little suspecting .what was -in store 'for us.-'' The .evening, was very ■dark,''and a slight drizzle of rain was_ falling. When wo got 'to' withn 200 yards ,of my home I; 'was; conscious, of being followed, • and turning round saw four armed men: rapidly but: silently approaching. . I called upon them, firet' in .Lurkish and then in Greek, to Eton. . One repliod in Greek: Ton had better stop. It is you ; we want.' 'I immediately realised . our danger, for the' road along which we;, were going 'is only about ten wide, with an eight feet stone wall on either side. ' . : i A LUCKY SHOT. In the meantime I was covering them with my pistol, and told the cavass to fire. 1; nred; two shots myself. 1 . Then I heard some' more men ■' dropping • over the wall between mo and my home, five over- one wall, and four over the other. I faced round and, standing . back to back .with . the cavaes, fired at the; now' assailants, but, M. thev closed round'lis, tho cavass &rid in. Turkish* Hun,/ Mr. Uric, I'm dor.o tor, - I. mode a;,dash to 'get: away, but' was seined by three' men, oao of whom 1; shot through •' his chest. . Another I nred . at, and the/third let go his hold. 1, was .taking, to my heels .when'l- cauglfc sight ofJoly standing against the wall, another; man's' rifleV • I ha"d a snot at this man,' at tho same time shoutuig to Joly to run-for. it. .'While : running forward ;1 was. hit from behind by: the butt .of a rifle, which' knocked mo down, and as I recovered': the ■ man' got hold •of me by- the; loft aim;'.-By a lucky shot, however, which subs«iuen.tly ■ proved to havo - hit"inv ■' assailant'. iii. tho'.'; hip,.' I got; away, and'' had ■a' clear. riii^'of. 'about' 100 yards before me to got to the gate, 'followed..by thebuUefts ■of th© .men from .■whom-'l'had.escaped.,;*; • : inde for'-.the'' door of the lodge,' not .knowing' that 'the: carriage gate'.'was open. '. This proved to be, a'lucky move," a ? 'ho gate was guarded l by four, brigands, of whose presence'l: was unaware until I fonnd, thein dashing, across to. intercept, my entrance to -' the . ' door, which was opened to me by the. other cavass,-- the third being out with ,:our . carriage.' I have ho doubt,that the attempt'was. at; first 'merely one of kidnapping„with .a. •view.to; obtaining, a;ranje6m, but aa .my assailants iriot witV--unexpected ' resist--ance; and more than one: of their - party.' wore wounded, they fired Tilth intention to disable or; kill, which, is proved by tho fact .that they continued to fire at mo as I-'was : running down,"tho drive to the house. Tho faithful cavass Ali, who. had (been/in my father's service for .over four'toen years, was carried into tho lodge by tho villagers, who were attracted to. tho spot by the firing; : He- was driven to' tho Dutch Hospital in Smyrna, and; I regret to say,; died of. his -woundstho following evening. I escaped with .'nothing more; than a bullet through inv hat and a' hole in .my.; cigarette case, which _was. in 'my coat pocket," ■ The latest accounts from Smyrna state .: that' nino of ■ the 1 hand have, boon taken i and tried. ' Five of' the. principals havo been sentenced to' be; hanged, and:the' others are to undergo long' terms of penal servitude. ■ ■ ■■ .'