THE SYSTEM OF GREEK BRIGANDAGE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 138, 6 August 1870, Page 4

THE SYSTEM OF GREEK BRIGANDAGE.

A pamphlet, written in modern Greek, by Andrew Moskonlsco, a cavalry lieutenant, which was published in January, 1869, contains an interesting account of the system of Greek brigandage, and gives the code of laws which govern the bands in carrying on their operations. The following particulars are taken from Cassell's Magazine : — There is a regular system of treating for the ransom of the captives. A letter is first conveyed by the robbers from the 1 captive to his friends. This generally contains a safe conduct for the messenger who shall be chosen to go to the robber camp and treat, and a plan marking out certain places he must stop at. He travels by night on a white horse, and carries a small bell, which he rings at certain convenient and solitary situations, where he is answered by a shrill whistle if all is well. Unless the whistle is heard, he must go on, and the whole plan is so arranged that the man himself does not know where he is finally going to, so that it is impossible for the authorities to discover the brigands' haunt thereby. At a certain spot the robbers meet him. and conduct him into the presence of the chief. Then a regular bargaining is commenced. The chief names a sum, which the messenger, if he is a man of determination, and represents well the insufficient means of the captive, can often get reduced. When the bargain is finally struck, the messenger goes back for the money by a different road to that he came by, and returns with the same ceremouies and precautions. The ransom is delivered to the chief in presence of all the band, who light a taper and examine the coins to see if they are good. The captive is then brought in, loosed from his ropes, his beard cut off, and then he is kissed by each robber on the cheek whilst they all cry out several times " Kallali ! " that is to say, "begone, and be of good health." Should the robbers be besieged during the time of the bargaining, both captive and ransom are destroyed. The robbers' great object is to terrify ! - the people into bringing sufficient ransom ; therefore, when it is deficient,' or the captive is too poor to pay at all, the most horrible cruelties are practised. There are several such cases known to have occurred quite lately. One man, whose ransom was short of the sum named, was tortured, sfripped naked, and slowly burned with a fusee to such an extent that he can never recover. A boy of fifteen had his ears cut off from the roots because a hundred drachmi of the ransom was wanting. But the most terrible account of all was as follows: — Three peasants had been taken prisoners. Two of them were enabled by the sale of their oxen to make up a sum sufficient to content the brigands. The third was a poor man, and could pay nothing. He was condemned to death. He fell at their feet praying for mercy. " The law forbids it,'' was the answer. Lots were drawn as to who should be the I executioner, and it fell to the chief. The I chief led him out, and compelled him to dig his own grave, standing over him dirk iu hand, and occasionally, as the peasant hesitated over his task, sharpening it on an instrument usually employed for lighting the fires. When the grave was dug the man fainted ; but recovering, and trembling all over like a fish, again knelt down crying, " Spare me, brothers, for my children's sake." He might have prayed to a stone. The chief seized his long hair with one hand, with the other made six thrusts at his neck, and finally threw the body into the grave. Then the other captives had to cast in earth aud bury him. It would be impossible to believe that such atrocities could be carried on without the connivance of Government. Such has beeu hinted to be the case — whether with truth, cannotbe authoritatively ascertained. A meeting of the Auckland Gas Company recently took place when a dividend of 15 per cent per annum was recom--mended. The profits of the year were £4780. An old woman named Maria Rawson has been convicted at Sheffield for the fiftieth time ! Her convictions occupy three entire pages in the police book, and she has spent nearly all her life in prison.