A BOLD BRIGAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 179, 29 July 1911, Page 17

A BOLD BRIGAND.

HOW HB DEFIES NEW TURKEY.

MODERN ROBIN HOOD NEAR SMTRNA.

Among - the many picturesque if lnconTenlent Institutions of Turkey, that modern mediaeval State, Tchakirdji, the brigand chief of Smyrna, is not the least romantic. A few miles away in the mountains behind one of the chief citlee of the empire he lives with his band of freebooters, and leads in the twentieth century a life that corresponds in close detail to that followed by Robin Hood.

A few weeks ago, for instance, he appeared one evening in the market place of the village of Gureli, in the province of Smyrna, accompanied by eight men.

Going to the house of the head man, he ordered that the inhabitants—there are only some fifty families In the village—should be assembled. With fear and trembling the order was obeyed. Standing contemptuously with his little group of followers in the midst of the crowd, Tchakirdji intimated that the first business of the evening would be the provision of supper for himself and his men. The elders explained with deep obeisance that the resources of the village were so low that nothing but the most meagre provisions were available.

Tchakirdji consented to waive the supper. He would now, he said, proceed to the main object of his visit. He gave a sign to his men, and in a few moments ".he heads of ten of the leading inhabitants of. Gureli were rolling on their own market place amid the wailing of their fellowtownsmen. "1 am fairly sure," explained Tchakirdji, Jn the brief address with which he closed the proceedings, "that It was through the denuunciations of one of you that my comrade, Sinan. Melimet, was surrounded and killed by the soldiers near here some months ago. I have now avenged him, and I hope this will serve as a lesson to any who may be tempted to betray mc or my companion. I will kill informers without pity, and, if necessary, the innocent shall pay for the guilty."

With this the brigand and his friends withdrew, and, except for a futile expedition of a company of soldiers into the mountains after him, which returned with nothing but marching to its credit, this has been the end of the affair. BORN TO THE TRADE. Tchakirdji Is a bandit by heredity, lor he succeeded his father, who was killed in an encounter with the troops. The peasants of Smyrna vilayet both fear and love him. His vengeance upon those who, under the influence of the tortures or the bribes of Government officials, aid the expeditions sent after him with information, is ample and inevitable. On the other hand, he never robs the poor, he pays double for all provisions that he buys, and his gifts are sometimes almost princely. Only last year report credits him with having sent to a beautiful but dowerlcs3 girl whose poverty prevented her marriage a dot of £200.

Tchakirdji lives by blackmail varied with plunder. Last year lie took £7000 In specie from a Government mall In the Smyrna vilayet, but his more ujual resource is to write, courteously enough, to local personages of menus, requesting the despatch to places of rendezvous in the mountains of sums varying from £100 to £500. T.HE BUILDING OF A BRIDGE. He uses the eamo method, too, to interest his patrons in works of public utility. A village bridge badly required repair. Tchakirdji pointed' oiit by letter to a wealthy Turl; of the-' neighbourhood that the benefit of an entirely now bridge could be conferred on the locality at a cost of £1000. Thrpc- times this message was repeated without effect. Then one evening, as the rich man'was gathered with the rest of the village at the mosque at the time of the sunset prayer, Tchakirdji, with a dozen armed men, appeared at the door. Leaning his rllie against the wall he toot off his shoes and joined the Sneeling throng in their silent prostrations. When his prayer was finished, Tchakirdji walked quietly over to the rich man, who had not seen him enter the mosque, and touched him gently on the arm. The man started up, but Tchakirdji nodded his head towards the little escort, waiting outside the open door, and in a few moments the tardy benefactor was on the way to an unknown destination In the mountains. He returned thinner In a few weeks" time, when his # friends had sent £2000 in gold to a secluded meeting place. Then at last began the reconstruction of the ruined bridge. A gang of workmen appeared under the direction of a young Greek. The latter was at once arrested as an accomplice of Tchakirdji. He denied all knowledge of the brigand. He was a young master builder; he had receiveil written Instructions, with a remittance of money, he said, to carry out this work. It was his first big job, ana he had asked no questions.

The young Greek was shut up in an insanitary gaol at Thera as a measure of precaution, and the work on the bridge was stopped. Three days afterwards there was an alarm of fire at a village three miles from Them, and half the garrison was sent off there to'put It out. Haidly had they gone when there came a call for help at another lire five miles away on the other 6ide. The rest of the troops hurried off to the scene of the second alarm.

Then into the empty dashed TcUaklrdjl and his men. They slew tie few sentries that were left, carried off the local governor and the commander of the garrison, together with the imprisoned Greek, and were on the way back to the mountains before the weary troops got back to Thera from their false alarms. The negotiations that led to the release of the captured officials arranged also for the completion of the bridge. OFFERS OF WESTERN BRIDES. Such are some of the many stories of this most famous of the Anatolian brigand chiefs. And lately, to the ordinary dangers of Ills profession the perils of notoriety are beginning to be added, for it is said that not infrequently letters reach the Smyrna postal authorities addressed to him by European ladies, who, touching as tourists at that port, have heard the talk of Tehakirdji'sprowess. From these communicatious it appears that it is only his iuaccessibility to postal conveniences that protects him from the trial of having to refuse frequent offers to brighten his mountain cave with the presence of a European bride.