BANDIT’S FORTUNE

Evening Star, Issue 22891, 24 February 1938, Page 1

BANDIT’S FORTUNE

f THE MYSTERY OF A MAZE lb would hardly be thought possible for the League of Nations to be associated closely with the mystery of a lost treasure, but this happened in 1921, when the League was asked to settle a territorial dispute between Greece and Albania, the territory comprising a strip of land near Janina, says a writer in the ‘ Daily Express.’Why should either country bother itself about so small an area? The answer is that somewhere in that area legend says that there lies a treasure so rich as to bo almost incalculable, the spoil of the years of banditry of Ali Pasha, the greatest of all Albanian bandits. Coffers of Venetian ducats, gold chains, diamonds, rubies, pearls, golden chalices stolen from churches, necklaces torn from the necks of fair women, ransoms paid by rich merchants for their lives, plate from the plunder of caravans ■ — all these riches are said to lie where Ali Pasha placed them, deep in the vaults under one of the many ■“ palaces of delight ” which he built in his days of affluence. Ali Pasha was the son of a woman leader of a band of Albanian brigands. When his father wag slain by neigh bouring chiefs she instilled into her son a .bitter hatred of the men who had killed his father. When ho grew up he took to banditry, soon becoming one of the fiercest and most bloodthirsty of the men of the mountains. One by on© be shot or captured his father’s slayers, and those he took alive he sent to protracted death, gloating over their sufferings in the most fiendish tortures.

Helping the poor and idolised by them, Ali Pasha waged war on the rest of mankind, killing without compunction and respecting nothing that stood in the way of further gain. Churches were burnt, priests were slain, sanctuaries were violated, the daughters of rich merchants_ were captured and added to his harem; wherever there glittered a diamond or shone a ruby Ali Pasha and his followers rod© for plunder. The Turkish authorities were powerless.*’ It is said that by bribery he bought immunity, and that instead of being a hunted assassin he lived the life of a great lord. In time he came to be regarded as virtual king of Albania, with thousands of daring, determined troops to uphold his position. So powerful did Alt Pasha become that ho was able to give material help to the Turks'in their vvar with Russia in 1787. Later he became an ally of Napoleon. ■. Bat ever treacherous an/- greedjnu.f gain Ali PashaU betray ini hboth bis former allies. At last be was assassinated as be left the tent of the Grand found it bard to believe either in its size or in the manner in which it bad been hidden. None the less, a number of circumstances which came to light after Ali’s death caused the Turkish Government to make a detailed search for the hoard. The searchers, however, were unable to find it. But in 1923 certain discoveries were made which convinced the authorities that the treasure might still exist, and much money was spent in excavations near Janina. • .. The first discovery was that or a subterranean passage nearly I,oooyds in length. It led from the surface into the earth, hut from it there sprang innumerable other passages, some of them natural, some carved by the hand of man. Certain of these passages had blind ends, other turned and twisted until they came out again on the main passage. It was obvious that great care had been taken to make the entrance to Ali’s treasure chamber as difficult and puzzling as possible. Vizier after he had concluded peace negotiations with the Turks, SEEKING HIS TREASURE. Ever since Ali Pasha died Governments and private treasure hunters have sought for th© vast treasure which it is said, he amassed. The legend says that of all the strongholds which Ali built for himself he liked best that which was situated near Janina and that beneath his palace he had constructed vast vaults reached by subterranean passages carved in ,the solid rock. A maze was constructed so that anyone who might break in would lose himself and die of hunger before he found the great crypt guarded by iron doors, where the treasure lay. Night and day armed sentries guarded the entrances to the maze. By the door of th© crypt there stood a faithful follower who had sworn to apply to a mass of gunpowder buried beneath the crypt the torch which he always carried should any armed force break in to seize the hoard of his master.

While his men thus watched the treasure Ali spent his leisure in the palace above. Costly foods and wines were always on his table; he was waited on by the most beautiful of slaves; graceful girls amused him; he was clothed in silk; he listened to the

music of his own band of players. Ali Pasha lived like soma sultan from the ■ pages of the ‘ Arabian Nights.’’ So fantastic is Ali Pasha’s story that although it -was known that he had' secreted a great treasure the _ world There were grim discoveries in the subterranean passages. Twenty-seven skeletons were found. , Some were those of men who had entered and had been lost; others lay in positions which suggested that they had been stabbed l, to death. These discoveries having been made, and thereby to a certain extent proving the truth of the old stories, it might have been thought that the way to the crypt was clear and that all the excavator’s had to do was to carry on with the work of clearing the tunnels of debris until they s reached the iron door behind which the treasure lay. EFFORT SLACKENED. There, however, was the mystery. Because although they had met with these successes they failed to persevere with their project. _ Steadily their efforts weakened, their hopes faded, and at last only two or three men were left to undertake the task erf clearing the fallen'■ rook and accumulation of years from the subterranean maze. Interest flared up again for a short time when M. Lambros took charge o£ the work. An aged eccentric, M. Lambros announced that he was convinced that the treasure was not far distant,and that he would speedily 'come upon it. He set more men to work, and once again the people of Janina began to speculate on the dimensions of the store of gold and jewels which would shortly be brought to light. Newspaper men' rushed out from Athens and other cities to bp on the scene when the iron door was found and broken down. It seemed that a startling discovery was about to he made. But a douche of cold water was, thrown on the enterprise when: it was learned that M. Lambros was relying / on “ spirit messages ” to guide him to the treasure. He had announced that the spirit of Archimedes had assured him that Ali Pasha’s gold r weighed 10 tons, and that the;same spirit had re-, vealed to him the plan of a wonderful machine, which would work without fuel aiid revolutionise existing conditions of industry and transport. Finding that M. Lambros was an eccentric and that there was very slender hope of finding the crypt and the treasure, the newspaper reporters departed. Once again the treasure of Ali Pasha became forgotten by the world. Where is that old brigand’s hoard f Did he_ get rid of all hip ill-gotten wealth in bribery and luxurious living? Did his supposedly faithful retainers ; help themselves when news of-his assassination their ears? Or does it really lie hidden in that maze of , , rock? ‘ ■ ’

'Anyone wKo cares can obtain a concession Without’ much difficulty if ho agrees to share the proceeds if a discovery, is made. Perhaps one day the mystery of this great will he solved.