In the post-revolutionary period, robbery was on the rise, despite the various measures taken by governments to eliminate it. The sparsely populated countryside, inadequate policing, lax guarding of the Greek-Turkish border and the political immunity of some bandits contributed to the phenomenon throughout the 19th century.
On 30 March 1870, a group of English travellers and diplomats set out on a visit to Marathon, accompanied by men from the Gendarmerie. It consisted of Lord and Lady Lancaster, their young friend Frederick Weiner, the lawyer Edward Lloyd, the third secretary of the British Embassy in Athens Edward Herbert, and the secretary of the Italian Embassy in Athens, Count Alberto de Boyle, who joined the party at the last moment. Everything was going smoothly when, on the return journey, the excursionists were ambushed by the large gang of the brothers Takos and Christos Arvanitakis near Pikermi. The accompanying gendarmes were easily overpowered and the group of travellers found themselves in the hands of the Arvanitakis.
Takos Arvanitakis, who was the leader of the gang, communicated to the government of Thrasybulus Zaimis its demands, which were a ransom of 50,000 and the granting of amnesty. And while the British embassy accepted the kidnappers' terms, the government was opposed. The Minister of Military Affairs, Scarlatos Soutsos, argued that any concession to the bandits' demands would be an unacceptable humiliation for the country. On top of that, he invoked a constitutional impediment to granting amnesty, only to receive an ironic response from a Forrest Office official: "I would not be able to admit as valid the objection to the unconstitutionality of amnesty. The Greek Constitution has been so often violated by the government that I would not be able to pay attention to a decision based on such an excuse."
The delay in the government's reply angered the kidnappers and Lord Lancaster, one of the hostages, asked to be allowed to return to Athens to collect the ransom and arrange for the amnesty to be granted. The English nobleman arrived in Athens, but the government remained adamant and even took action, sending a military detachment to discover and arrest the kidnappers.
The Arvanitakis, who were well acquainted with the localities of Attica, escaped through Penteli and Parnitha and fled to Oropos, having first released the women. From there, they signaled to the government that if the pursuit continued, they would be forced to kill the prisoners. Soutsos, who had the general command from the government side, was now only discussing the unconditional release of the kidnapped and the favourable treatment of the kidnappers. At the same time, military detachments were trying to trap the bandits in Attica to prevent them from escaping to the Greek-Turkish border, which was then located just above Lamia.
On 9 April 1870, the men of one detachment came face to face with the Arvanitakis at Delesi, a coastal area north of Oropos. They killed the four hostages and then tried to escape. From the shootings that followed, only Takis Arvanitakis managed to escape. 20 of his men were killed on the spot, among them his brother Christos, and nine were arrested and later sentenced to death and executed.
The embarrassment for our country was great and its prestige was shattered. The European press referred to Greece as a "country of semi-barbarians", a "den of bandits and pirates", and called it a "disgrace to civilization", "put outside the circle of civilized states". Some English government officials said that "the robberies are decided in Athens, where the money is distributed", implying a connection between the robbers and political power, while others called for military intervention in Greece.
The situation was saved by the philhellenic Foreign Minister Gladstone and the ambassadors of Russia and the United States, who supported the actions of the Greek government.
The situation was saved by the philhellenic Foreign Minister Gladstone and the ambassadors of Russia and the United States, who supported the actions of the Greek government.
The situation was saved by the philhellenic Foreign Minister Gladstone and the ambassadors of Russia and the United States, who supported the actions of the Greek government. Eventually, Greece was obliged to express its regrets to the governments of England and Italy and to pay each of the victims' families the sum of £22,000.
Source: sansimera.gr
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
