The day that I was about to send M. Hermann Schultz's story to the
publishers, I received from the correspondent to whom I had sent the
MS., the following letter:
Sir: The history of the King of the Mountains is the invention of
an enemy of truth and the gendarmerie. No persons mentioned have
set foot in Greece. The police have never vised any passports
bearing the name of Mrs. Simons. The Commandant at Piraeus has
never heard of The Fancy nor of Mr. John Harris. The Phillips
Brothers do not remember of ever having employed Mr. William
Lobster. No diplomatic agent has known any Maltese of the name of
Giacomo Fondi. The National Bank of Greece has nothing with which
to reproach itself, and it has never had on deposit, any funds made
by brigandage. If it had received them, it would have considered it
a duty to have confiscated them for its profit. I hold, for your
inspection, the list of our officers of the gendarmerie. You will
find no trace of M. Pericles. I know only two men of that name; one
is a tavern-keeper in Athens; the other sells spices in Tripolitza.
As for the famous Hadgi-Stavros, whose name I have heard to-day,
for the first time, he is a fabulous being whom one must relegate
to Mythology. I confess, in all sincerity, that there have been
sometimes brigands in the country. The principal ones were
destroyed by Hercules or Theseus, who may be considered as the real
founders of Greek gendarmerie. Those who escaped the hands of these
two heroes, have fallen under the blows of our invincible army.
The author of the romance has displayed as much ignorance as
dishonesty, in attempting to prove that brigandage exists to-day. I
would give a great deal to have this romance published, may be in
France, or in England, with the name and portrait of M. Schultz.
The world would know by what gross artifices he has attempted to
make every civilized nation suspicious of us.
As for you, Monsieur, who have always given us justice, accept the
assurance of the kindest sentiments, with which I have the honor of
being,
Your very grateful servant,
Patriotis Pseftis.
"Author of a volume of Dithyrambics upon the regeneration of
Greece; editor of the Journal l'Esperance; member of the
Archaeological Society of Athens; corresponding member of the
Academy of the Ionian Isles; stockholder in the National Company of
the Spartan Pavlos."