An interesting insight into the yorkings of the kidnapping system. was afforded the other day in the case of an old woman, the mother of a small farmer, who was carried. off. The robbers visited his hamlet late in the evening after all the soldiers were safely shut up in ther various billets in the large towns as the custom is. On departing they called out to him the name of the village where the ransom for his mother was to be brought within three days. This village contains a post of soldiers, by the way, but it is a curious fact that the soldiers are seldom able to find brigands when looking for them whilst the bearers of ransom money never seem to have any trouble in that direction. In this case, however, the farmer had little ready money and was not able to sell his bit of land, about 100 mow, at such quick notice, so he sent a friend to try to persuade the robbers to be patient and came himself to me to ask me to report the matter to our commanding officer here to see if the soldiers could do anything. However, other friends intervened and showed him the danger to his mother and himself in such a course and urged him to sell his land as quickly as possible to pay up the ransom, for robber vengeance is ro small thing, and nothing much goes on that they are not informed" about by the parties who supply them with rifles and ammunition.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.