Page 657 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

by now. They previously beat him up with rifle butts. He is on his deathbed...
Sulja Zeković from Makreš, blackmailed Kitan Djoković from Rajanovac to pay him two liras: unless he was given the money until certain deadline, he would kidnap his fiancé je- lena, daughter of Fila from Miganovac.
On October 11, Sulja Zeković and Memed from Makreš beat Pera Djokoc from Grizina with clubs having ambushed him on the road only because he proposed to a beautiful Ser- bian girl, daughter of Marko Savić from Chukatica and was accepted while the above mentioned Memed wanted to take her for himself. Hence, none of the Serbs is allowed to mar- ry this girl. Now her father is offering Memed 5 liras to al- low her to marry a Serb, but Memet demands 10 liras.
Miljko Stanković from Miganovci fled from albanian ter- ror to Serbia having left his entire property.
November 3rd, 1894
Unidentified albanians murdered Fila Marković from Lješ- ter in the village watermill. Fila being a very prosperous man and respected in the entire district. People say that being the
only motive for the murder.
On November 3rd, Feta Kokić and Mamut from Gilane
beat up Trajko Stanković from Bušinica breaking his leg for having paid them the tithe in wheat as he did not have the money, while they demanded money by all means.
in Grizina, the above mentioned Feta and Mamut were selling wheat at the price of one oka per grosh forcing vil- lagers to buy it even though they did not need it and it was superfluous for them. anyone refusing to buy was being beaten up. almost the entire village fled to the woods.
On November 4th, Sulejman Kokić and his son from Gi- lane pointed their rifle at jevta ivković from Bušnica. The rifle would not fire, hence jevta managed to escape. They have been staying in the village for three weeks with their gang while villagers are obliged to provide them with food while they are forcing villagers to buy wheat at high price though it is superfluous for them.
On November 4th, Sulja Zekin from Makreš, captured Priest arsa from Kamenica demanding that the whole vil- lage convert to islam and turn Turk. Thus he kept him for 24 hours, torturing him and threatening that he would shave his beard and kill him. The priest barely escaped and only after he had given all the money he had to Sulja.
Stanko N. from Vitina let her younger daughter marry into the village [...] a certain Sali-Bislja, a chaush, who is paid by the state as a state employee but does not go to work – leading a bandit’s life with hajduks in the mountain instaed, kidnapped that bride for his brother. He was holding her captive in Gilan for 5–6 days, forcing her to wear Turkish national dress and taking her to the Ucumat [Turkish Court, Local Government’s Office] to declare that she would like “to turn Turk” and embrace islam. Her parents also being present there. She declared that she would not turn Turk. When Sali-chaush heard that, he killed [...] first the father and then the mother of the bride doing all that before the very door of the Kaymakam himself [kaymakam –governor of a provincial district]. after that, he quietly descended from the third-floor of the ucumat, mounted his horse and left Gi-
Sources and Testimonies
lane calmly and without any haste or rush. No one even tried to catch him although the ucumat was full of zaptiahs [po- lice, guards] who could have easily caught him for Sali is lame and thus unable to run.—Petrija, the woman whose parents were murdered by Sali Bislah Chaush, is being guarded in a house which the property of the municipality, and is guard- ed by the very same zaptiahs who were actually Sali’s accom- plices. They are trying to persuade her to turn Turk threat- ening to kill her younger brother. The people of Gilan com- plained in a dispatch to His imperial Majesty the Sultan him- self. The valija of Skoplje [vali—Turkish governor of a vilay- et] promised to come in person to investigate the murder and to arrest Sali-chaush but until today, March 20, he has not come.
Sali Bislja-chaush is an outlaw and bandit in the moun- tains but no one is looking for him. in the beginning of March, in 1895, he decapitated Toma from Mogila, a district in Gi- lane, with an axe when Toma was going to the woods to col- lect firewood.
an elderly woman named Zdravka, form Bušinica, went to ajnovci to visit her daughter. On the road, in a field near ajnovci, 5 nizams [regular soldiers of the Turkish army], from the border (the Svirci watchtower) obstructed her path, tied her up and three of them raped her. That happened around St. Dimitrius’ Day. Since then, the old lady has been lying se- riously ill.
December 4th, 1894
Džema Selimović fired twice from the hand gun at Marko N. from Robovac but missed him. Marko went to Gilane to file a complaint (make a formal accusation) but got lost
somewhere on the road and, so far, has not come back. Sulja Zeković from Makreš blackmailed Dima Stojković from the village of Čukarica. Dima did not have the money to pay and Sulja beat him up so ferociously that he is now
on his deathbed.
ali-aga Saitović from Gilan had beaten up and then tried
to kill Djoka Stević from Čukarica. Djoka fled to the wood where he was hiding for 7 days. after having sent one lira to ali-aga, the latter allowed him to freely return home.
amet Ukshinov, a kaçak from Makreš, tied up jevta Fili- pović from Carevac in the woods. He was trying to extort money from him but since jevta had no money to give him, amet beat him up ferociously.
January 5th, 1895
Mula Durak, a tasildar (tax-collector, a man of the empire), the notorious zulumćar [perpetrator of zulum/terror/dep- redation/violence], who had killed Miljko N. from Ajnovci two years ago, this winter has also perpetrated terrible zu- lum while collecting imperial taxes.
For the tax in the amount of 16 groschen, he beat up and whipped Simeon Simeonović hitting him in the eyes so that the poor man went blind and who knows whether he has ever regained his sight. Simeon is from Bušinci. in the same vil- lage, Mula Durak beat Denča Djordjević to death, so the man is now on his deathbed. He also kept other villagers, who could not pay the tax, for [. . .] hours naked in the water or barefoot in the snow. Villages are in deep mourning due to the zulum committed by Mula Durak.
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