Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

The Bandit King Of The Wild Carpathian Frontier

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Ladies love outlaws

Like babies love stray dogs

Ladies touch babies like a banker touches gold

Outlaws touch ladies somewhere deep down in their souls…

— Lee Clayton

Truth is, EVERYBODY loves outlaws. Every culture has extolled the virtues of the “good” outlaw, the rebel who defies oppressive authority, lives free (often with a band of merry men, almost invariably in mountains and/or forests) and who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. They’re celebrated in song from Russian chansons to Sinaloan narcocorridos. And ladies love them…

Nevermind that the reality is often pretty sordid — “social bandits” as Eric Hobsbawm called them — are folkloric heroes. And folklore trumps history every time.

The point about social bandits is that they are peasant outlaws whom the lord and state regard as criminals, but who remain within peasant society, and are considered by their people as heroes, as champions, avengers, fighters for justice, perhaps even leaders of liberation, and in any case as men to be admired, helped and supported. This relation between the ordinary peasant and the rebel, outlaw and robber is what makes social banditry interesting and significant … Social banditry of this kind is one of the most universal social phenomena known to history.

Pancho Villa is a prime example of the so-called social bandit — the bandit as revolutionary. The Australian Bushrangers — many of “rebel Irish” descent — were seen in that light, too. Rob Roy McGregor was a Highland bandit, a cattle rustler who became a symbol of resistance to Lowland/English oppression — his whole Clan was outlawed by his powerful enemies. There were social bandits in 19th century Italy and 20th century Brazil and Colombia. Pablo Escobar tried to style himself a social bandit, but indiscriminate bombings revealed him as a narco-terrorist.

Some bandits and brigands were local heroes, some became nationalist icons lasting images of rebellion and resistance that define a region and its culture. Such a one was Juraj Janosik.

Janosik enjoyed a brief career as a highwayman in the Carpathian highlands in the early 18th century, and became a hero of Slovak and Polish legend. He was featured in a 1970s TV series that resembles the old Daniel Boone show starring Fess Parker, and was depicted as recently as 2009 in a major motion picture produced in conjunction with HBO.

The region where Janosik operated was a wild and restive part of the Habsburg Empire (what would become the Austro-Hungarian empire). Juraj fought with a band of anti-Habsburg insurgents as a teenager. He ended up pressed into the Hapsburg service, where he proved a liability as a castle guard — he helped a notorious brigand named Tomáš Uhorčík escape from prison. Uhorčík and Janosik formed the requisite band of merry men and made their living — as did many of their compatriots — as highwaymen. Uhorčík settled down to become an innkeeper, and Janosik took the reins as the leader of the band of brigands.

They purportedly eschewed killing, merely robbing rich merchants and sharing their loot with the peasantry in their area of operations — which is simply good tactics, after all. The Habsburg state did not, however, eschew violence, and after Janosik was captured in 1713, he was tried and executed by being impaled and hoisted on a big iron hook. Nasty business.

Yesterday’s brutal execution technique — today’s tourist attraction…

The Carpathian Mountains formed a frontier region and culture deep into the 20th century. For me, the very name evokes dark forests inhabited by European wolves. I love the traditional costume, with its felt hats with the upturned brim, the Hussar boots, the wide belts stuffed with flintlock pistols, the cloaks, and the shepherd’s ax, which did double duty as a cutting implement and a walking stick. Those highland bandits are Frontier Partisan to the core.

The romantic image of the highland bandit was pressed into the service of nascent 19th century nationalism all across Europe, and it is in the 19th century that the legend of Janosik truly bloomed, in poem, novel and broadside. His exploits doubtless were conflated with those of many other outlaws of the era. Just as Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett became the symbols of the “wild frontier” — when Simon Kenton or Sam Brady would have suited the bill even better — Janosik simply captured the public imagination for more than two centuries. And don’t underestimate the power of a cool, alliterative name to keep a bandit’s fame alive.

Just ask Jesse James.

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Matthew says

    The thief that doesn’t use violence does seem to exist. Black Bart in the Old West

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bart_(outlaw)

    There was also Adam Worth who was one of the inspirations for Sherlock Holmes foe Moriarty. (Making him one of the few criminals to better than their fictional counterpart.)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Worth

    Not that they were perfect people.

    You are right about this trope being universally popular. In urban setting, you have the (fictional) thieves Raffles and Arsene Lupin. Later, heroes include Simon Templar. Modesty Blaise was this kind of heroine before the start of her series.

    Reply

  2. Saddle Tramp says

    Vincent Price as Simon Templar is my favorite Saint. Always a treat when it rolled around on Radio Classics on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. In fact every radio version of anything was almost always better. It was those inimitable voices that spurred the imagination. The Romance Of The Ranchos was another radio program series where an installment on Joaquin Murrieta was done. Of course you can hear another great JM vocal story with a sharp edge as done by Dave Alvin. Jim, can hopefully pull up a reference to his piece back in the FP archives.

    Reply

  3. john roberts says

    The ability of outlaws to attract women is something worthy of study. A recurring theme throughout the work of Larry McMurtry is the capacity of women to adore utterly worthless men.

    Reply

    • JimC says

      We should start an online university — Frontier Partisans University (FPU)? — and this could be the keystone course in our gender studies program.

      Reply

        • deuce says

          “The ability of outlaws to attract women is something worthy of study.”

          I reckon there are at least 3 different evolution-based triggers involved, John. Quite the heady cocktail for the women-folk, apparently.

          Reply

          • Matthew says

            You mentioned menfolk pursuing women who aren’t good for us. I remember reading an interview with a psychiatrist who stated that if her bi-polar patients get stopped on the street by men who tell them how beautiful she knows to up their meds because a lot of men are just attracted to literally crazy women. These men often end up complaining about how feminism “ruined” women even though they probably ignore perfectly good women. Sort of how women who always fall for the bad boys end up complaining about “The Patriarchy.”

  4. Saddle Tramp says

    Thanks for posting that up pronto.
    Dave Stamey is another hidden treasure and real. Discovered him in Elko on a quick stop at the Elko Western Folklife Center store. Sure would like to join in on one of his trail rides he does (or did anyway). Oh, and men are not any different as to what makes their blood boil. You know the phrase and anology no doubt. Danger has it’s own attraction. I still carry the wounds myself…

    Reply

    • JimC says

      Tit for tat — I was unaware of Stenka Razin. I’ll enjoy perusing that…

      Stenka Razin’s unpleasant end came with the consolation of a ticket to immortality as Russia’s go-to folklore bandit.

      Good line.

      Reply

  6. lane batot says

    JUST finished George Boxhall’s 1899 edition of “The History Of The Australian Bushrangers”–and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone interested in that fascinating subject of Australian history! Written not long after the “last” bushrangers of the Ned Kelley gang, there is no doubt some effort in this book to suppress any romantic notions exhibited towards these characters–it would be interesting to read a more recent history, which I will probably do!–and compare. One thing that struck me was how YOUNG most of the bushrangers were–mere teenagers or just in their twenties before their “careers” were over. I couldn’t help but think there just might be something to the notion that our brains are not fully developed at that young age,especially in the conscience department! And we don’t tend to make the wisest choices! And I cannot deny I’ve been-there/done-that, in my wilder youth! Perhaps I’ll havta write a book of my own “outlaw” days–I THINK the statutes of limitation er up on most of my past activities!(?) Anyway, I was VERY lucky, and never got nailed–most all of the bushrangers ended very tragically. And didn’t last but a few years at most, once they began their “careers”. Contrast that to the book I also just read about the outlaw Apache Massai, who, although his life ended violently and tragically too, survived over twenty years, kept a wife, had 5 kids, and supported them all despite being constantly hunted—-amazing! But, of course,he was an APACHE!

    Reply

      • lane batot says

        If you are an Apache aficionado, and especially an admirer of Massai, then yes, “Massai: The Last Apache Outlaw” by Grady E. McCright(2008) is worthwhile. BUT, it is terribly edited, with typos on almost every page, and not exactly what one would call “artistic” writing. Not in the same class as “Bronco Apache”, you might say. But it sticks far better to the historical FACTS that we do know about Massai, and weaves a credible tale around what we don’t, which I appreciated enough to overlook all those typos and simplified story-telling. The author actually interviewed Massai’s only surviving daughter, too, in her old age before she passed away, and leaned heavily on Eve Ball’s works, so he certainly did the right research! As for Massai’s 5 children, born in exile as “wild” Apaches, sadly, 3 died very quickly of diseases they hadn’t been exposed to during their free life in the mountain wilderness, after coming in to the reservation where Massai’s wife had relatives, and where she went after Massai was killed. The surviving son died in some altercation as a teen-ager on the rez, and only Massai’s younger daughter lived to adulthood to carry on his memory. But thank goodness for THAT!

        Reply

  7. Black Tyrone says

    She handed him a blunderbuss from underneath her cloak! Brave bold and undaunted was young Brennan on the moor,

    An old theme for certain.

    Reply

  8. lane batot says

    ….I tried to see if that movie were available here in the U. S. A.–no luck(so far). But I’m still glad to learn about a Carpathian Robin Hood! And I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more about him…..

    Reply

  9. Saddle Tramp says

    Jim,

    Opera and Outlaws:

    Listening to the radio here in Denver (Commerce City) and a special came on about the great Baritone Lawrence Tibbet who was born in Bakersfield, CA. His father was killed in a shootout with the desperado Jim McKinney when he was 7 years old. This may not be the outlaw we wish to be associated with as the essay below describes. Regarding Lawrence, I have always said that genius or greatness knows no geography or circumstance. You probably know of McKinney, but for me it took Opera to get introduced.

    Here’s a brief story on McKinney and the shootout and eventual result of it:

    http://www.tularehistoricalmuseum.org/james.html

    Reply

  11. Thanatos says

    If you liked him, you’ll love the Hungarian betyárs (highwaymen) of the Great Hungarian Plain and the mountains:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqmtIWFzyNo

    Especially Sándor Rózsa, undisputed Betyár King, hardman, revolutionary and folk hero of Hungary. He dies in 1878 and even the New York Times wrote an eulogy.

    This is an exceptional site, greetings from Hungary! Keep up the good work!

    Reply

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