"Melas amidst a torrential rain (it was the month of November) and the deep darkness
of the night, walking through the high mountains of Tyrsia, reached
Korestia and had to stay at the village Statista,
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a mixed village, for his men to relax and dry up, before they resumed their route to Zelovo. It was then
that Mitros Vlahos who seems to have been informed about all the movements of Melas
sent a letter from Konoblati written in Greek to the captain of the Turkish army nearby
pointing out the place where Melas was staying. The letter has been written by a certain
Konstantinos on the command of Mitros Vlahos and in that he allegedly notified the Turks that in Statista
in the so-and-so place Mitros Vlahos hides for the murder of whom the Turkish government
had promised a generous reward because of his many and atrocious crimes. His trick proved successful. The
Turkish captain rushed immediately and besieged the very same night Statista and the house where Melas
was staying. From the barks of the dogs Melas realized that all was not well. And at that point he committed
a serious mistake. With the gun in hand he wanted to get out to reconnoitre. The moment he walked out the
door a volley of the soldiers shot him dead. He didn't die immediately but a little later.
He had been hit in the belly. His men, seven in number, who had spent the night with him in
the same house, pulled his body inside, closed the door and fought for a while. In the end
they were forced to surrender, after having first hidden the body of their leader. The Turks took in
triumph the seven men and left without even being aware that Melas was dead. These were Giorgis Volanis,
the brave Cretan who later excelled as commander in arms of the struggle and his kins Vangelis, Grigoris
and Hristos. These were sent to the prisons of Kastoria. Karalivanos along with the others who had stayed
in other houses were saved."
G. Karavangelis, "O Makedonikos Agon. Apomnimonevmata", in
Archive of Macedonian Struggle of Penelope Delta. Apomnimonevmata Germanou
Karavangeli, Georgiou Dikonimou Makri, Panayioti Papatzanetea, Thessaloniki,
Institute for Balkan Studies, 1984, pp.43-44.
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