Gonos Yotas

Gonos Yotas (Γεώργιος Γιώτας) was born in a small village called Loudias (at that time had the name Plugar) near Giannitsa. He was a member of relatively wealthy family. In his time Greeks and Bulgarians were fighting to gain independence of Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire and subsequently to unite Macedonia with Greece or Bulgaria (respectively). The result of this, was a fierce fighting especially in the period 1902-1908 when each side was fighting everyone else. Fierce Battles occurred around and in the large lake of Giannitsa (a large marsh drained in 1930s) where Gonos Yotas distinguished himself and became a legendary figure for the Greeks , especially the locals of Giannitsa taking the nickname 'The Ghost of the Marsh'. On February 12th 1911 after a betrayal, during the exchange of fire with the Ottoman Army he was shot and killed in Nisi (a village near Giannitsa, now in the Imathia Prefecture). The famous book of Penelope Delta 'In the secrets of the Marsh' (Στα μυστικά του Βάλτου) speaks about the struggle of the lake of Giannitsa, refers to him and includes events related to him.