The Key West Citizen

Famed Greek Lovers Have Separated

Tassoula Says She Was Kidnapped And Wanted To Return Home All The Time

ATHENS, Greece (P)—The father of Crete's Juliet said today she left her cave-man Romeo because she never really loved him. George Petracogeorgi, a member of the Greek Parliament, denied reports that his 20-year-old daughter, Tassoula, left fiery Costa Kephaloyannis because of a tiff over where they should live together.

Tassoula left Costa Thursday and returned to her family in Herakleion. She was reported in bed overcome by the nervous crisis.

The Kephaloyannis and Petracogeorgis, rival Crete clans, have been feuding for years. Petracogeorgi said Tassoula had consented to live for awhile with Costa after he had abducted her and he wed her only because she wanted to avoid reprisals against her father and relatives. He produced letters from relatives in Athens in which Tassoula was said to be most anxious to return to her father when the opportune moment came. He said he would not give up his efforts to have his daughter's marriage annulled by the courts as he never considered the marriage valid.

Meanwhile, extra editions of Greek newspapers rolling off the presses in Athens continued to tell of the spat. They said the marriage went on the rocks because Tassoula insisted on living in Athens. Costa tried to persuade her to stay at Herakleion because of his business interests there.

The lovers' families both are powerful and long have held low opinions of each other. Feuding nearly broke out over the romance. The police commander in Herakleion said he was taking precautions against a revival of the age-old family political feud.