On this day the "Epirotic Company" is founded - Spyromilios is a founding member

Η ίδρυση της «Ηπειρωτικής Εταιρείας» στα πρότυπα της γνωστής «Φιλικής Εταιρείας» που έδρασε για να επαναστατήσει ο υπόδουλος ελληνισμός κατά των Οθωμανών, είχε ως απώτερο σκοπό τη συνέχιση του αγώνα με την περεταίρω εξάπλωσή του σε περιοχές οι οποίες δεν είχαν ακόμη ελευθερωθεί και στέναζαν υπό τον τουρκικό ζυγό. Έτσι λίγα χρόνια πριν τους Βαλκανικούς Πολέμους, ιδρύθηκε στην Αθήνα την 25η Μαρτίου του 1906 από επιφανείς Ηπειρώτες η «Ηπειρωτική Εταιρεία», γνωστή κυρίως ως «Ηπειρωτικό Κομιτάτο», που έπαιξε βαρυσήμαντο ρόλο στην περιοχή της Ηπείρου κατά τα τελευταία χρόνια της τουρκοκρατίας. Εξάλλου, η είδηση του θανάτου του Παύλου Μελά το 1904 στη Στάτιστα της Καστοριάς είχε προκαλέσει ιδιαίτερη συγκίνηση στους Ηπειρώτες, καθώς η οικογένειά του καταγόταν από την Ήπειρο και ανέκαθεν συνέδραμε με κοινωφελή έργα και προσφορές στην περιοχή των Ιωαννίνων, του Πωγωνίου, της Δερόπολης, του Αργυροκάστρου, της Χιμάρας κ.α.

The mastermind and soul of the entire action of the "Epirotic Committee" was the Chimaera Gendarmerie Sub-Commander Spyros Spyromilios, who had already developed significant action in Macedonia, mainly against the Bulgarian committee leaders in the Vermion region.

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However, the first President of the "Epirotic Committee" was Lieutenant Colonel of Artillery Panagiotis Dagklis, who was a descendant of the chieftains of 1821 from Souli, and as he was particularly beloved in the army and maintained excellent relations with the royal family, he was considered the most suitable for this undertaking.

Furthermore, the founding team was flanked by prominent Epirote officers: Engineer Major Christos Malamos, Finance Lieutenant Christos Chronis, Lieutenant Vasilis Melas and Lieutenant Charilaos Liampeis.

In addition to the military, several of the founding members of the "Epirotic Committee" were politicians and intellectuals, such as the journalist and writer Christos Christovasilis, the Vice-Professor of the University Miltiadis Pantazis, the lawyer Pericles Karapanos, the politician Avgerinos Averof, the journalist Georgios Gagaris, the general director of SPAP Georgios Doumas ("Railways - Athens - Piraeus - Peloponnese") as well as others.

Immediately afterwards, the three directorates of the Committee were established in the three most important urban centers of Epirus, where there were also consulates. In Ioannina (A), Preveza (B) and Gjirokastra (C), the organization of which was personally undertaken by Spyromilios.

The main burden of the action was shouldered by the 1st Directorate of Ioannina, led by Lieutenant Konstantinos Tsirigotis, who was officially the Secretary of the local Consulate. The transmission of information to free Greece was done via cryptographic code, while the transport of the correspondence was done by trusted individuals, special postmen, villagers, shepherds, carriers or even with the participation of coachmen who transported it to special crypts.

The Preveza Division, where Artillery Lieutenant Ioannis Papaioannou was stationed, also carried out significant action. The action of the Gjirokastra Division, where Infantry Lieutenant Nikolaos Kontogouris was seconded in 1908, was limited due to the chaotic situation prevailing in the area.

The "Epirotic Committee" was founded according to the model of the "Friendly Society" with its cadres organized into secret groups that were distinguished in three hierarchical levels: "partners", "brothers" and "liberators" who swore loyalty and devotion to their patriotic duty. During the first year of the Committee's existence, the initiates in Ioannina reached 300 and in the countryside 1,500, but they quickly multiplied throughout the entire sanjak of Ioannina.

The Committee, in addition to the information it sent to Free Greece, began to initiate, organize and secretly equip groups throughout Epirus. Individuals from the class of “Freedmen” transported weapons and ammunition in animal skins. The route they followed was: Kalarrites – Driscos – Monastery of Dourachanis – Lake Ioannina, where the weapons were temporarily hidden in selected locations. From there they were transported throughout Epirus.

During the first two years of the Committee's activity, 1,450 weapons were transferred to Epirus, while by the eve of the Balkan Wars, according to the Daglis archive, approximately 15,000 weapons had been transported.