New-York tribune. [volume], July 10, 1904, Page 6, Image 33

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6
nation thai h<- has aroused Moorish
historians have not been at much
pains to tell in detail the impressive
lesson of the extinction ol the
pirates of old. All the Moors
readily believe the tale that the
Spaniards of the Tangier colony till.
that in the Spanish-American Wai- it
was the United States thai went
down in utter defeat before the
Spaniards. Few Moors travel. The
mosque teachers inveigh against it.
They threaten perdition to all who
die without the geographical pale of
the Moslem faith. The tales of our
greatness brought back by Oriental
Jewish merchants are
sneered at as romances.
The recent Anglo-
French treaty, which
will soon cause France
t<> Ih 1 installed as the
modem agent "• the
queer land untouched
by the passing of cen
turies, may bring about
a lone of allies to
hunt down Moorish
bandits. Such assist
ance would beof value.
The larger the force sent
out. the more readily the
desperadoes would \k*
properly impressed.
R a i s v 1 i a 1 w a y s
claimed royal blood —
the child of a holy
man and a slave
woman. ll ' wears the
green burnoose that is
the insignia "i a sherif
— one who has blood
descent fro m the
Prophet His abode
has lieen everywhere in
the mountains When
I knew •■! him hi band
numbered two hun
dred men. as well as
fifty giant Nubians
slaves from the caravans. He had a noble number
of wives. His expeditions moved in a long string of
laden camels and mutes. He and his men lived entin !y
in tents. The tent of Kaisuli had the barbaric splendor
of many colors, and ii (.enter pol had on the top a
golden hall .i m.;u of the occupancy by royalty.
Kaisuli was treated l»y his men as courtiers treat a
Kin^,'. Wherever he went he was attended l>y two
huge, N'uliian slaves. He. was a poet and a philosopher,
and his flamboyant contributions are read at social
gatherings ii the mosques. The minstrels in the
coffee houses found him an ever pleasing subject for
their son^s and stories.
His first lessons in kidnapping were supplied by his
own Government. Asa child Kaisuli lived among the
Zemmur trilie in the interior. There, when he was .i
youngster, the Sultan' force came one day on a tax
gathering expedition, and when the tribesmen did not
yield sufficient in money, cattle and sugar-loaves an«l
grain, Raisuli and several other young men vvei
taken to prison in Fez and held as captives until
such time as the tribesmen should bring in the
taxes demanded as the ransom of the prisoners.
This kidnapping of young men from the tribes
in arrears on the payment of the taxes is the
favorite method ol the bashaws everywhere in
Morocco for keeping their coffers Tilled.
For a long time Raisuli and his Land con
tented themselves with despoiling caravans in
the interior. They did not seek to moles: the
Europeans at Tangier. Indeed, their hiding
places wire several days' journey from the sea
port where is the big colony oi Europeans an
the legations of all the Powers.
The Moors of Tangier long had been accus
tomed to the Europeans, and were decidedly
friendly in every respect except as to the
admission of Christians to the interior of the
mosques. On this point they were sullen ami
ti11.!... in. To bu sure, there is a warning
issued by the officials to all Europeans that the
Government will Ik- responsible for no indem
nity in case of injury or robbery to Europeans
going ;.!.out the city and it ; suburbs at night,
unless they have furnished themselves with the
i-m ■i" of two soldiers, for which service one
pays ;ib ut fifty rents. This, however, was a
pie, aution again: I the thieves and highwaymen
who usually came into the big market place
just outside the city gates in the wake of the
car ivans.
Bui live year ago Rai uli descended ■ n
Tangier. lie had heard tales of the wealth
"' the :•■■ ;•< .vi .. A ide, semi-circular beach
Entrun< ■ la
An.. .... Consulate
..t T....,-.» -r
SUNDAY MAGAZINE for JULY 10. 1904
Torr.s.
l"or«-ij',n Mir»i->t«-r
uuisuie me gates <>i i angler on
the Modi ; i.ii.i an >hore is the
Spanish colony >>i the Moorish
town. It numbers several thou
sands.
In .1 little, stone house, painted
sky-blue, lived an old Spaniard
with Ins married daughter, hei
husband ami their two little
children — Ramon and I'atahna
111 1 ■ rrez. The Spaniard ton- the
repute of being .i miser who,
though he went about in shabby
clothing, really had a fortune
thai would have enabled him to
live in princely style had be
cared to d>> so. Tins was tK
:;.,^,ij> of the housewives, and it
reached the camp 1 4 Raisuli.
With only three >>! his followers,
he toned his way into the little
hoim. 1 by the sea and bore away
the children. U'aring them from
:tn- arms ot their parents, and killim; the desperati
fatbrr.
Tlu-n came the usual demands for the payment i>f .>
heavy ransom. It was made u> the ol»| man Ii
was in vain thai he protestc«l that h<- was not a mi-, r.
that he had no wealth \l>- permitted representatives
. ■• Kaisuti t<> search the home, and even dig about the
premises, to satisfy them that no hidden gold was
there. When the thus that the tales of the oil
m.ni's wealth were false was tak< n to Rai uli hi
chagrin was such thai he brought the little children
to his t< -nt and had th-::i munk'red — indeed, some
accounts have ii that it was his own scimiter that
struck the fatal blows. For more than three years
the fate of th children at the hands of their cm '.
captor remained unknown; bui Professor Wistermark,
th. noted traveler and sociological writer, who s;>e?it
three years touring in Morocco gathering material for
a hook concerning Oriental superstitions, brought
Ii • k to Tangier the horrible story ■• the bandit's
>!«.... >..:, \V«»ni.i. on ilv Op.-nin;; !>..> o f .!>.- : ..m .-i »•..,„... 1..
C ulif Ab'cl *.■! M..1.. t K
Kaisuli undoubtedly feare.l
ill Calif, who •■■:- M :::■.: h
feared by the peasantry as himself, and he knew the
the old man's ■•■'■•■•„. might work to secure his
betrayal It was a case of the matching of the wits
of the authorized robber and the freebooter. Raisuli
won. an.! put his old enemj to horrible teg tun jg
revenue for the harassing he had undergone.
He succeeded through the aid of the people of the
Pahs. Their villages are only about live miles from
Tangier. Indeed, from the cowl they easily can be
made out with a good pan oi :ield--.;las>es. The CaKf
had seized as hostage fof unpaid taxes the son of the
chieftain of the Pahs people*. The youth was thrown
into the black prison at Tangier. He only recent!? had
taken his first wife. Raisuli. a friend of the (.hit train
through their dual claim of descent bom 3fohammed>
prevailed upon the old man to send the lad' girl
wife into Tangier with ransom money, goats and
'•tjaf loaves t.> secure the boy's release. The old
chieftain and a small retinue accompanied the pretty
R umtli knew, as did all others who have ever liveil
in Tangier, the evil life thai the CaKf led, and !
knew of the treatment thai so comely a girl ■
receive at his hands. The boy was released the daj
atter the ransom money \\a< paid: bui his wife was
[■Tied into the harem of the CaKf, to be released lati r
and seni back to b i young husband.
Then the bandit chief stirred the tribesmen to
bitter anger against the CaKf, so ...... ■•
he appeared to colled taxes the tribe attacked him
and Ins tram. Tiny drove the Califs forces bock 1
Tangier. The old man they kept captive. R.t:-
directed the torturing. A platform of stones \\ t
heated, and the CaKf, first having undergone t
degradation "i havine his beard shaved off. and •
murder <>i the little Spaniards.
Cupidity was the . MM that
led At. 1 '.-1 Malach. the Lieu-
I i !•. • Go* mi 0 of Tangier, to
maki- an effort lo captum
Raisuli. The Lieutenant-dov
in.' or Calif, was constantly
making r.is.-. ..;;.,•;: vxpi di
tanas to the hul-tribes, to tmd
that Raisuli had been there
I it; fore him and mad,,- , ,;i ••;;
the tlo» ks and whatever money
there was to Ik- found. The
old <"aht bears an unsavory
reputation himself for •hi ex
tortionate tax demands thai he
presses upon the peasantry, a.n< i
tor the methods be [nit in use t i
sectnc ■■'::■ I with these
demands. Hi often imprisoned
members oi tribes until they
■.-.• ' be ran-. d, Mil some
he even put to torture. Kaisuli,
therefore, was most unwelcome
in the territory.
Barca.
a Port C ■• pl> in
bring stripped of his . -
. • .1 garments and clothed
in women's anpairl, .vas
nade to do a erote> in
\.> \...1,...,» M.,,,1
■ m>l ghastly sham) face, strapped t<> the
'•'t->' the iuj*ml and greatly u-.. I
Calif .■!' Tangier.
i witnessed five months afterward
t>.xprttitk»n th.it the >•:!.:.;,.!. blii I I
I'uhJ srnt out to revenge the terrible
( Continued on JURY rSj
dance on the -yd
!'.' >1 stones. A-- r
ward with red
hot gun ramrods
they bui iw «] oat
his eyes. Then
thry seaird the
nuwln and ten
dons o| his Kmbs,
iwymiigj the m
h..;vlossly. l-;::.,!
ly they strapped
Ibe tot t ared,
shriwlfil i n '-
tun.- to the I'.u k
>>t his horse, and
un.K-r the high
in. >.>n!:^hi in th ■
early hours . I
tli t- in raiv. i*
the horse halted
before the gates
"t Tangier. It
.is many min
ntrs brton by
the light It the
•1.1. silver fan
trim the soldiers
.it the gate cocld
recr»gmze in the
distort*-*! neix