Show The Last Slave Market M Morocco the t Only Ony Civilized Bought ought Country Count and anti Where Were Sold S ld Human Huan Beings Are Ae Still New York Tribune The sacrifice of ot human life le by the African slave trade alone was esti estimated est estimated mated by Livingstone at half hal a million milon milona a year but civilization has waged a grand and successful fight against it since his day Shameful traffic of this kind is now almost altogether a thing thins of ot the past pat and ad the severest penalties are enacted against it I by all al enlightened enlightened ened nations And yet in spite spie of ot this one otle empire remains where with wih cynical cynical ical lel indifference human beings are bought bough and sold in ln open ope market pur purchasers purchaser purchasers chasers chaser haying having absolute control over life and ad an l limb Stranger still this empire far from being remote from is with within wit in cannon shot hot of ot the fortress of ot Gib Gibraltar Gibraltar and the coast of Spain I allude to Morocco the last independent Mo Mohammedan Mohammedan Mohammedan empire of or Africa whose fate tate may soon be decided by France For a hundred years determined efforts have been bce l made politically and other otherwise otherwise otherwise wise to suppress the Moorish slave trade yet et without avail Morocco said Lord Salisbury in a notable speech remains the home of ot the worst abuses of ot the greatest cruel cruelty cruelty ty t of ot the greatest ignorance and back backwardness backwardness backwardness in all al that conduces to pros prosperity prosperity of ot humanity If I any power has influence in that strange land from Tangier to the At Atlas Atlas Atlas las mountains it is England and yet her minister Sir John Drummond Hay I confessed that although he and his predecessors had brought moral morl sua suasion suasion suasion sion to bear on the sultan sulan his viziers and the council counci of Qt elders Morocco as asa asa asa a slave state tte was an Augean stable beyond my power to cleanse The na nations nations tons do what they can can Thus Influential influential Moors requiring protection from their own government and seeking that of France Great Britain or Germany are absolutely forbidden to hold slaves Truth to tell teU this ordinance is entire entirely ly Ineffectual and men women and children are at this hour sold openly not only in the interior but under the very ver eyes of ot the Tangier Tanger diplomats So delicate is the political situation as re regards regards gards gars Morocco that each of these min ministers mm is 11 afraid to take any step in the matter mater without the cooperation cooperton of all aU his colleagues All AU that has been gained Is the aboU abolition tion ton of public auctions in regular slave markets In the coast COat ports But in the northern norther capital Fez and the southern capital there is a portion porton of each city set apart as the slave market exactly as there thee are markets for grain gin fruit fruit horses hores mules and cam camels I els dc cloth stuffs and other commodities and the rich Moors attitude toward his human purchase is best seen in the following anecdote told me by Sir John ohn Drummond Hay HayA A friend of ot the Spanish consul in Mo 10 gador gadaI was sas w on a visit to Caid Cald ElArbi El EI ElArbi Arbi Ar l governor of ot Abda Abd and one night In an Inner court of the or cit citadel citadel adel the Spaniard began to show his skill with a Mauser rifle rite He got his own servant to hold a playing card be between between between tween his fingers and he lie pierced it i three times out of o four at eleven yards ards Throwing back his haik halk the Caid Cald leaped up crying I too can shoot give me the gun he said to toa toa toa a Nubian slave under the tho red mud wall wal take that barrada barda water jar between thy legs l gs ElArbi got gotte the te European to measure off of paces then brought the th rifle sharply starly to his shoulder and with wih a murmured Praise Prise to the One and Great took aim and fired fred The sIve sl ive fell feU over sideways pierced through both bot ankles His master mater throwing up lp his hands wailed Yala tt I gave 80 for that fellow last week and now he is useless There is not in all aU the world orld a spec spectacle spectacle spectacle more impressive than the te public slave market of It I is an open square fenced round with wih huts near the center of a vast rambling crumbling city of ot tabla tabia or red re mud with walls wals over twelve miles mies in circum circumference circumference ference The Te avenues leading to it I are roofed over with wih llanes lanes palm leaves and vines and the auction takes take place three times a week just before sunset I entered the market about 6 G Not a slave was to be bE b seen as I en entered entered the th great square But squatting down all aU around were many hundreds hundres of Arab Arb men in n robes of spotless wool and silk sik often oten with their own little children by b their side gorgeous in every crery ever color of the rainbow scarlet and ad gold crimson and mauve emerald green and Indigo blue An Arab Arb comes riding through two blacks with wih bright yellow slippers sUppers running ahead to clear a path for him This is who col collects collect collects lect the per capita capit slave tax ta for the Moorish government His Ills entry is the signal sigal for the dilate or auctioneers to come forth from the slave shave pens and lange tange themselves for Cor prayer The set setting setting ting sun Is behind them as their loader lifts lit up his voice to the Most High who gave the true faith through his messenger Blessings are called caled down upon prospective buyers and their pur chases The prayer done the men break brek up and hurry bur over to the slave pens little palm thatched huts of mud I followed and found in one pf pt the largest larest ten or twelve women and girls and small chil children chi children dren Some of the girls had pulled their woolen halks over their faces and seemed anxious about their fate tate Others were careless careless and smiling the little lUe boys and ad girls were playing games g mes on the floor foor The head hea auctioneer allotted so many mn slaves to each of his men and the sale began began Each dilal led forth two at a I time tie I noticed each had ha been specially dressed for tor the occasion The younger women were radiant in crimson silks and jingling bangles and ad anklets of massive silver siver This finery had ha been borrowed for the sale sale Apart Apar from ne negroes negroes groes of ot both sexes I was wa astonished to see white women young girls and children by b white is meant meat the Moorish and Arab race re some of ot whom are as fair as a or even fairer than a Southern Souter European with wih light hair and blue eyes With Wih swift swit strides the auctioneer and his charges chares strode down one on lane of ot the market arket m and up another calling out the merits merit of his pair with wih never ceas ceasing ceasIng ing lag eloquence This young man was strong as a one of or the old heroes that girl girt was wa fair to look upon UDon and a won wonder wonder der at preparing rare dishes Suddenly a a languid Moor throwing back bak his dark blue beckons the auctioneer The Te man approaches salutes stands on one side The Te slave kneels kneela knels and the possible buyer examines e teeth and muscles Turning to the ex cx expectant dUal dilal he e gives giVe one on number and the Ule next moment the trio are a aie on their way down the great gret square the te tall tal figure in the te middle shouting the bid at his loudest This attracts attention Another summons another inspection a n bid of 10 more moreIn moreIn I In still more staccato tones seeing that his commission of at 2 23 per ver cent is I fast fat rising the auctioneer again goes on his way almost dragging the slave slavi slave ar I with wih him Prices rule from un 40 to toof toof s 1 of our money up to 2000 I saw this sum stun bid for a really realy beautiful girt of 17 11 She was ws robed In bright orange ornge gown go gois ii 11 and and had slippers of green geen morocco o em embroidered embroidered embroidered broidered with wih gold and ad sliver silver thread thra She was ivan bought bv the powerful Call CaH whose or ant governor was bidding for him When each pair of ot slaves Is dispose dl 1 of the auctioneer goes back to his own pen and brings forth another Their demeanor varies vares curiously I saw sawan sawan sawan an old negro woman of perhaps v years shuffling around amid the Jok jokes s of at the squatting lines of ot Moors In Infants Infants Infants of ot 5 or 7 trotted round with boll eyes es and smiling faces tae There were vera Moorish girls shy and shrinking young negro giants giant who could run ru with a load loa of 20 pounds and moth mothers mothers ers ors with children Gradually one sees the slaves sitting by their new masters side The pens are nearly empty but one of ot them holds hold holda a pitiful few that none will bid for at any price Here Hore are aged graybeards and old women with perhaps young fellows who have been crippled in the powder play or in tribal warfare The Kornic warning He who be behaves behaves behaves haves ill 1 to his slave will wU not enter Par Paradise Paradise Paradise adise Is little regarded and ad aged agel slaves past pat work are thrown out into Into the streets to starve st lve With my own eyes I saw such men lying eying g in m inthe inthe the covered streets and bazaars bazars of Mar rakesh Whence come all al the hapless crea creatures creatures creatures tures sold every ever year literally like cat cattle catte cattie tie tle te in this way They have been raid raki raided rid ride ed e from defenseless villages lage as a far south as a the Niger Itself a region per perhaps perhaps perhaps haps seven sven months distant from the tha tho of ot For hun hundreds hundreds hundreds of ot years these Arabs Abs have been ben slave raiders riders and ad the penalty of ot six months month convict labor and a n large larg fine does not appear to be a sufficient de deterrent deterrent deterrent for the profits are aro ae enormous and ad the raiding riding Arabs are never so happy aa as a when they are fighting The smaller fry of ot raiders merely en entice entice tice tc and kidnap children while w le bigger men with influence Journey down into and stir str up dissensions among Imong tribes trU es The object of this Is 19 that in the te ensuing fight a village viage may be bethe bethe bethe the more easily ealy raided The slaves on their way north are viewed with far farless tar farless less consideration than cattle catte for should many die from tram hunger huger thirst or orI orill ill I treatment other raids rids may be mado when the on the Journey It I is only caravan the Atlas snows approaches tle Ata cravan that some attention is given to the slaves tat of whom it I may be bo truly said that that only tile the tle fittest survive and the tha rest leave their bones by the te way with wih those thos of the fallen camel or mule |