An Empire of Organised Atrocity.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIX, Issue 6047, 12 September 1894, Page 4

An Empire of Organised Atrocity.

"Although I havts travelled in many countries, Morocco is the most barbarous land I have ever seen." Such is the verdict of the Earl of Meath writing in the Nineteenth Century of .his recent visit. "It is a country where injustice reigns in the place of law." From the late Sultan, who rewarded the man who raised him to the throne by 14 years' imprisonment without specified cause, down to the. humblest soldier who imprisons the most innocent persons for the sake of the fee to be paid on arrest, "officials live on the miseries and sufferings of their fellowcreatures." A MOORISH INFERNO. " In the Moorish prison the captives sleep half-naked on the mud floor -• they are all huddled together in one without distinction as regards crime or! innocence, for many are simply thrown into prison on account of their reputed wealth or prosperity by avaricious officials, who, by prolonged imprisonment, and sometimes torture, hope to squeeze money out of them or discover where they have hidden treasure. Of an evening it is not unusual for the prisoners to be all bound together by a chain passing through an iron collar which each captive wears, thus making it necessary for all to rise or sit, or lie down together. Open and uncleansed cesspools within the prison add sometimes to the indescribable horror and misery of the place. There is no inspection, no medical attendance, no alleviation in sickness When a prisoner is an absolute pauper and unable to purchase food, the authorities give him daily a small piece of coarse bread, provided by religious endowment, sufficient to prolong the agonies of starvation." DIABOLICAL TORTURES. " But the most brutal punishment of all was meted out in 1892 to the chief rebels in the Angera rising. Those who were caught had their right hands slashed to the bone at every joint on the inside with a sharp razor. Then salt was rubbed into the wounds, and finally a sharp flint stone was placed in the palm, and the fingers closed tightly over it. Over the hand was then stretched a piece of raw cowhide, which was tied firmly round the wrist. As the cowhide dried, it contracted, causing fearful agony. The arms were bound behind the back, so that the sufferer could in no way alleviate his torture. Many of the men went mad or died, and in the case of the survivors the hands I'otted and dropped off." And for the continuance of these horrors it seems the Christian nations are responsible ! "It is international jealousy, suspicion, and fear which prevent the Powers of Europe and A merica from taking united action to sweep from the face of the earth this unspeakably barbarous tyranny."