DESERT SEARCH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17233, 12 April 1930, Page 9

DESERT SEARCH

ARMY CHIEF WHO VANISHE LOST LEADER OF 1921 “MOORISH SLAVE," PARIS, Fob. 16. A French expeditionary forco is leaving shortly for the Sahara Desert, to see it' it can find any trace of General Silvestro and a number of other distinguished Spanish officers, who are supposed to Iks working the.ro as “white skives” under cruel Moorish taskmasters The tale is one that makes “Beau Gesto” seem pale by comparison. In July, 1921, a‘Spanish army of 21,000 men, under General Fernandez Hi 1 vest re, was ambushed at Annoual, in j Spanish Morocco, by Abd-el-lvrim and bis Riflian tribesmen, and there followed the greatest massacre of modern times Abd-el-Krim captured enough military materials to carry on warfare against the French and Spanish armies for five, years. The disaster caused a. wave of horror in Spain that almost led to a revolution. SON'S VAIN SEARCH. The strangest feature of this ambush was that when Spanish reinforcements arrived from Melilla, they were, unable to find the bodies of the commanding general and a, number of bis principal staff officers. The son of General Silvestre, who searched among the dead for his father, declared that he had undoubtedly been carried off as a prisoner, and it was felt by many in Spain that the general was held by the Moors, am that, according to their custom, he was forced to work as a slave. Tn recent years many well-founded rumors liavo reached Spain that, there were a. large number of these white slaves in the bauds of wandering tribes in the Sahara. This mystery about General Silveslre’s disappearance was only part of a skeleton that lias been rattling in the j cupboard of the Spanish monarchy and l the Spanish Government ever since tho defeat at Annoual. _ _ i It is widely" believed in Spain that King Alfonso personally ordered General Silvestro to advance into the Riff country, against the advice of General Bercngucr, the present Prime Minister, who was then Spanish High Commissioner in Morocco. Althougn this point was thoroughly discussed when General Bercngucr was eourt-martialled and disgraced for alleged responsibility for the massacre, the records of the court martial have been kept secret. Mr. Harry J. Greemvall reveale« tins story and the skeleton in a despatch from Madrid last year, and it is now common knowledge in Spain. _ _ In view of the widespread conviction • in Spain that General Silvestre and some of his officers are still alive and held as slaves, General Berenguer took up the matter with M. Lucien Saint, resident-general of French Morocco, when be was in Madrid a few days ago. and asked if the French army could send an expedition into the Sahara in search of tho missing men. The Spanish Government does not Relievo that General Silvestro and his officers are alive, but it wishes to satisfy public opinion. iVI Saint agreed, after consultation with (be French military chiefs, to. send an expedition into the Sahara. This cx-, pedition is now being organised and it will start on its pathetic search in a few days, accompanied by a number o Spanish officers.