Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-02-19
TORTURE IN THE EAST.

BOW the Boy of Tunis Furnishes Dis
honest Revenue Collectors-A TerribI lie
| Scene en- the Site of Ancient Car
! thage.
Theodorus of Abyssinia has been
considered the most cruel and blood
thirsty ruler of modern times, but he
has rival sovereign who lives nearer
the confines of civilization, and whose
atrocious conduct should arouse the
indignation Of human people through
out the world. That sovereign is the
present Bey of Tunis, whose whole
career since he became ruler of his
country has been marked by arbitrary
oppression and cruelties A few of the
aged sheiks of his country, who had
known his character before he succeed
ed his father-a mild and amiable
| prince-urged his mother to let her
younger son ascend the throne of
Tunis. The heir apparent heard of
this, and with the help of few of his
boon companions he seized the reins
! of Government.
No sooner was he in power than he
vented his spite upon the above.men-
toned men. Not only were nine Of
his victims bastinadoed in the most
merciless manner, but the eyes and
tongues of them were torn out, and
they were thrown in this terrible and
utterly helpless condition, in the mid
die of July, into desert spot, where
they persisted miserably, a prey to the
pitiless rays Of scorch1ng African sun,
and to the equally pitiless beaks of
vultures and buzzards. From that
time the reign of the Bey of Tunis has
been marked by deeds of cruelty, which,
if they have not become generally
known, because perpetrated upon
persons Of humber conditions in life
than the iIiustriOus victims mentioned
above, have been none the less heinous.
! The Bey of Tunis is the Supreme
Judge in his country. He tries Grim
inals, and orders their immediate ex
ecution after hearing the case: or he
annuls the DEGREES Of the Kadis if they
do not suit him, and Furnishes the
unfortunate prisoners according to his
/ pleasure.
4 On the 5th of November last the Bev
was IN a more towering passion than
ever before. He is al extravagant liver.
and spends more money than the taxes
of Tunis yield to him. During the sec
Ond empire he negotiated a heavy loan
IN France, and some greedy italian
bankers have likewise advanced him
large sums at exhorbitant interest.
Being afraid of France, the Bey Cf Tunis
pays his creditors for that country
punctuaily, but has little respect for
Italy, and last summer several italian
men-of-war had to threaten his capital
with bOm bardment before he
made arrangements for paving
the interest due to italian bankers.
Being thus constant prey to financial
embarrassments, he does not like to be
swindled by his tax collectors. Now,
on the above mentioned 9TH of Novem
Der, he received trustworthy informa-
tion that three of them, Badu-Ben
Hakim, AlduBen-Fesi and Diakr-Bes-
+ Legu, had for years committed defalca
! tlOns upon the Bey's treasury, account,
ing for only two-thirds of the taxes tbev
had collected. The Bey sent for the
faithless collectors, and, after telling
them about their misdeeds, demanded
what they were going to do about it.
The three were SO frightened by the
anger of His Highness that they fell
upon their knees, and, confessing their
crime, implored his mercy.
( The Bey, unable to control his rage,
sprang TO his feet, and crying, "you
shall aie, dogs!" ordered the Kadi Of
Tunis to appear hsfors him and Try the