The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1889-07-10
TWO PICTURES or MOROCCO.
TIE horrors ofa Prison and the Spleen
doris of a Palace.

1t is very common remark
among European visitors when
they come here for the first time
that enc one could believe in such
sayagery existing actually within
sight of Gibraltar Only two morn
ings agoI went into one Of the local
Moorish prisons a perfect palace
compared with some of those in the
interior, as | am assured by many
men who know them well-=and
what | saw there shall not east.
| ly forgot. The fortress in which
the prison stood was approached
by very steep incline paved with
cobblestones, which had been pol
ishcd by generations Of bare feet
to degree of slipperness that al
most made good The old joke of
"cIimb up a cloud and slide down
by the rainbow" All at once we
turned sharply round a corner,
and my interpreter (and old jew,
OF Morocco), pointed his bony
torefinger at a long stone doorway
to which flight of well>worn steps
led up, and said, Prison" The
entrance itself seemed 50 dark aiteE
the binding glare outside that on
ly by slow degrees did | begin to
make out stout wooden door or
partition just helino the narrow
yestibule in which the two warders
sat. In the Upper part of this
door vas round hole about tie
size of stateroom port aboard an
Atlantic steamer, and framed in
this opening was face which,
gaunt. haggard, ghaslty, Nth its
deep bronze tint blanehed to a sick
ly white and its hollow eyes CLASSY
with the Darkness of tcpair, seem
cd to have nothing human left save
its shape.
1t was only little by little that
realized the full horror OF this
hideous spectacle. This man was
prisoner, and the only breath of
air that ever reached him IN this
sitting den was through the hole
against which he had pressed his
wasted face with a teverish eager
ness that was frightlul to see.-
Through n similqr hole on one side
Of the doorway | looked down into
a somewhat larger cell. chained to
the heavy stone pillars of which
lay several bon .half>cIad, spectral
figures, motionIess end silent as
the stones to which they were fet.
tered, but with n hell-fre of un>
quenchable hatred in the depths of
their sunken eyes. Just then
two more skeleton faces thrust
themselves forward close to the air.
hole Of he smaller cell, and / then
perceived with secret horror that
their sitting den, which af best con-
tanned not enough air for one pris-
amer, was actually tenanted by
three. AT the same moment d
lean brown hand pushed through
The hole small wicherwork pouch
with a hanging loop Of the same
material, by which it might
be slnng over ones shoulder, the
who'd thing being decorated with
various bright colors and display
ing altogether barbaric pictur.
sequences of its own which was by
no means unattractive.
"They make these things in the
prison, said my Interpreter, in an
swer to my inquiring look, e'and
then sell them, SC as to get some
money TO buy food for themseIves?F
TO buy food for themselves? ech-
oed |. "You don't mean to say
that these men are Imprisoned
without any food except what they
can pick up Just so, )" answers
ed the Jew, with slight smile at
my ignorance s" the government
allows them water, of course, othS
erwise they would simply die on
the spot; but as for food, those
whohave families or1riends are sup.
piiel by them, and those who
haven't must just get along the best
way they can"
The next day, as if to complete.
the picture, I'paid visit to the
man by whose authority these
things were done. With certain
grim appropriateness, his palace is
close beside the prison itself, a.
circumstance thoroughly charae>