St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-26

iZation. In same eases, such as, for iii-
Stance. in that of Miss Emily Keene,
who abandoned her English home and
surroundings TO enter the harem and
become one Of the wives OF the M0llam-
medan shereef of WaZzan. in Morocco.
the desertion from civilization has been
Of voluntary character, wilhelm
others, such as those referred to above
in connection with. the arrest of the
Austrian gang of kidnapers, it mas been
very much the reverse.
1t is the latter that | propose to deal
with first in this matter. There are
many women who, although born and
reared as Christians in the most civilized
countries of the world, are at the pres
ent moment imprisoned In Oriental
harems. And when use the expression
Oriental harems do not refer merely to
those of Turks and Egyptians, but of
PerSians, MoOrs, Arabs, Indians and
Chinese as well. Even in British Hin
doostan, in cities where the English
exercise the most strict and deSpotic
rule. it is well known that there are
English women, the wives and daugh-
ters of officers killed during the great
Sapoy mutiny. who are wearing cut
their lives behind the bars of Indian
Zenanas.
Some of them were but mere infants
at the time of their capture, and there
fore retain but faint remembrance of
the civilized surroundings of their
earlier childhood, while there are 9TH
ers who were already grown up at the
time they first became unwilling in
mates of the Zenana. and who are in
position to appreciate all the bitterness
of captivity. Being no longer young,
these latter would have been released
long since had not their owners feared
the punishment that would be meted
ont to them by the British authorities
were it to lie known that they had de-
tanned English women in their haremS
against their will.
The British authorities i'm india are
we'll aware that there are numerous
cases such as these, and more than once
have discussed with police magistrates
out in India the question as to whether
it would not be possible to take some
steps to secure the release OF these un-
fortunate creatures. They-all of them
however, agreed that the matter was
practically impossible. 1t was against
the policy of the government to inter-
fere with native prejudices. and few of
these are SO strong as those connected
with the sentiment of harem life.
Moreover, any attempt to execute
search warrant, unless conducted with
greatest caution, might result in the
murder first aud then in the effectual
concealment of the body of the woman.
After the English troops captured
Delhi and Lucknow in 1857 they broke
into some of the best and largest
houses, which are often built with
double partition walls, the space being
from two to three feet wide. In these
interiors were found numerous skele-
tons of women who had been built in
there, and whose remains thus gave the
clew to many harem mystery and
many a sudden disappearance.
Officers and soldiers who took part
the great rebellion in 1857, with whom L
have conversed on the subject. have
often drawn my attention to the fact
that. whereas the English troops found
the remains of thousands of English
men and elderly English women
who had been massacred by the natives
OF Cawnpore, Delhi, Merut and other
places, they never found any corpses OF
young girls or of female infants, and
the case of Capt. Ryan and the G@alior
contingent was cited among others III
Illustration of this peculiarly. When
order was re-establiShed after the mu-
tiny the remains of Capt. Ryan and his
wife were discovered, and evidence was
secured as to the manner in which they
had been murdered; but no trace what
ever could he found of the three little
girls OF Capt. Ryan nor OF four or five
young unmarried ladies' who were on
intimate terms with Mrs. Ryan and fire.
qneDtly at her house.
When stationed at CONSTANT nOple
some years ago the attention OF the en-
baSSy, with which l was connected at
the time. was called to the fact that
regular market existed on the shores OF
the Bosphorus where European girls
imported for the purpose from Ger
many, Austria, Italy and Russia, were
sold as slaves. Large shipments used
at that time, and for the matter still
continue, to arrive every week at Con-
stantinopie from Varna, Odessa, Salon
ica and from the Asiatic coast.
l need hardly add that this human
freight is not diSembarked OH the or
dinary custom house Quays, where pas
Sengers and cargOeS are usually put
ashore, and where its presence would
speedily have attracted the notice of the
consular authorities. The girls are
landed in small boats at the Turkish
quarantine station at Kawak, whence
they are brought overland through Bu-
jukdere into ConStantinOple. None OF
them are aware of the fate in store for
them, having been lured to take the
trip to the Turkish capital by means OF
promises of munificent remuneration as
cover neSseS, pianiStS and other forms
of respectable and honorable employ
ment.
On arriving they are taken to place
which is known by the name OF the
Casino. and which is nothing more nor
less than an exchange or mart where
human cattle are dealt in as freely as
breadstuffs on the produce exchange In
New York. The news of their arrival
has already preceded them i'll kilograms
addressed to the managers OF the Casino
and reading somewhat as follows:
Await arrival of three dozen silver
spoons, twenty hogsheads of flour and
thirty sacks of potatoes" The 'silver
spoons" refer TO girls OF quite superior
duality and beauty, the ''hogsheads of
flour" to a somewhat inferior quality OF
human merchandise, while the sacks
of potatoes" are intended to mean mere
ordinary peasant and servant girls.
Before being placed on exhibition
they are taken to some OF the native
houses adjoining the Casino, and are
there bathed, powdered and rouged by
professional "maquilleurs." 1t is only
then that tho true nature of the PROM
ises and prospects held out to them be-
comes clear. Some of them at once
resign themselves to their fate, while
those who are disposed to resist are
speedily tanned by confinement in dark
cells. hunger aud ill-treatment. The
feeling of utter helplessuess and friend
lessness in a strange and uncivilized
city, about which, as a rule, they have
only heard in fairy tales, goes far TO
break all spirit Of resistance.