Evening star., 1898-12-22
CUTS OFF THEIR HEADS,
This is How the Sultan Of Morocco
Treats Tax DODGERS

From the Boston Herald.
The Sultan of Morocco is going to prevent
his subjects from evading the payment of
their taxes, even If in doing it he has to be-
head every tax dodger in the country
In his majesty's domain tax lodging by
the rich Is wellnigh universal, and weil-in-
formed students and Travellers knowing
how corrupt and rapacious the sultau's gov
ernment is, do not doubt that much of it is
justifiable. But the sultan looks at the
matter in different light. He declares
that there is no excuse for tax lodging
that it is criminal and, moreover, that he
has hit upon punishment to fit the crime
Frank E. Jackson, a globe trotter of thir-
ty years experience, has recently made a
tour of north Africa including the acces-
sible parts of Morocco. and in a personal
letter to Frank l.. Dingiey of Lewiston.
Maine, brother of the wel-known repre-
sentative of that name, he gives a graphic
account of the sultans bloody and desper-
ate method of procedure.
Whi!e in Tangier, Mr.. Jackson learned
that the sultan, at the head of large body
OF troops. was marching through the coun-
Try collectlng taxes, and that at Laroiche
ne mad decapitated large number of tax
dodgers and spiked their heads above the
city gates, to serve as a warning to others
who might not be disposed to pay their
dues promptly.
Mr.. Jackson, Ito visit Laroiche and see if
this CHASTITY report was true. The party
consisted of an Englishman, who spoke
Arabic; German and three Americans.
we boarded small steamboat at Tan
gier and sailed down the coast to Cosa
blanca. There we engaged mules, donned
Arab costumes Ga very prudent thing to do)
and early in the morning started to La
fo1che, about twenty-five miles inland. 1t
was beautiful country through which we
passed, fertile and well cultivated the mo-
notony of the desert relieved by the fig and
olive trees and the stately and ever-present
palm. But 1t is a country centuries behind
modern civilization. Women are still sod
into virtual slavery and not infreauently to
take the places of beasts of burden. More
than once along the way We saw a farmer
working his land, his Wife and a mule
yoked together drawing the plow.
we reached Laroiche about noon. 1t is
impossible to describe the sickening sight
which met our gaze as we rode up to the
main entrance to the city. There above us,
In CHASTITY row, We're fifteen human heads
shriveling in the broiling sun. We rode
around to the other gates, only to find the
same grewsome display. In al we counted
forty-five heads spiked to the board arches
over the city gates. Our curiosity was full
ly satisfied and all of us regretted that we
had Travelled so far to learn that there was
at the close of the nineteenth century so
barbarous country on the face of the
earth as Morocco.
And not all of the heads were those of
tax dodgers; some were of old men and
women who had never possessed anything
worth taxing. 1t seems the sultan had
vented his spite on them after learning that
a number of wealthy residents of the city
had been warned of his coming and had
fled to the mountains, taking their cash
and other portable valuables with them.
These murderous raids are made once a
year by the sultan and 1t is said that he
nearly depopulates some of the districts
through which he passes. Upon trust
worthy authority we learned that what we
saw at Laroiche may be seen IN the wake
of the sultan at every city along his route
If more bloody caputs are gathered in one
place than can be conveniently disposed of
there these are carried on to decorate the
gateways of the next CITY,.