The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-01-18

This Is How the Sultan Of Morocco
Trents Tax Dodgers.

This Is How the Sultan Of Morocco
Treats Tax Dodgers.
The sultan of Morocco is going to
prevent his subjects from evading the
payment of their taxes, even if in do
ing it he has to behead every tax dodger
in the country.
In his majesty's domain tax dodging
by the rich is well nigh universal, and
we'll informed students and travellers,
knowing how corrupt and rapacious the
sultan's government is, do not doubt
that much Of it is justifiable. But the
sultan looks at the matter in a different
light. He declares that there is no ex-
cuse for tax dodging, that it is criminal
and, moreover. that he has hit upon a
pr--;shment to fit the crime
Frank E Jackson, a globe trotter of
80 years experience. has recently made
a tour of north Africa, including the
accessible parts of Morocco and in I,
personal letter to Frank L. Dingley of
Lewiston. Me-, brother of the we'll
known representative of that name. he
gives Il graphic account of the sultan's
bloody and desperate method of proceed
ure
While in Tangier, Mr. Jackson learn
ed that the sultan. at the head of a
large body of troops. was marching
through the country collecting taxes.
snd that at Laroiche he had decapitated
L. oT fo~ 1NIrnrS 4 knsv
their heads above the city gates, tc
serve as Il warning to others who might
not be disposed to pay their dues
promptly
"a company of FIVE was formed"
writes Mr.. Jackson, ''to visit Laroiche
and see if this ghastly report was true.
The party consisted of an Englishman.
who spoke Arabic; German and three
Americans
eve boarded a small steamboat at
Tangier and sailed down the coast to
Cosa Blanca There we engaged mules.
donncd Arab costumes Ia very prudent
thing to do( and early in the morning
started to Laroiche. about % miles in
land 1t was beautiful country through
which we passed fertile and well culti-
waited, the monotony Of the desert re-
lieved by the fix and olive trees and the
stately and ever present palm. But 1t IS
a country centuries behind modern
civilization. Women are still sold into
virtual slavery and not infrequently 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 yokcd together drawing the
plow.
Eve reached Laroiche about noon.
1t is impossible to describe the sicken-
ing sight which met orr gaze as we
rode up to the main entrance to tho
city There above Us in ghastlr row
were 15 human heads shriveling in the
broiling sln We rode around to the
other gates. only to find the same grew
some display. In all we counted 4J
heads spiked to the board arches over
the city gates Our curiosity was fully
satisfied. and Ill Of rs regretted that we
had Travelled 50 far to acarn that there
W IS Ul tIlc liOSc VI tlI- iii't'tHti WE
turv SO barbarous "a country on the f;tce
OF the earth as M:,cocco
"And not Ill nf the heads were those
of tax doiSrrS. Some were OF "Ed men
and wnlnrn H,ito had never possessed
anything worth taxing It seems the
sultan had vented his spite on them aft
er learning that a number Of wealthy
residents Of the city had been warmed
Of his coming and had fled to the moun-