The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-07
THE WHITE SLAVES OF THE eau.
CASUS.

Mohamedan countries slavery IS a recog-
nized institution, and Africa is sun the
great source o. supply for the trade.
Arab slave shows constantly engage in
the traffic, and caravans from the inter-
Tor Of Africa supply Morocco. IN the
various native kingdoms OF Africa. also
slavery is a recognized institution. and il
| exists IN China and in some Of the isl
ands Of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Even white men sometimes are in dan
ger of being captured and sold into siav-
cry The sailors OF the British steamer
Indra, which was wrecked on the east
coast Of Africa, recently. report a narrow
escape from capture by an Arab slave
| dhow. and there have been reports from
| remote African localities Of persons of
Caucasian blood having Deen seen in the
slave markets.
As TO slavery in China, one traveller
there estimates that Their are 100000
people held TO involuntary servitude in
the empire. Some of these are criminals
who have been sold by the government,
and some are people who have been sold
/ by their relatives or have sold lem
selves. But they are ali real slaves, and
can be resold, fogged and in certain cir
| cumstances even can be killed
! P H. Lazzaro, United States consular
agent at Salonica, writes TO the Chicago
Tribune on the subject Of slavery il
! Turkey as follows:
Although Turkey does not officially
recognize slavery, still it exists all
through the empire among the Mahome-
| Ians Should q slave leave his master
/ and take refuge in some foreign consulate
/ he is. by that fact, made free, and the
! consul takes care that the fugitive is not
/ molested. Generally he or she is sent 10
/ some Christian mission in some other
! part OF the country where the escaped
one is well taken care of. Most of these
/ e1- fr,-r =.
! CIrcaSSla, etc. These of course. are white
! and Of great beauty. Dark slaves come
| from Arabia or Africa. 1 understand that
/ law forbids the keeping Of a negro slave,
l but this law IS seldom enforced. There
| hardly exists a Mahometan household
without one or more slaves. mostly fe-
males. The number of slaves depends
! house.
Another resident Of Turkey of whom an
| inquiry was made replies that negroes
are undoubtedly brought from Africa and
sold as slaves in Constantnople. Circas-
slams, both Christians and Moslems, sell
their daughters 70 the Turks.
From various parts of the empire comes
the same story but Ccnstantnople seems
to be the center Of the Turkish slave
trade. The slaves are not sold publicly
in ConstantinOple though If one knows
the ropes" he probably could find a slave
mart where goods Of the kind are con-
stantly kept on hand for sale or exchange
Considering the great population of the
turkish empire, and the fact that there is
scarcely a Moslem family too poor TO
have at least one slave. while they get
an idea of the number of handwriting eX-
petitions in central Africa which are nee
essary to supply the eunuchs and other
black slaves Of turkey. These slaves
are shipped from the east coast of Afri-
~ ! 1l-fTt 3
Constantinople from Bagdad, through
Asia Minor.
lie Turks are particularly fond Of
white slaves for their harems and female
domestic servants. Most Of their pur-
chases from Georgia. Circassia and the
Caucasus are of female slaves. though
now and then a white male slave will be
found.
The provinces from which these white
slaves come lie between the Black and
Caspian seas, to the northeast of Asiatic
Turkey. They Jelong to Russia, but are
wild countries, where people do about as
they please as long as they are loyal TO
the car. Among their local customs and
ancient Industries IS the raising OF fe-
male slaves for the Turkish market, TIC
procure these white slaves no raids are
organized nor is there blood shed An
even more horrible state of things exists.
The people Of the countries named rear
their own flesh and blood for the slave
market. All through Asia Minor and
Mahometan central Asia there is a mar
ket for black and white slaves How
many thousands or hundreds Of thous-
ands are held in bondage in these coun-
tries is not known. but they all help swell
the vast army of slaves which every day
and hour is being recruited from the At
rican hunting grounds and the nurseries
of the Caucasus.
81
book to the outside world, but it is known
to be a hOtbed of slavery. The Arabs
are the great slave hunters and the great
slave dealers Of the world. Arabia is a
country of great extent and of en- IN
known population: There is no census.
Of its Inhabitants. and, therefore, no cen
sus Of its slaves 1t is certain though,
that their numbers are great and that
the country draws heavily upon Africa in
order to supply the demand for human
chatteis in the mysterious land Black
slaves are what Arabia demands ard
plenty Of them In Egypt domestic slav-
cry exists. although 1t is Kept carefully
in the background out Of sight of Euro
peans. But the wealthy Egyptians draw
upon Georgia and Circassia for inmates
of the harem and upon the Soudan for /
the people to guard them.
China does not draw upon Africa or +
Circassia or any other country for her
slaves. They are entirely of home pro- [
duction. Besides the selling of children f
by their parents in China, people in times .
OF famine often sell themselves But the .
greatest slave dealer in the Chinese en-
plre IS the government, which sells Grim
mails Of all ages. The transaction is sim
pie You say you are ABOUT 70 begin
some great work, such - building a hsr-
Dor or q canal, and you require 100 or 3o
laborers- Then you make the best ar
- r. Hafl
for them. The Chinese authorities always
are embarrassed with more criminals
than they know what 20 do with. so you
take your pick 81 able-b0died men. once
having got them they are your property.
You can set them 20 work IA the most IN
healthfui places and II they die nobody
viii interfere. Your crerseer can even XIII
a few Il he wants 90. es an encoura &C.
ment 70 the others, and it is nobody
business but your own.
While 80 MohammedaD countries slaves
usually are employed as household ser
wants. they are IN many places employed
not only in that capacity but IL various
other forms Of labor I1 Persia they
frequently are taught trades, such IS car
pentering. etc in China. they ars house
hold servants ard lahorers in tae fields
mines. etc Tn Zanzihsr they are largely
used for farm labor. ard in east Africa
and the native African kirE17rua there Is
hardly 2 form q labor 20 which ttey are
not ASST Ered.
As Africa now IS. ~ Il has bean for -
many years. the great source whe1ce
slaves are procured. = wouif seem that
the opening NJ 60 clvllizatipn ~ eutral
Africa would b. the greatest blow taat
could 10 struck az tha slave trade year
hv year the outposts ~ civilization ar-
preach nearer and nearer the Fuar-oart-
Ing grounds ~ the st.3 DARK Ceatinert.
bar as sex the raids - tie el4Te hunters
have not beer even ehacEs1 WIN tHe
eEtensior q the authority of me Cc1Fo