Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-30
PRISONS IN MOROCCO
VISIT OF A EUROPEAN TO THE
DUNGEONS OF FEE.
Confinement for Debt - Condition Of
Some Jails Not So Bad-0ver-
crowding the Defect.

crowding the Defect.
Fee Correspondence London Times.
I paid a surprise visit to the three prisons
| Of Fee this morning. and probably for the
| first time, European has been admitted
| within their gates. Having obtained per
mission from the sultan personally. left
| no time for any temporary cleaning Of the
prisons, but proceeded at once to the Basha
| Of the city, and thence in the prison itself.
| The first Of the three visited was situated
| in Old Fee, and in it the better class Of
| the Inhabitants are confined, chiefly debtors
| and offenders under the "Shera," or civil
law. Here found that the recently issued
| orders Of his majesty had been already
| carried out, though apparently but few re-
| pairs and alterations had been found nee
essary.
This prison is divided into two parts, each
consisting OF a large courtyard, paved in
concrete. and surrounded by an arch ar
cade. The prisoners seemed all to be toll
erably well-to-do persons, and appeared IN
good health. The government supplies such
| as are in necessity with two small loaves
| Of bread day, but there was only one
man who was drawing these ratons. the
from their own houses AS they are one
and all inhabitants Of the town this does
not mean any particular hardship, ana
upon my questioning them they replied
| that they infinitely preferred being fed from
their own homes to being made dependent
upon rations Of bread. All seemed sup
| piled with every necessary, and not g. few
with considerable comfort. They are al
| lowed to bring their carpets and bedding
| into the prison, together with cooking uten-
| sils, braziers, ETC. The supply of fresh
| water is excellent, continual stream flow
ing from a pipe into tank below, while
the sanitary ARRANGEMENTS were clean ana
devoid of any unpleasantness. 1 tasted
the drinking water. which was cold and
fresh, the same as Is supplied to the pet
ter class houses Of the town.
Prison Of Old Fee.
This prison Of Old Fee contains today
only forty-one prisoners, and could easily
hold 200 One man only was in chains and
fettered, and he was criminal lunatic who
had few days ago attacked and injured a
prison guard. A mosque ad1oins each
courtyard and they, like the rest of the
building, are scrupulously clean, and the
whole place is excellently ventilated, the
center Of each court being open to the sky.
Having finished my inspection , OF the ne
prison Of Old Fee, 1 proceeded direct to
New Fee, where there are two gaols In
these no alterations and improvements
have as yet been undertaken, though
small quantity Of building material has
been collected in preparation for carrying
out the sultans commands. and the
prisons accordingly exist today in almost
exactly the same condition as they nave
done for years past. The state OF these
gaols Is not SO satisfactory as that Of Old
Fee, but at the same time they are not so
terrible as has been stated. The Dakakln
prison, the first visited consists OF court
yard with no arcade, but having large
chambers leading off 1t. TWO hundred ana
seven prisoners are at present confined
here and a rough estimate Of the space
led me to judge that it ought not to con-
tain more than 10O
A Muddy Courtyard.
The open courtyard though excellent IN
summer, Is entirely unprotected from the
rain, and the state of the prisoners, who
have pitched small tents within 1.-THE
tents evidently incapable Of keeping out
water must be deplorable in rainy
weather, when the ground becomes
morass Of mud. To have recourse to the
rooms leading off the court is to many OF
the prisoners almost impossible owing to
the overcrowding 1t is this prison which
contains the worst place that l saw in
any. Passing through an archway from
the courtyard one descends by steep,
broken descent into vast room, almost
entirely underground and pitch-dark. 1t
is true that the prisoners who inhabit this
vast dungeon have free access to the light
and air of the courtyard above, for the
archway contains no door; but SO crowded
there is little or no room for them, except
in walking about, and so they are pracf-
cally obliged to spend the greater part OF
their time in this underground chamber.
AS Is only natural, the prisoners who have
been longest confined have taken up the
best positions, changing about as fresh re-
leases take place, and the only hope Of the
Inhabitants of the dark room for lettering
their condition is by regular rotation.
Mosque for Prisoners.
Although the floor Of this dungeon is far
below the level Of the ground. Its high
walls, rising above the street outside, could
easily be pierced with windows, which
would render the most miserable portion
Of the prison habitable and fairly comfort
able by the admittance Of light and air.
The prisoners informed me that, although
damp in winter rose from the SOIL this
underground room was warmer and heal1n-
Ter than the court outside, which during the
whole winter Is inches deep In mud A
clean mosque adjoins the courtyard, Dut
the "tholba," for scholars, among the pris-
oners, have taken up their abode in 1t, and
keep these comfortable quarters for them
selves. Even here there is overcrowding.
The entire prison Is clean, and the water
supply excellent. There is large tank
in all the prisons for the washing Of clothes,
and little or no fever at present exists,
though there has been much during the
summer. Rations of two loaves of bread
a day are distributed to the prisoners and
are regularly received. They made no COM
plants Of harsh treatment whatever, but
stated that they found it advisable to make
small tips now and again to the goalers
out Of the money that they earn by basket
and pannier making. an industry in which
every prisoner seems to take part. They
obtain payment in full for such work, which
Is not sold by the prison authorities but
by the relations and friends Of the prison.
ers. In this prison, as in that which l
next visited. the inmates consist almost
entirely Of countrymen from the surround
ing districts and are therefore largely de-
nendent upon the government rations