Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-10
RAISULI, THE BANDIT.

a. |
RAIsULI, THE BANDIT.
Pen Sketch Of Man Who Kidnapped
| Perdicaris.
He Is a gorgeous figure, Is Raisuli,
the Moorish bandit, whose kidnapping
of the distinguished American resident
in Morocco, Mr.. Perdicaris, and his
son -in-law, Varley, has caused the
United States to send a fleet to the
Moorish coast threatening to lombard
the port of Tangier If the sultan's
forces do not rescue the American pris-
oner.
No famous Othello that you ever
saw on the stage could surpass in pic
turesqueness Of appearance and rich
ness Of attire, the same staggering,
handsome desperate, Raisuli. Nor did
any stage Othello ever more perfectly
look the part Of Shakespeare's hero
than this gentleman marauder, whom
met in the little Cafe des Postes, in
Tangier, on a night in January Of last
lyear.
The night I met Raisuli in the lit
tie cafe in the single square where are
the French, German, British and Span
ish postoffices and banks. the white
stone English Hotel Bristol and the
booths of the Oriental merchants, the
and tea houses in the open market just
outside the city gates were humping
their two. stringed guitars and singing
songs Of Raisulis latest exploit He
and his band had intercepted a cara
van on the way to Fee. the Moorish
capital, from the Soudan, with ivory
and slave girls. He brought the girls
bodily into the slave market at Fee
and sold them. He as publicly dis
posed Of the ivory. There had been
absolutely no interference by the gov
ernment. There was talk that officials
at Fee had shared in the profits.
Raisuli sitting in the public cafe
at Tangier, laughed at the idea that
any one would attempt to arrest him.
He raised his eyebrows and laughed
in immoderate scorn at the question
as to whether he had ever been pun
ished for any Of his depredations. He
became more quiet and presently said
that the only thing he feared at all
was possibly a revengeful bullet. But
he tapped his own, long, gold-mount-
ed gun, with it's curving pearl-inlaid
stock, and laughed again.
Kidnapping is an ancient and hon.
orable custom among the Moors. The
government officials themselves make
frequent use of the method in order to
collect taxes.
Kidnapping Of little children from the
Spanish colony in Tangier which num-
bers 10000 persons, is frequent.
Raisuli has earned many thousands
of big Spanish silver pieces in this
fashion.
Raisuli affects the elegant attire of
a noble and shereef-the latter mean
ing a noble man through descent from
Mohammed. He wore a fez knotted
to indicate man Of rank. 1t was OF
cream colored silk, embroidered with
braid Of finely spun gold. A sweeping
white cashmere cloak fell gracefully
from his shoulders, caught at the
throat by a big silver clasp. Beneath
that was a green burnous, also en-
broidered with gold. The material was
of cashmere and silk. He wore loose
scarlet pantaloons with gold braid
stripes down the side. His black mus
cular legs were bare, but his feet were
ornamented by yellow boots Of elab-
crate highly finished soft leather.
Beneath the fez his dark brown face
showed in fine contrast. His eyes are
big, black and long-lashed. His nose
is of the Roman type, but most deli
cately modelled. Lips, heavy, but well
turned, are not concealed by his glossy,
ointment-treated mustache and whis-
kers. He follows the custom Of shaw
ing the hair off the under part Of the
lower lip. When I admired his ivory
handled curving knife in scabbard
of exquisitely wrought silver and light
blue enamel, he was childishly happy.
When his shoes caught my eye he in
sisted upon removing them and show
ing the beauty of the handiwork in de-
tail. He was smoking a cigarette held
in an amber holder a half foot long.
Requiring both hands to hold one of
the yellow boots, he startled me by
suddenly crossing his legs and slip
ping the cigarette holder between his
toes. He talks English only little,
but in French and Spanish he is as
voluble and vehement as in his own
tongue.
With a very free smile he admitted
that the bandit business was his pro-
fession. He said he had a right to
kidnap people and levy a tribute-a
right vested in the fact that he was a
shereef.
Lowly Moors peered in the cafe WIN
dow and their looks were all of admi-
ration. When they caught his eye they
kissed their right thumb nails and
bowed low in salutation.
Nobody criticised him for his ma
rauding. In the coffee houses his deeds
are constantly celebrated in the min
strels' songs and stories. The only
fault they had to find with Raisuli
was that he is not as good a Moham-
medan as he should be, for he was Of
ten to be found in the European cafes
drinking the dirty water that the pa
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