The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-06-29
AN AWFUL FATE.
An Arch Murderer Walled Up In
a Living Tomb
AND LEFT TO STARVE.

and Watch the Building Up of
the Walls Around the SIay-
er Of Thirty Six Young
Women.
A cablegram from Tangier Morocco,
tells how, with such details of .hend-
ish cruelty that they cannot be fully
realized, Mohammed Messfewi, the
arch.murderer of Marakesch, has been
walled up alive.
1t was this same Mesfewi who was
to have been crucided for his tremen.
dous crimes-it Ia known that he
murdered not fewer than thirty six
young women-and who was saved
from that fashion Of execution ny the
outcry Of the resident foreign officials.
1t would have been bettsr had
these same tnioials not interfered
with Moroccan justice, for Meafewi
before he died underwent lingering
torture compared with which cruci-
fxion would have been merciful,
THE ARCH. CRIMES
Mesfewi was a cobbler and public
letter writer. Associated with him
In his crimes was an old oma
seventy years Of age named Annah.
Many girls Of the city disappeared In
the last days of April and the parents
Of one young woman traced her to the
cObbler's shop. Annah was put to
the torture and confessed.
She told that the girls, who came
to dictate letters, were treated to
drugged wine and then beheaded.
Twenty decapitated bodies were
found In q deep pit under the shop
and sixteen moro In the garden.
Annah died under the torture and
Mesfewi confessed. BY an ancient
Moorish custom he was condemned to
Do crucified.
His crucltixion was set for May Q,
but this form of punishment was
given up because OF the foreign clam
or, and 1t was announced that Mes
fewi would be beheaded. His death
by the still more awful process Of i'm
murement shows that the Moroccan
authorities blinded the eyes" of the
foreigners.
Mesfewi was kept in tho Marakesoh
jail until outside attention was dull
ed, and then, on May 10, his torture
began.
Daily he was led into the market
place and whipped with switches of
h Ghorny accacia. The oobbler was
stripped to the waist, and while two
assistants held the victims arms out.
stretched, the CITY executioner laid
on the spiked rods.
Ten strokes were given each day
and each stroke drew blood. The
number OF strokes Wal kept down be-
cause Mesfewi was an old man and
the people Of Marakesoh had no idea
,'Hf leJting him die TOO easily.
MOST MERCIFUL cRUELTYi
After each logging the cobbler's
back was tougnened and anointed
with vinegar and oil, so that he might
be- lit for the next days ordeal.
So the daily whippings went on,
ana when IL was seen that despite all
care Mesfewi was falling into exnaus
tlon 1t was decided TO carry out the
supreme sentencs. This was that he
be walled up alive in the public
market place.
The currier who brings this news
from Ma1akesch to Tangier asserts
that the order Of execution before the
oultah's own signature, &nd the fact
CnaG lie sentence was carried out In
Tie great square or tie city and IL
Iuli Vls" If The pUpulaoe shows thai
The tmjials OF MArakesc / knew tie
awful programme would not be inter.
fered with.
The day Of execution was set for
Monday, June IL, that being the
Mar&keSch market day. The ne VS. OF
ne had been spread and
tue market place was thronRed with
IhousanGs Of MDrtcJans, who squat,
TED In n blaZ.i 6 sunlight and wait
ca Tor the RhastIy shoW 10 commence.
a death by waillng.up alive had
not been Seen In MAraKesch for mauy
years, but there was those who told
others That victims had been known
sometimes to live for a whole week.
dnd 80 The good he ~ spread, and the
people brought their provisions and
The c~aravanseries were crowded.
THE LIVING TOMB IS DUG.
Just OUTSIDE the All where Mesfewi
was confined STANDS the chief ba zaa
LIZ has very thick walls and in che OF
these, facing the market place, two
masous dug . hole elk feet high, two ,
vide and two feet deep. Mesfewi
very thin and these dimensions
gave The doomed man quite q free
'pace and some little air, for just az
his fellow townsmen would not LET :
nim slip away by too much %fioRginp. :
10 they did not intend to smothor :
aim tCo quickly. q
About three feet up two staples Z
chains were liked In the back Of y
Jhe recess In the wall and two more !.
with chains were attached. :
Ihe purpose Of these was to keep the q
erect SO that he might not a
luddle down out Of sight OF the :,
q
Mesfewi had not been told OF his ,
ate and when he was brought OFT OF u
he prison on Monday morning he y
hought he was being led forth to his y
ally whipping. '
AS soon as he saw the expeotant
thousands, however, and heard their
lowls OF hate he know that his dsy I'll
lad come. Then he saw the hole dug 10
q the wall, and, being an old man, S
lC knew what that noant uo h,lo