The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-06-29
AN AWFUL FATE.
All Arch Murderer Walled Up in
a Living Tomb
AND LEFT TO STARVE.
A Yelling Mob Sits In the Market Place
and Watch the Building Up Of
the Walls Around the Stay.
er of Thirty. Six Young
Women.

err of Thirty. Six Young
Women.
A cablegram from Tangier Morocco,
tells how, with such details Of .fend-
Ism 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 Is known that he
murdered not fewer than thirty six
young women-and who was saved
from that fashion Of execution by the
Outcry OF h resident foreign officials.
1t would have been better had
these same ttficials not interfered
with Moroccan justice, for Mesfewi
before he died underwent lingering
torture compared with which cruci-
6xion would have been merciful.
THE AKCH.MURDER's GRIMES.
Mesfewi was g. cobbler and public
letter writer. Associated with him
III w llDlCb Wao al Olo HOUldu
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 a deep pit under the shop
and sixteen more in the garden.
Annah died under the torture and
Mesfewi confessed. BY an ancient
Moorish custom he was condemned to
Do crucltied.
His c%rucltixion was set for May 2,
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 Inn
murement shows that the Moroccan
authorities blinded the eyes, of the
foreigners.
Mestewi was kept in tho Marakesoh
jail until outside attention was dull
cd, and then, on May 10, his torture
began.
Daily he was led into the market
place and whipped with switches Of
the thorny acacia. 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 wa, kept down be-
cause MeBfewi was an old man and
the people Of Marakesoh had no idea
!lnf Letting him die zoe easily.
MOST MERCIFUL CRUELTYl
After each logging the cobbler's
back was t%ougnened and anointed
with vinegar and oil, so that he might
be fit for the next days ordeal.
So the daily whippings went on,
and when 1t was seen That despite all
care Mesfewi was falling into exnaus
tlon 1t was decided TO carry out the
supreme sentence. This was that he
be walled up alive In the public
market place.
The currier who brings this news
from Malakesch to TanRier asserts
that the order Of execution before the
Sultan's " signature, aud the fact
that lie sentence was carried out in
tile great square OF tue city Il III
full VIZ" If The ~pupulaco shows thai
one I'll jials Of Mardkesc knew tile
awful programme would not be inter.
tered with.
The day Of execution was set for
| NJ lnnQU lima tho hninr &h4
MarakeSch market day. The ne WI or
Tie execution had been spre ad and
tue market place was LhronRed with
uhousdnGS Of Moro Cans, who squat.
led In the biaZL 6 sunlight and walt
Cd for the RhasLiy sho 10 commence.
a death by waillng.up alive hs.d
not been Seen In M~Arakescn for many
years, but there was tuose who told
Others That victims had been known
sometimes to live for q whole week,
And SO Jha good he "a spread, and the
people brought their provisions and
The Caravanseries were crowded.
IL LIVING TOMB is DUG.
Just OUTSIDE the al where Mesfewi
was confined STANDS the chief ba zaar.
LIZ has very thick walls and In che OF
these, facing the market place, two
masons dug 3 hole elk feet high, two
feet wide and two feet deep. Mesfewi
was very thin and these dimensions
gave the doomed man quito a free
opace and some little air, for just as
his fellow toWnsmen would not let
MIN slip away by too much logging,
SO they did not intend to smother
him tCo QulcSly.
About tnree feet up two staples
With chains were liked In the back Of
the recess In the wall and two more
staples with chains were attached.
The purpose OF these was to keep the
victim erect so that he might not
huddlc down out OF sight Of the
crowd.
MeSfewi had not been told OF his
fate and when he was brought OFT Of
the prison on Monday morning he
thought he was being led forth to his
daily whipping.
AS soon as he say the expeotant
thousands, however, and heard their
howls OF hate he knew that his day
had come. Then he saw the hole dug
IN the wall, and, being an old man,
he knew what THAT meant. He had
taken Ills ~WnippinYs with fataliatio
forCitude, hoping he might die under
the thorns, but when he was dragged
the upright tomb he struggl-
ed with his jailcrs and screamed for
mercy.