The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-17
Blinded for Stealing.

Ia IL
] saw a blind beggar going through the
streets here this morning His eyes had
been burned out with redhot pokers by
one OF the Berber chiefs of the noun
tains near by, and he presented a horrible
sight. l am told that this was done as
q punishment for stealing, and that 1t Is
not uncommon in certain parts Of Mo-
ROCCO. At the first theft the mans hand
Is cut off and at the second his eyes
are burned out. Sometimes a foot Is also
cut off, after Which the thief must move
about upon crutches with a boy to lead
him.
During MY stay in Tangier rode one
day out into the country and made some
photographs OF a village which had taken
summary vengeance upon an under off,
! cial who had been unjust and oppressive
| in collecting taxes for the basha who held
office prior to the present governor. This
| official was caught as he passed through
the village and his eyes were burned out.
That was not long ago, and it shows that
i such crimes are still possible in this land
/ of Morocco.
Sailed to Death.
| About the only reason why things are
| not in worse condition than they are
now is the mildness of the present Sultan
Flo Is more Of n boy than anything elsc,
! and he tends to western ways In that
| he Is not at all Lloodthrsty. His father
! Mulai Hassan, was just the reverse, and
he had some punishments which We're
horrible to an extreme. One of these
might be called Sailing to death"
1t consisted of cutting four great gashcs
Il out of the palms OF tho hands of the Of
7 fender and Of filling them with salt. The
/ fingers We're then bent inward and fitted
tightly into the holes or cuts. After that
4 ench hand was sewed up in green raw
hide, which shrank as 1t dried, causing
4 terrible pain In some cases the raWhide
was sprinklcd with lemon juice, which 1t
/ Is said. rapidly accelerated the shrinking
4 OF the hide, often forcing the finger nails
clear through the palm and out of the
back of the hand. After this the criminal
was taken to Jail and left without water
The torture was such that he usually died
within a few days.
4 The English Tired of Gibraltar,
II Speaking ofFSpain, | understand that
there is bare possibility that II ma,
soma day. again have possession of Glib.
! raltar, and thus regain its old stepping
stone to Africa The English are said t
: be tired of spending money upon the forti
} fications there and that especially since
a commission of Parliament las reported
J, that the place as far as the Atlantic sid,
Is concerned Is practically defenseless q!
a naval base, ana that 1t would not b
of great good in time of war. England
! has already spent upon these fortificaton
l about $250,000,000, which is almost n
9 much us we will spend upon the Panam;
. canal. III 1904 the military expenses Q
, \ Gibraltar amounted to more than $4,000,
Q 600, and costly improvements in the wa
, of new docks and II large coaling islam
t are now being made. These new work
: are all on the side of the rock fncn
t the Atlantic ocean. It is there that tn
I town Of Gibraltar lies and there also ar
6 the bay and the landing places for ships
+ i spent some time at Gibraltar on IN
J, way to Morocco. and had q good chanc
n to inspect the outside of the fertilization
!. and the new improvements. A deep hal
h Dor of two hundred and sixty acres Is be
S ing formed and about fifty acres Of watS
area has been reclaimed for n new doc
d yard The largest Of the naval war YES
= sells can be dry docked there and the han
h Dor Is big enough for the whole Rrlts
o Atlantic fleet.
7, Eighty Miles OF Tunnels.
S, The rock Of Gibraltar lies at the end {
II u narrow neck Of land which connects
Il with the Spanish peninsula, One cou