The Colorado statesman., 1907-08-24
HOLY WAR"
IS DISGRACE
MASSACRE OF DEFENsELEss MEN
AND WOMEN. BLOT ON
CIVILIZATION.
SULTAN BRINGS HELP
FRENCH AND SPANISH SOLDIERS
BUTCHER MooRs AND CON-
NIT ATROCITIES.

Tangfer, Morocco-"Holy war" has
been proclaimed by Mulai Hafid, the
sultan's brother, who has been pro
claimed ruler of Morocco by hordes of
rebel fanatics. The rebel sultan is
reported to be marching to the aid of
the Arabs and Moors now besieging the
French troops in Casa Blanca with a
force or 10000 men, and a desperate
attack on that city is expected momen-
tarfly. The combined rebel forces. it
Is feared. will annihilate the French
and Spanish troops and butcher all
Europeans in that city. With the
green banner of Moslem fanaticism
raised, Mulat Hafid is Stirring the
whole country to a frenzy of rage
against all foreigners.
London.-Atrocities too horrible to
mention, and which were disgrace to
the civilization they were Supposed to
represent are charged against the
French and Spanish soldiers and sail
ors at Casa Blanca by w. T. Bolton, the
first refugee from Casa Blanca to reach
England.
The whole massacre there, Bolton as
serts, was deliberately arranged by the
French. The invasion of Casa Blanca
was so arranged as to cause the Moors
to resort to violence, thus giving the
invaders an excuse for shooting down
helpless natives and resorting to ter
rfble outrages against the Moors
Bolton Is connected with the North
African mission. He made q lengthy
statement, bristling with sensational
charges. which show the French and
Spanish occupants of Casa Blanca in a
terrible light. He said:
THE conduct of the French and
Spanish soldiers at Casa Blanca was a
disgrace to civilization. 1t is almost
beyond belief that such horrors as
were committed by the French and
Spaniards could have been done by
Christian Europeans. Though my
country has alliances with both France
and Spain, consider it my duty to re-
veal the truth, and declare France de-
liberately arranged to cause the mas
sacre at Casa Blanca as an act of petty
revenge.
1T was all british blunder If in
the first instance France had landed
500 or 600 men to preserve order, there
would not have been any massacre.
There was no need for France to try
to capture the town, for the Moors
stood ready even to deliver the keys to
France If they had been asked for, and
to punish in any way agreeable to
France the assassins of Europeans, all
of whom were in prison.
But France landed less than 100
men, who tried to force their way into
Casa Blanca, and when the Moors re-
sisted, began shooting
when the French got control of
Casa Blanca they let in the foreign
heather. Many of the crimes commit
ted by the soldiers are indescribable.
| saw them looting; l saw them carry
ing away young Moorish girls; commit
ting unmentionable crimes right in the
streets; l saw them massacre wounded
and helpless natives. One Moor saw
emerge, unarmed, from a saints tomb,
and try to escape, but he was shot
down. While he was helpless on the
ground a soldier rushed up and beat
out his brains.
"Orders were issued that all natives
carrying white flags must be safe
guarded, but the order was useless, for
the soldiers never looked for flags, but
shot to kill every time they saw a hu-
man being. l saw one Moor run the
gauntlet Of forty bullets before he fell.
French officers at Casa Blanca are try
ing to excuse excesses by saying the
soldiers got out of control, but it is not
so. The officers made no attempt to
control the men. but simply allowed
them free hand.
France has disgraced herself as a
civilized power. She allowed 1000 de-
fenseless people to be massacred.
"Stories told me by the Moors are
heartrending. One Moorish merchant
said: My young son is dead. My
three daughters are worse than dead.
This is a short history of many
families. What 1 saw will go down
with me to my grave as too horrible
even to think of.
1.-The French have proved themselves
totally incompetent to govern Morocco
If Germany or England had been com
PEELED to take Casa Blanca they would
have done SO with scarcely any blood
she'd"