El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-09
Outbreak OfBandits In Morocco Recalls
Capture OfWeaLthyAmercan In 19O4And
Famous UZtin1atur11 OfPresident Roosevelt

sSTHE outbreak Of RaisuIi. the No
L roecan Robin Hood which Spain
IS rushing troops through Tangier to
check. recalls a famous episode dur
ing the administration Of president
Roosevelt. and a story OF how a vet
eran Washington newspaper man
helped make history" says a bulletin
from the National Geographic So
ciety.
Tt was in 1904, following his cap
ture Of an English correspondent. for
whose ransom the sultan Of Morocco
had to pay $4,000. that the irrepres-
sibls bandit went after bigger game
and kidn2p ped a wealthy American,
lon Perdicaris, and his son. Cromwell
Varley
When Raisuli paid no attention to
the demand Of the United States gov
eminent for the release Of the two
men, president Roosevelt promptly
dispatched a fleet OF American war
ships to Morocco. and sent the famous
ultimatum to the sultan, 'Perdicaris
alive or Raisuli dead
1T was IN connection with the
framing Of that ultimatun7 that a
trusted correspondent OF the Asso-
ciated Press Is concerned. according
10 classic story among the Wash
inSton newspaper men Being en-
trusted with preparing a message for
president Roosevelt to sign. Mr.. Hay.
then secretary OF state, did so. and. as
many a public official has done. sub
mltted II to his friend. the newspaper
man, for his opinion.
Then the Great idea.
Wen, It may be diplomatic. but
the sultan never will get you in the
midst OF all those words was. in ef-
feet the newspaper mans verdict
Then flashed the bright idea. Why
not say what you mean. and no r-ore.
Mr.. Secretary Perdicaris alive or
Raisuli dead
The secretary agreed President
Roosevelt approved. And so It hap
pened that the sultan so far got this
succinct American demand. that he
abandoned the usual oriental indlrec-
ton. and the result. while helpful to
the victims, was exceedingly hard on
the sultan For TO deliver the two
Americans Raisuli had to be appeased
with payment of about five times the
ransom he demanded for the London
CORRESPONDENT, with appointment OF
himself as governor Of certain areas
about Iangier, and release OF his
bandit friends and imprisonment OF
some Of his enemies"
Tells Story OF Capture.
The bulletin then quotes from Ar.
Perdiearis, own story Of his capture,
to the National Geographic society BY
him shortly after his release. Mr.
Perdicaris wrote, IN part
In 1884 Umlai FL Hassan died.
This sultan was perhaps the ablest
ruler Morocco ever enjoyed. His
young son, Add e Aziz. noninaIly
succeeded to the throne upon his
fathers death. but did not assume
the reins OF power until the dsceass.
in 1900. OF the great vizier. Ben Ha-
med Ben Mousa- 4 year OF two later
an adventurer known as Gilali Fl Ear
hmni, an alleged elder brother Of Add
FL Aziz. and many OF the Berbers in
the neighborhood OF Fez railroad
around this pretender and even
threatened Fez itself For a short
aroused that many OF them deserted
with their arms to the enemy. and
the sultan himself barely escaped
capture.
The weakening OF the sultan's
hold upon power was followed by q
marked alteration IN the attitude OF
the natives toward foreigners-Euro-
peans or Americans.
7 was at the time president Of an
international commission charged
with the administration Of the town
Ct Tangier: nor did I imagine that
myself would be exposed to any i'm
mediate danger. much less that
should be carried off as hostage by
the Berbers, or that the squadrons OF
our navy and the orders OF my re-
lease in washington would become
factors in the immemorial struggle
between the Berbers OF FL Moghereb
and the sultan OF Fez and Morocco.
I've had moved up two DAYS be-
fore this startling event to Afdonia,
our summer residence. on the Spar
tello headland about five miles from
Tangier. The house which we had
here erected Is an unpretentious villa