Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-13

Washington, Feb. 11.-Raisuli, the
Moorish bandit, who has just again
offered to surrender to the Spanish
military forces which are pushing. an
active campaign against him in Nor
COCO, is the man who once. drew the
United States into action In that vexed
corner of the world. ~
He figured in that celebrated inci-
dent when Secretary Hay demanded
..Perdicaris alive or ;Raisui dead"
That was 17Syears ago, in 1904.
Raisuli had captured lon Pardicaris,
a naturalized American citizen and
kept him prisoner. President Roose-
Welt sent a fleet of eight American war
vessels stripped for action into Tam
gier harbor while John Hay sent his
famous message to the feeble Sultan,
in nominal command there.
Too Fat to Fight
Raisuli, who now says he is too
fat to fight, had long been a leader
Of the wild tribesmen who have fire.
quently swa1nped the trained battal-
ions Of a civilized power.
Perdicaris, a wealthy man, was
president of the European commission
administering affairs in Tangier city
in 1904. He has told the story of his
capture and it was ~recounted som
time ago in a National Geographic
SOClely Uulltllu. LIZ VITA oiAdttiiSu oNt
of his summer home by Raisulis raid
ers and borne off to a mountain
stronghold.
From there, the chieftain proceed
ed to open up negotiation with the
Sultan of Morocco, P~erdicaris' family,
n eventually in indirect fashion
with the American government, con-
corning the price to be paid for his
captive The United States cut shor
~. ,J,o ff owl, ', ~ In, tha fashion Incorih-
ed. The Sultan, panic stricken, sent
$4,000 in silver to Raisuli, appointed
him governor of a district. turned
loose some of his friends from Tam
gier jails, and incarcerated some OF
Raisuli's enemies in their place. Per-
dicaris later returned to the United
States to express his hanks.
Prosperity, however, came close to
running his erstwhile captor, Raisuli.
He got into d quarrel with the Sultan
about his governorship, was thrown
out, and promptly retaliated by bear
ing off for ransom kaid Sir Henry Nc
Lean, British commander of the Nor
occoan army. He arrayed his tribes
men for battle, and descended upon
the coast, doing much damage to
European interests, and in 1907. sue
ceeded in setting all the hair-triggers
in European diplomacy.
French Bombardcd Town
The French navy bombarded on Of
his captive towns, Casablanca, the
now practically. extinct Kaiser Will
helm came to bat. shifting undue
French expansion in prospect, but the
matter was Strengthened out in a
council chamber instead of on a bat
tlefield. Raisuli was chased back to
his mountain f%astness, but news dis
patches every few years record an
other of his ~eruptions.
In many respects the man inter-
ested and attracted me in spite of all
my natural motives for dislike" Per
dicaris says of Raisuli in the Geo
/ graphic society's report. "RAisuli was
gracious and dignified, not to us only
but to his own wild adherents, who
evidently idolized their chieftain
whose position among them seemed
thatfof a head Of a highland clan in
olden times. He was quick to see the
humorous aspect of a situation, while
his repartee was as immediate and to
the point as though he had been born
in the county Galway.
II found myself u%nconseiously &C
cepting his contention that he was not
a mere brigand or cattle-lifter, but a
patriot struggling to lift his Berber
followers from the tyranny of corrupt
officials. His charm of voice, the ma
tural poise and dignity of his man