The Topeka state journal., 1922-07-07
Morocco Not Quieted Down
Since Time of John Hay There.
Memory of His Action Against
Rebel Well Remembered.
RAISULI FLEES IN DISGRACE
Former Bandit Leader Routed
by Spanish Artillery Recently.
He Had Grown Too Strong for
the Morocco Government.

Tangier. Morocco, July 7-Presi-
dent Harding's fellow townsman and
personal friend. the Rev. Joseph NJ.
Denning, who has just assumed his
duties here as American consul gen.
-eral and diplomatic agent, has come
to Africa at a time when Morocco is
torn with unrest and Spain and France
are both fighting to maintain suprem-
acy in their zones of influence.
Eighteen years ago John Hays
"Perdicaris alive or RaiSuli dead!
rang thru the streets of Morocco arr
four American warships steamed into
Tangier to back up American demands
for the release of Ian Perdicaris,
whom Raisuli had kidnapped and was
holding in the mountains for ransom.
The Moroccan government under
stood the language of warships with
guns turned shoreward. 1t paid
RaiSuH the 10, 900 English pounds he
demanded for Perdicaris' release, and
the incident was closed.
But RaisuH Still Here.
But this same Raisun is still on the
rampage. He and many other bandit
chiefs are operating within a hundred
miles OF Tangier. Raisuh has grown
fat and prosperous since the days
when ne made the Moroccan govern
ment pay him so well for the release
of Ian Perdicaris and Walter B. Har-
ris, the correspondent of the London
Times. But a few days ago the Span
ish troops drove him out of his citadel
at Dazroot, sixty miles south of Tan
gier, and he and his harem and three
or four thousand soldiers are in tlght
in the mountains before the artillery
OF the Spanish leaders who have less
fear of bandits than has the Moroccan
government.
1t was in 1904 that RaisuH captured
Perdicaris and blackmailed the Mo-
roccan sultan into ransoming him to
avoid trouble with America. The BAN
dit leader became so powerful that he
was named governor of the ranger
district a little later and was also
named governor OF the city OF "a Arzela- @
He was such a power that the gov
ernment could not refuse him what ne
wished. When Spain took over under
the Algeciras treaty in 1912 1t cur
ried favor with Raisuh He was
given arms for his forces and made
a sort of governor.
Then They Ousted Him.
Three years ago the Spaniards. tired
of the extortions and demands of Rails
uli ousted him from office At Daz-
root he had erected forutled caStie
where he kept his bandit army and his
treasury protected against invaders
He had machine guns. but no heavy
artillery. So when the Spanish forces
turned heavy shells against his strong
hold a few days ago there was noth-
but flee.
This flight puts Raisuli into bitter
disgrace. Dazroot is holy city. II
contains the tomb of Absolam RaisuH, |
an ancestor of the bandit chief, and
patriarch much revered by Moham- |
medans Consequently Raisuli has
lost face by his inability to resist the |
attacks of the Christian troops. They |
have broken the spell which his long |
series of successes has cast about him. |
He is in flight in territory where he |
is much hated by the natives because
of his cruel exactions and if the Span |
iards choose to pursue him his cap
ture should not be difficult