Captive Girls Ransomed From Moroccan Bandits

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 272, 7 February 1928, Page 14

Captive Girls Ransomed From Moroccan Bandits

Airplanes and Lorties Convoy Laden Mules CHILDREN TERRORISED Airplanes and motor-lorrie. _ with machine-gunners. kept".~J2? n,l '4 Casablanca recently, when French girls and four other Fw lltu * were ransomed from their \r? >p * ac i kidnappers. ■ nor occaa The father and mother of children. M. and Mme **» massacred by hostile tribesmen L,*?* children carried off Ti e a-l and ,r * lives. Mm. Maillet and sS£ **► Mdmes. Prokovoff and Steinh.i captured on a hunting exnedm. The money for the mesage from Casablanca) wa, * taaned in a great many small h"®' which were divided up into three N' one being placed in each at motor-lorries armed with machTl? gunners. Lnt >s A strongly-armed escort went . the lorries, and airplanes flew head to keep a look-out for a kI v ambush. Tested With Teeth The money was counted out bv of the negotiators, -who showed th<-‘ selves verv- distrustful of new c!o2.' which they bit to satisfy them,.!, that they were genuine. ' These operations were performs with considerable alacrity, and evwtime a coin was found with a W it it, the brigands demanded an eit, 25 centimes. The faces of the men during tb operation were a study. They ccenw to be in a kind of ecstasy, broiurtr about by the sight of more money t£ they had ever seen before. Apparently also they had little i At* of the weight and bulk of the ranaoc they had demanded and when the process of checking came to an end, it w*i only with difficulty that they were tbl# to arrange for the transport of the • wealth which was loaded on to •* mules which slowly made their wir back toward the mountains. The other tribesmen were apparentquite genial during the time the moor was being counted and one of th«gave M. Steeg his dagger as a solvenir. Children's Terror When released the children barefoot and dressed in rough Moorish costume. They seemed to be terrorised, an.; have since done little but cry for their parents. They have been inundated with presents from the European population to the hope that their minds will be takeoff their recent sufferings. When the brigands—numbering id to 70 horsemen —first rode up it was found that M. Maillet was not with them. He had been left behind of his own accord, to act as hostage, and to ensure the safe delivery of the two ladies. The French officer in charge of the lorries refused to hand over any money until M. Maillet had been brought