CARNAGE AT CASABLANCA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 5 October 1907, Page 3

CARNAGE AT CASABLANCA.

HORRORS OF THE BOMBARDMENT. MASSACRE OF JEWS. BRITISH MEDIATION SOUGHT. The tragic sequel to the murder of Europeans at the Moorish seaport of Casa Blanca is graphically described in the following long telegraphic despatch from the Daily Mail special correspondent, Mr Chas. E. Hands, who was the only English journalist present when the town was bombarded by tht French warship Galilee:— Casa Blanca, Aug. 5. The French have occupied the town after a bombardment. The Moorish troops made a feeble resistance. Saturday and Sunday has been perfectly quiet. Mulai Amin, military commander of the district, had employed his soldiers to guard the town from Arab attack, and patrolling the big "soko," where are large English stores. The immediate vicinity of the town was also patrolled, and perfect order was preserved within the city. On both days, accompanied by an English resident, I rode a couple of miles out into the country quite unmolested, while the English inside went about their ordinary affairs without fear. Mulai Amin, indeed, has done conscientiously that all could be done to secure the safety of the town. The latest reports on Sunday were that, although a number of Arabs were some twelve miles away, the majority had returned to their interrupted harvesting. So it was taken for granted that, whatever measures the French might take when a sufficient force arrived, nothing would be attempted with such a small force as the single cruiser Galilee could land.

All went to sleep with easy minds. I was at the Spanish hotel, where Dr. Kerr, a Scotch missionary, was the only other guest, the others having fled. Shortly before four o'clock, however, ivc were both awakened by a messenger from our Consul, Mr Madden, summoning us to come to the Consulate. At half-past one he had received notice from the French Consulate advising him of the intention to land troops and occupy the town at five o'clock. The Galilee was understood to have been in wireless communication with other warships, and had, presumably, received instructions to get an advance party inside the town in order to facilitate matters later. Possibly it was supposed from the attitude of Malai Amin and the notables of the town, who dread pillaging, that the place would surrender without any resistance. THE FIRST SHOT. I arrived at the Consulate ivithin a few minutes, and found the Consul, who was up all night, communicating the French notification to all the other Consulates. He was cool and self-possessed, but seemingly disappointed at the turn of events. He still had affairs to attend to. An elderly American, Captain Cobb, for many years a resident living in his own quarters in the town, declined Mr Madden's offer to come to the Qonsulate for safety, saying that only a fewArabs would be shot, and that it would serve them right. Mr Madden sent the asliaris (soldiers) who were stationed for the protection of the Consulate to guard him, being confident that the Consulate would not be attacked, and keeping only his own servants. There were in the Consulate Mr Madden, Mr Broome, Acting Vice-Consul, Dr. Kerr and myself, with two Spanish families. At daybreak we went to the terrace on the roof overlooking the sea. The Galilee was the only warship there. At twenty minutes past five, as soon as it was clear light, we saw- two boats, filled with men and towed by a steam pinnacj, come from under the Galilee's sides and make rapidly for the waterport. We waited for a quarter of an hour in silence, wondering whether Mulai Amin was the sort of soldier who would surrender without some show of resistance. Along the street leading from the waterport Moorish soldiers began runnine, some with and some without rilles. There was some consternation, but the town generally still slept. At a quarter to six a single rifle shot rang out somewhere in the direction of the waterwall.

Immediately, as if that were the sign of resistance which the warship was awaiting, the Galilee opened a furious cannonade. The Spanish and French flags, which hitherto had been at halfmast, in mourning for the murdered Europeans, were fullmasted in order to indicate as plainly as possible their situation. All the other Consulate flags were already at full-mast, the colors showing plain and clear in the morning light. FURIOUS FIRING. Furious musketry fire broke out along the water front, and a dull, heavy boom from the old Moorish battery showed that after all Mulai Amin and his despised soldiery were doing something. But it was a very poor resistance they were able to make The Moorish battery fired a few rounds only. Singly, and carrying disjointed rifles concealed in portmanteaux, so as to avoid suspicion, a party of the Galilee's men had been conveyed on Saturday to the French Consulate, where they now took a position on the high terrace of the roof, commanding the foreshore and one corner of the town, and also taking the Watergate batteries : n the rear. The sharper and more vicious bark of the Galilee's quick-firers and the continuous roar of her bigger guns increased. The sky became flecked with little puffs of smoke where shells were liurstirg over the Moorish quarters of the town. Wounded .began to be seen dragging themselves aiong the street facing the Consulate. Those unharmed wert running this way and that. White-rolled officers on horseback were passing and repassing, their men following.

Tn twenty minutes all seemed over. The Moorish fire was silenced, the warship's fire ceased, aid 'here came a Iu" also in the rattle of musketry. But it c-as only a Int. In a few moments shells began to fly again. Then there was another lull. And : : o it eoi. tinued until half-past six, tin: French Consulate flag meanwhile being riddle;! with bullets. At that hour there came breathless to the British Consulate gates a grave and elderly Moor in flowing robes, accompanied by one soldier. He asked to sec Mr Madden. It was Mulai Amin come to beg the British representative's good offices as mediator.

Mr Madden received him sympathetically, but explained that it was not our affair. But Mulai Amin, he said, since lie desired to end the bombardment, which had meantime been resumed, must go to the French Consulate. Mnlai Amin went away disappointed. Five minutes afterwards, howccr, his Khalifa, Hadj Abdul Whad Ben Selod, with another white-robed agitated officer, arrived with a message that he was willing to surrender the town, since the lionibardment was causing great loss of life and property. The Khalifa asked Mr Madden's assistance to effect a surrender. He said he could not approach the French Consulate because the refugees oil the roof of the Spanish Consulate were firing upon every Moor who passed in the street. He feared that the French Consulate would similarly receive their approach. THE WHITE FLAG.

Mr Madden then wrote a brief note to the French Consul, saying who the bearers were, and that he understood they wished to submit. It was a sort of formal letter of introduction, wlreh he handed to the Khalifa for delivery. He also advised them to carry a white flag, and showed them how to fix it on the bayonet "of the Khalifa's orderly. With the soldier holding his gun as high as possible to display the white flag, they departed on their mission, taking a roundabout way in order to avoid the Spanish Consulate. The mission apparently succeeded, for at ten minutes to seven three of the Galilee's guns were silent, and the furious rille fire which had lieen heard in the north-east corner of the town and in the direction of the French Consulate lulled and died away until only an occasional shot here and there was heard.

So far the undertaking seemed eminently successful. The French had only landed a handful of men from their single little ship—eighty men only, as I afterwards learned—but these hail been sufficient to force "an entrance and make their way, with the loss of only five wounded," to the French Consulate, and with the assistance of the guns of the Galilee had in a remarkably short time compelled the Governor s surrender. Ily nine o'clock public criers were passed proclaiming that the town would no !mi],p shelled. We ate breakfast with quiet minds. But we soon learned that this was too good to lie true._ T must" first explain in a brief resume of an earlier despatch, which may have miscarried, that all along, even since (he Galilee's arrival, the British and Other residents with large interests a! stake and great knowledge of the people had impressed upon the French authorities the extreme necessity of avoiding any premature action -with an insufficient force. This view, with some difli-l

culty, the French had been brought to accept. It wan understood that nothing would be done until more ships arrived and were able to land enough men to take immediate and complete possession of the town and replace Mulai Amin's policing arrangements, which had hitherto been so successful in the preservation of life and property from the Arabs.

Even overnight, in announcing their intention of occupation in the morning, the French apparently believed that the fleet would meantime arrive, that it would be able to land ''une force imposante," and that resistance need not be expected. As it afterwards appeared, Mulai Amin had declared his willingness to surrender possession of the town, it being represented to him that resistance actually offered was the result of some bungle or individual action by a subordinate, or whether it was not considered that eighty men were a sufficient number to make resistance futile, we must wait to learn. However, what subsequently occurred was exactly what it was prophesied would occur by those best knowing the conditions. INVASION AS SAVAGES. Willi the firing of the first shot Mulai Amin's authority and organisation vanished. His soldiers, in their cheap Moorish adaptations of European uniforms, bolted with their rifles, leaving the town exposed to rapine and pillage, in which tliej; themselves took part. By breakfast time, as soon as the shelling ceased, looting began. Men in short jeilabs were seen passing along the street staggering under burdens. Fierce white-robed Arabs—tribesmen carrying guns and riding fine horses—began to ride about directing the looting operations. Even the women were carrying loads, and the noise of breaking open locked shops was heard. One soldier passed, carrying a gun in one hand and a big bundle in the other. The shops looted first yielded as plunder rolls of cloth and calico and a useful store of the materials which the Aral) 3, after money, most covet. Soon looters appeared with miscellaneous household articles, basins, saucepans, and bellows. I distinguished quite a number of Arabs carrying umbrellas. One passed with a purple parasol open while he was being shot at from the roof of the Spanish Consulate.

After a time came the sound of hammering on metal steadily continued, hooters were trying to force the safe of the State Bank. Then from afar were heard the shrieking and wailing of .Tews being beaten and murdered by the Arabs. A furious fnsilade in one corner showed that the French were holding their Consulate, but in the other quarters the only shots fired were clearly Arabs, making it clear that the French'were unable with their small force to secure possession of the three landward gates. The increasing number of Arabs engaged in the work of pillage showed that, attracted by the sound of firing, the triliesmen were galloping in, knowing that they were now able to fulfil the dream of an Arab's life and loot a town.

But though they passed and repassed beside the British' Consulate, which was totally unguarded, there was never the slightest menace. During the five or six hours the pillaging continued not a single attempt was made to enter the gates. Prowlers, the lust of loot in their eyes, regarded it now and again. But someone said "Dar El Inglees" (English house), and they passed by. So confident were most of the English that whatever happened they would be personally unharmed that they declined to seek refuge in the Consulate, and were content to remain behind closed doors in their own homes. We wondered when the French were coming to clear the centre of the town The promise of the arrival of the fleet was [tartly fulfilled, since during the morning the cruisers Forbin and Du Chavla and also the little Spanish gunboat Don Alvaro de Bazan came to the Galilee's assistance. But the four ships combined were able to land only about a hundred and fifty men. Hour after hour passed before volley firing near at hand announced that the troops were somewhere in the streets.

Wild cheering and waving of hats on the high-walled roof of the Spanish Consulate told, just before two o'clock, whose volleys they were. The Consulate, which was swarming with refugees, mostly of the poorest class, stood in the centre of the looted district, and had been for some time in desperate straits for ammunition. A minute later the caps of marines landed from the little gunboat appeared above the parapet of the roof, and the men opened fire on the looting crowds with almost immediate effect as far as that particular quarter went.

But the wailing and the shooting in the quarters of the .lews aiul the rieh Moors increased. It was half-past two when the first patrol in the street passed in sight of the British Consulate. At that moment the trouble ceased in that section of the town. The section, however, included only a strip of the waterfront between the Watergate and the French Consulate, running back as far as the British and Spanish Consulates. Remained the greater part of the place, still crowded with fierce barbarians let loose upon the timid, helpless, unarmed townspeople. The horrors that occurred subsequently in that part of the town which the French and Spanish rifles did not cover will never be told. I hope I shall never know them. I saw from the back of the Consulate •Tews being lieaten and shot, and their houses bieng emptied by an Arab-led rabble. I saw Moorish women being dragged, squealing, from the houses. People who know best decline to speak or think of the horrors of loot and rapine to which the town was subjected.