No. 509.
Mr. Mathews to Mr. Evarts.
United
States Consulate at Tangier,
April
17, 1880. (Received May 17.)
No. 362.]Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 354, dated the
8th of March, I have the honor to transmit to you herewith a copy and
translation of the reply to my letter addressed to the Sultan through his
prime minister on the occasion of the recent persecution of the Jews of this
empire.
From most reliable information on the subject of the burning of a Jew aged
eighty-five, at Fez, the statement in the Sultan’s prime minister’s letter
to me is incorrect. It is well known that no Barbary Jew would ever dare to
even carry a walking-stick at Fez; they are only allowed to use a reed as a
cane to walk, and it must be of a certain length.
The well known timid character of all Moorish Jews who are obliged to walk
barefooted and never permitted to ride any kind of an animal through the
streets of Fez, makes it ludicrous to learn from a Sultan’s
[Page 802]
minister that an old Jew, eighty-five years
old, insulted and threatened a crowd of Moors at the fanatical city of Fez,
when they are pent up in a ghetto, in constant fear of their lives. I have
the most reliable evidence of the fact that no Moor died, nor even was
wounded at the hands of a Jew, and that the story is a fabrication got up to
extenuate the magnitude of the crime.
I herewith beg to inclose copy of a letter from Captain John Cobb, our
consular agent at Casablanca, who happened to be at Fez at the time this
affair took place.
I am happy to state that my letter to the Sultan has been productive of good
in preventing thus far further ill-treatment on the Israelites, and it has
been a source of satisfaction to the European Jews, who have expressed their
gratitude and thanks to me through their various delegations, and through
the press.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 362.]
The Prime Minister to Mr.
Mathews.
Praise be to the only God!
To our dear friend the judicious, the gentleman, the
honorable mediator for the welfare between the two nations, the
representative of the powerful American nation, Mr. Felix A. Mathews:
We always inquire for you, and we pray to God for your preservation and
welfare. We received your letter relative to the Jew that was burned,
and we have taken note of all you have said and heard, and that His
Majesty should take more care of his Jewish subjects, and that those
that committed the crime were not punished, also that we should see that
the Jews are well treated, &c. We have informed ourselves of all you
have stated, which is all due to the good friendship which exists
between us; and you also state that we must punish the aggressor, and
you recommend us the safety of the persons and property of the Jews and
that we should write to our governors so that they be well treated and
that no injustice should be done to them.
We have read your letter to His Majesty the Sultan, who attentively took
note of all its contents, and His Majesty recognizes and considers that
your good advice emanated from the good friendship which you profess
towards him, and His Majesty the Sultan ordains us to make known to you
his acknowledgment, which we now do in his name.
You must be acquainted of the fact of the matter as we have been
informed: that a Moor of the suburbs of Fez came into the Yames Market
in company with his wife to make purchases, and on returning in the
afternoon the husband remained behind and she waited for him alone, when
a French Jew appeared in her presence intoxicated, and the woman got
frightened and called for help; her husband came up and pushed the Jew
away, and the latter drew a pistol and wounded the Moor on the head, and
afterwards threw stones at him; when those present arrested the Jew, who
was imprisoned by the authorities. Soon after an old Jew made his
appearance, insulting the government and menacing the people with an arm
then the crowd gathered, and it ended in his death and in his being
burned.
From the foregoing you will observe that the fault rests on the Jews. His
Majesty the Sultan was much annoyed when he was informed of what
happened, and he gave orders for the arrest of some of those who were
present, both of the country people as well as those of the city, but
they could not make out who were the guilty parties, and when the Jews
became acquainted with the facts they came to an understanding, and the
prisoners were set free, and the governor of Fez was deprived of his
official position for being a man of little energy, and we appointed in
his place Kaid El Arby Usef Urbah Mohamed Shergin.
The husband of the woman, who was wounded, died from the effects of the
wounds inflicted on him by the Jew; and there was a settlement of the
affair with the widow of the Jew who was burned, for the life of her
husband, but there has been no settlement for the life of the Moor. You
will thus see how well behaved are the people of Fez, which, if it had
not been for those of good sense, we cannot imagine what would have
taken place, as the populace never reflects upon consequences, therefore
the Jews must behave well with the Moors.
You are one of the oldest representatives in this happy empire, and you
know what
[Page 803]
difference is in the
present behavior of the Jews from what it was; and His Majesty, the
protected by God, does not countenance injustices, and heeds what you
advise us as to ordain our governors recommending the Jews. His Majesty
the Sultan has issued strict orders on behalf of the Jews, and any one
molesting them will be severely punished.
His majesty wishes you much happiness, and for friendship and peace.
The Sultan’s vizier, protected by God,
MOHAMED BEN LARBY EL MAJTAR.
At the city of Fez,
7th Rabi the 1st,
1297.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 362.]
Mr. Cobb to Mr.
Mathews.
City of
Fez, February 3,
1880.
Dear Sir: I regret to state that a sad affair
took place at this city just on my arrival, and I now beg to give an
account as related to me by an eye-witness, and which has been
corroborated by many respectable Moors and Jews during this day, which
is as follows:
An Algerine Jew, strongly under the influence of liquor, walking near the
Sultan’s residence at the city of Fez, met a Moor with a woman; the Jew
made an attempt to take the woman with him; the Moor retaliated by
striking him; the Jew then drew a pistol and fired it off, not injuring
any one; he was then set upon by a number of passers by and severely
beaten and taken off to prison; soon after, three Jews were passing by
the Sultan’s residence, when they were suddenly surprised by a party of
Moors in a most violent manner; two of the Jews being young and strong
made good their escape, but the victim, some eighty-five years old, was
stopped; he inquired why he was to be dealt with in this foul manner,
assuring them that he was not aware he had committed any wrong; when
they told him they wanted to show him about that, and immediately threw
him down, saturated his clothes with petroleum, set fire to him, and
there and then he was burned to death. A Moor of a most respectable
appearance to-day informed me that he was an eye-witness to this
operation.
* * * * * * *
Since which the authorities have asked the Jews to let the matter pass,
offering $400 to the family of the deceased, and say no more about the
affair. The Sultan liberated the French Jew who, during his state of
intoxication, fired the pistol, without inflicting upon him any
punishment whatever. After this affair the Jews all remained in their
houses four days with barred doors, not daring to show their faces
outside, under a terrible state of excitement, fearing death was to be
dealt out to them all in the same cruel manner; but now they go out
unmolested, otherwise than by occasional threats from Moors that soon
the day will come when they will all share the fate of the aged
victim.
From the Melah, where the Jews are quartered, to the house where I now
reside, as you know, is a long walk, and many of them have come to lay
their complaints before me, and, although the weather is cold for this
country, the streets muddy, and very roughly paved, they all, rich and
poor, male and female, come barefooted, assuring me that they would be
murdered if they attempted to walk the streets of Fez otherwise; which
is truly a barbarously cruel state of affairs and should be noticed by
the more civilized governments, and a matter which I believe could most
easily be remedied.
* * * * * * *
You have no doubt, ere this, been made aware of the petroleum murder, but
as these reports as they travel come in to you so conflictingly, I give
it to you as I believe it actually occurred, and shall give you further
information if such appears.
I have, &c.,
