Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1893 — WHAT THEY BRING. [ARTICLE]

WHAT THEY BRING.

The Prices Paid for Female Slaves In Turkey. The poisoning of four beautiful odalisques, or female slaves of the imperial harem of the Sultan of Turkey, prompted by the jealousy of the other women, brings to mind the fact that the slave trade is the chief source of recruits for the harem. The trade is conducted almost exclusively by a tribe of Tcherkesses known as Tessirdohis. Families generally work together. One brother, for example, stops at home and minds the shop while the other goes abroad and purchases and forwards the raw ma erial of the commerce. Negotiations with purchasers are conducted through the intermediary of Arab brokers, who call regularly on their patrons to inquire if they are wanting anything in black eunuchs or white girls and are remunerated by percentage on sales. The price paid for a white gad under 10 years old is $4, while a maiden between 12 and 16, especially if she ian read and write and strum a little on the zither, is worth $4,006. A female slavo of exceptional beauty, young, wnite and a virgin—the style most in vogue are blondes with black eyes—fetches from $5,000 to $7,500. For a very choice specimen, with a smattering ol French and able to play a few airs on the piano, a rich amateur has been known to pay as much as $13,500. Black slaves, who are brought principally from Africa, are either sold direct by the importers ti> the proprietors of harems or to dealers, two of whom have extens ve private marts in Stamboul. These two generally keep on band 106 to 120 slaves each. Then- are also depots in Scutari and in several villages on the Bosphorus. A strong black slave soils for about $100; a black maiden, $75 to S3O.