'he Omaha Illustrated
Bee
NUMBER 346.
Entered -Second Class at Omaha Postoffice Published "Weekly by The Bee Publishing Co. Subscription, $2.50 Ter Year.
APRIL 15, 1906.
AROUND THE WORLD WITH WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Visit to the Wild Moro Country and the Sultan of Sulu Indicates Something of the Task the United States Government Has Before It in Civilizing the Natives of Mindanao.
SINGAPORE. Jan. 22. (Special Correspondence of The Bee.)
The term Moro Is used to describe the Mohammedan Fili
pino and Includes a number of tribes, occupying the large
island ef Mindanao and the smaller Islands adjacent to it
ond those of the Sulu archipelago.
The northeast corner of Mindanao is separated from the island
of Leyte by the Surlgno strait, and that part of Mindanao has a con
siderable sprinkling of Christian Filipinos, but both that island and
ihe Sulus can be considered Moro country. The Americans recog
nlo the difference between the two groups of islands and adminis
ter government according to different plans. Civil government has
been established in the northern islands, and except where ladronlsm
prevails, law and order reign. There are in some places, as in
northern Luzon, wild tribes in the mountains, but these are so few
in number and so different from the civilized Filipinos that they do
not enter into the solution of the Philippine problem.
In Mindanao, however, and the other Moro provinces, warlike
tribes have been in control. They have furnished a large number
of pirates and have frequently invaded the northern lRland, carrying
back Filipino slaves. They never acknowledged the authority of
Spain, and succeeded In keeping most of the islands in the southern
group free from Spanish control. Our country probably exercises
authority over more Moro territory .than Spain ever did, and yet
our authority is limited and we employ the military form of govern
ment rather than the civil.
In our tour of the islands we crossed over the narrow part of
Mindanao, went up the Cotabato valley and called upon the sultan
of Sulu at his home near Malbun, on the island of Sulu.
- Immense Water Power Possible
We landed at Camp Overton, a military post on Illgan bay, on
the north coast of Mindanao, and immediately began the ascent to
Camp Klethley, eighteen miles in the Interior. A military road
has been constructed between these two camps, following for the
greater part of the way the Spanish trail. Owing to the heavy rain
fall and the luxuriant growth of vegetation it is difficult to keep a
road in repair, and not far from the coast we passed a large number
of prisoners who were engaged in straightening and improving it.
About three miles from the coast we made a Bhort detour in order
to see the famous Argus falls, and they are well worth seeing. The
Argus river, which at this point is a large stream, falls 220 feet and
rushes by a tortuous route through the narrow walls of a gorge.
The falls are not only picturesque, but they suggest the possibility of
future use. It has been calculated that 100,000-horse power is here
ttoing to waste which might be put to use. The military authorities
have been trying to secure an appropriation for an electric railroad
from Camp Overton to Camp Klethley, with the intention of obtain
ing pcwer.from the falls, but this would utilize only a small fraction
of the energy which the Argus possesses.
Personal Habits of the Moro
Two miles farther up the road we turned aside to see the rap
Ids of the same river, and here made our first acquaintance with the
Moros. We found a dozen of them under a rude shed of palm
leaves, preparing the evening meal. Yhe most conspicuous dish, at
least the dish that attracted our attention,' 'was a skillet ' full of
grasshoppers being done to a neat brown over a slow fire. While "
we were watching them two half-bare children returned' from the
chase with a large supply of fresh grasshoppers strung upon grass.
The Moros have a most repulsive habit of dying the teeth black, ,
the enamel being first scraped off. Add to this the red tinge left v
on the lips by the chewing of the betel nut and the mouth is any
thing but beautiful.
The clothing of the Moro is scanty and of a cheap quality. The
men when at work often wear nothing but a breech cloth. When
dressed up they wear very tight-fitting trousers of gay color; a tight
fitting waist and a turban completes their company dress. A gar
ment much worn by men and women Is the sarong, which is a piece
of cloth sewed together like a roller towel and folded about the
body. The men, no matter what else they wear or fail to wear,
have a scarf wound around the waist, In which they carry a knife,
of which there are several varieties, the bolo, the barong and the
krls being the most popular. The Moros above mentioned consented
to having a snapshot taken, and their spokesman informed us in
broken English that he had visited the St. Louis exposition. Cap
tain McCoy, one of General Woods' staff, who accompanied us 'as far
as Zamboanga, explained to us that a number of Moros were sent to
St. Louis as an experiment and that they had returned very much
impressed by what they saw In the United States.
Penalty for Carrying a Gun
As we proceeded on the road to Klethley we passed the spot
where a sergeant was cut to pieces by the Moros three weeks be
fore. While all the Moros carry knives and are expert in their use,
they set a high estimate upon a gun, and- the hapless traveler who
carries one of these envied weapons is apt to be waylaid, if alone,
ond lose his life as a penalty for bis rashness. With this incident
fresh in his memory. Colonel Steever of Camp Overton furnished
us with a mounted guard. During the first part of the ride we
passed through a forest in which there were many large trees, some
of them with fantastic trunks, others festooned with vines and all
surrounded by a thick undergrowth which furnishes an admirable
cover for reptiles, beasts or hostile natives. (A boa constrictor thirty-six
feet long was recently killed not far from the road on which
we traveled.)
I have referred to the killing of the sergeant and mentioned
the reason sometimes given. It is to be regretted that we occa
sionally lose men for reasons that reflect upon us. Governor Devore,
whose Jurisdiction extends over a part of Mindanao, officially reports
the killing of one soldier In a quarrel which grew out of an attempt
by the soldier to secure native wine without paying for it
The latter part of the ride was through a series of small hills
covered with cogon grass. The soli looks as though it might be very
fertile, and we passed one little ranch where an American had set
out some hemp plants, but there was little evidence of cultivation
along the line.
Model Camps Occupied by Americans
Camp Kiethley is about 2,300 feet above the sea, on a hill
which bears the same name, and commands a beautiful view of the
surrounding country. The ocean can be seen to the north, and to
the south a magnificent mountain lake stretches away for twenty
miles. A regiment under the command of Colonel Williams is sta
tioned here, and this is considered one of the most healthful situa
tions in the Philippine islands. The American officers insist that
Mindanao has a better climate than Luzon, and some of them are
enthusiastic about the possibility ofV drawing American settlers to
the island. General Wood has given much attention to the products
and climatic conditions, and has encouraged the coming of Ameri
cans to Mindanao. Some 200 of these have settled about Davao
bay in the southeastern part of the island and are cultivating hemp.
I found, however, that most of the members of the military circle
were counting the months intervening before the time of their re
turn to the states.
The ride across Lake Lanao took us in sight of some hostile
country, whose inhabitants still refuse to acknowledge allegiance to
the United States. Some of the cottas, or forts, from which Moros
had been driven within a few months were pointed out to us. Gov
ernor Devore is building a model town on the shore of the lake and
hopes to convince the natives of the friendly lntentio'ns of our coun
try. Camp Vickars is only a few miles south of the lake and near
the summit of the divide. The elevation here is 2,900 feet and the
rite for the camp la well chosen. It is about twenty-two miles from
this point down to Malabang, the seaport on Liana bay, and Captain
Foster, who Is in command at Camp Vickars, furnished us with a
mounted escort. The ride down to the sea was even more enjoyable
than the trip to Camp Klethley, the road leading through forests
more dense and foliage more varied. The Journey was enlivened
by the sight of a number of monkeys sporting in the trees and by
the discordant notes of the bornbllL There Is a waterfall on the
Fourteenth of This Series of Letters Fifteenth
Letter Will Appear in The Bee Next Sunday
0 L
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CARABAA OR WATER BUFFALO THE PRIMITIVE TRANS- INSIDE THE RAILROAD YARDS AT MANILA, SHOWING PART
portation of the Islands. of the Equipment Taken from the Spanish.
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PIPE LINE CARRYING WATER SUPPLY TO MANILA AT THE
Point Where It Crosses the Ban Juan River.
south side of the range also, nearly half way down from the sum
mit, which, while it does not compare with the Argus falls, could be
used for the development of several thousand horse power.
The camp at Malabang, now under command of Colonel Var
num, has a splendid water supply derived from several large springs,
but the harbor is so poor that the government is preparing to re
move the camp to Parang, about ninety miles farther south, where
there is an excellent harbor.
Reception by Datu Piang is Royal
At Malabang we took our boat again, it having gone around
the island while we crossed over, and proceeded to Cotabata, near
the mouth of the Rio Grande river. Acting Governor Boyd met us
here with a river steamer and took us to his headquarters, about
thirty-five mileB farther up the river. We bad a double purpose in
making this trip, first, to see one of the most fertile valleys on the
island, and, second, to pay our respects to Datu Piang, a friendly
Moro of considerable influence among the natives. The Rio Grande
is a crooked stream, wending its way peacefully through the high
grass, the monotony being broken now and then by cocoanut groves,
rice fields, mango trees, banana plants and hemp. While there
was no such systematic cultivation here as in the northern islands,
there was enough to show the possibilities of the soil.
The moon was shining brightly when we approached Governor
Boyd's camp, and we were greeted by a salute of lantakas (small
brass cannon) so numerous that we all lost count. Datu Piang had
Inquired of the' governor how many guns should be fired and was
told that as I held no official position be could use his own discretion
" BATTERY OJ OLD GUNfS " FOUND ON THE (WALL OF MANILA,
Facing the Bay These guns have been made into breechloaders.
as to the number. In order that he might not err on the side of
too few, he fired between fifty and 100. We had scarcely disem
barked before he came in state to make an official call, seated on
the roof of his vinta, or ceremonial barge, manned by forty oars
men. He was accompanied by his leading datus, his Mohammedan
Arab adviser and his East Indian interpreter. He brought with
him also his two sons and two of the sons of the late Datu All, who
met a violent death last fall at the hands of the American troops.
I regret that we were not able to secure a photograph of him
as he approached, for it was a sight of royalty such as we had not
before witnessed. No language can convey the impression that ho
made upon as as he approached the shore, smoking a cigar and
flanked on either side by a brown-skinned urchin bearing an open
umbrella of red silk trimmed with wide yellow fringe. He stayed
long enough to compliment the American officials and to commend
Judge Powell, who happened to be with us, for treating the rich and
the poor alike. Plang's sons and tbe younger son of Datu All have
been learning English under the instruction of Governor Boyd's
wife, and they showed creditable progress in arithmetic as well as
in the use of the language. Piang said that he wanted the boys to
finish their education in the United States.
Early History of Datu Piang
Datu Piang is not of royal blood; in fact, be is part Chinese,
but he showed himself so able a financier that he became Indis
pensable to All, the reigning Datu, and gave his daughter, Minka,
to him in marriage. When the Americans entered the valley Piang
counseled surrender, but All went on the war path and he and his
father-in-law became such bitter enemies that the latter refused to
receive his daughter into his house after All's death, until urged to
do so by the American officers.
We returned with Piang in his barge and spent a half hour at
his house. In that dimly lighted upper room thore gathered a
dusky, half-bare crowd of men, women and children, in the center
of which Bat Mlnka, the child-widow, Just recovering from the
wounds she received at the time of her husband's death. I never
felt more deeply than when I looked upon them, the responsibility
of our nation, or more anxious that our country should so act as to
bring to those people the largest possible amount of good'. One
would be hard-hearted, indeed, who could see in them and in their
habitation nothing but the possibility of exploitation.
When we left Piang gave a lantaka to each of the men in our
party, and to some of us spears and knives in addition, while the
women were remembered with vessels of brass of native manufac
ture and sarongs. If our visit had been a hostile one the cannons
'and weapons carried away would have made it memorable, for many
expeditious have returned with less of the spoils of war.
Work of Schoolmaster at Zamboanga
Our next stop was Zamboanga, the most Important pott on
the island and the headquarters of Governor Wood. The harbor
at the city is not very well protected, but there is a little bay about
eight miles away which affords both deep water and shelter. We
found more Americans at Zamboanga than at any point outside ef
Manila, nearly all of them being in the service of the government.
We visited two Moro schools here and listened to an address of
welcome in English delivered by one of the students. Dr, Saleeby,
fin Armenian, is the superintendent of schools in Zamboanga, and
has furnished a great deal of information in regard to the tradi
tion, history and customs of the Moros. He has also prepared prim
ers in Arabic for the Moros of Mindanao and the Sulu islands.
Our tour of the islands ended at Jolo, or rather, at Malbun on
the other side of the island. Jolo is the chief seaport of Sulus, and
the Spanish alternated with the natives in occupying the space within
the walled city. A guard is still kept at the gate and the Moros are
not allowed to remain within the walls at night. They enter freely
during the day, but are required to leave their weapons outside the
gate. There are only five Americans in Jolo, besides the government
officials; two of these keep restaurants, two have Baloons and the
fifth has recently opened a photograph gallery.
Just outside of the city walls there is a Chinese village (as
there is also at Zamboanga), the mercantile business being largely
in the hands of the Chinese in both of these towns. There are a
number of Christian Filipinos at both Zamboanga and Jolo.
Visit From the Sultan of Sulu
The sultan of Sulu used to live in Jolo when the Spanish were
not there, but during their occupancy of the town, and since, he has
lived at Malbun, on the opposite shore, Bome ten miles distant.
Major Stafford, who is in command of the post there, in the ab
sence of Colonel Scott, Invited the sultan to come to Jolo on the day
of our arrival, and he appeared promptly on time. So much has
been written of him in the United Statee that the readers of these
articles may be interested in a description from life. He came on
a pony, accompanied by a servant, who held over him a large red
umbrella, and followed by a retinue of Datus, head men and small
boys. A native band beat drums and tom-toms as the procession
moved along. The sultan himself was dressed in modern clothes,
but r.ll the rest wore the native dress. His single-breasted, long
tailed blue broadcloth coat was buttoned to tbe throat with gold
buttons, and bis trousers were of the same material. He wore tan
hoes and a fez of black and red,, and carried a gold-headed ivory
cane given him by the Philippine commission upon his last visit to
Manila. He is small of stature, but compact in build, and carries
himself with dignity and reserve. His teeth are black and he shares
with his countrymen a fondness for the betel nut and tobacco. His
prime minister, Hajl Butu, who accompanied him, speaks more
English than the sultan, though the latter is able to use a few;
words. After a short call we all repaired to a hall near by, where
a spear dance had been arranged, and we,eaw the natives, men and
women, go through native dances which in some respects resemble
those of the American Indian.
Some Thrilling Experiences on Mount Vesuvius
Incidents at the Oservatory That Has Now Been Destroyed by the Outflow of Lava
TTVy ISPATCHES of the 8th inst., announcing the destruction of
(III tna R0? observatory on. the slope or ridge of Mount
Vesuvius prove to have been unfounded. Three days later
Prof. Matteucci reported from the observatory that while
the situation was critical he and his staff were on duty and well.
The gradual subsidence of the eruption encourages the belief that
this famous signal tower of science has escaped as miraculously as
in 1872.
The romance of Bclence surrounded the famous old observatory
and with it are linked the names of two scientists, Palmelrl and
Matteucci. Palmeiri came first, and for a score of years, and until
death claimed him at the age of 91 years, in 1898, he remained in
the watch tower. Without a break be predicted each recurring erup
tion of the volcano for a period of more than forty years, the instru
ment that he had Invented for noting the subterranean movements
of the mountain being of so delicate a nature that the slightest dis
turbance of the crater, the slightest trembling of the ground or
change in the air was Instantly registered.
During the frightful eruption of 1872 he had an experience in
the watch tower calculated to scatter the mind of the strongest
devotee of science, but which he passed through with but added
veneration for his "mistress," as he termed the roaring volcano.
On the night of April 26 of that year the eruption reached its
utmost terrifying heights. Prof. Garrett P. Servlss, who visited
Palmeiri in the observatory later, has written about the events of
that night.
"I could see him," writes the professor, "on that awful night
of April 26, when his observatory, shaken and rocked 'by the con
vulsions of the mountain, on whose very shoulder it is perched, was
surrounded by two vast streams of molten lava, while blinding
clouds of smoke and ashes, intermingled with burning fragments,
swept down upon it, blazlDg bombs from the crater dropped by
cores upon the terraces, and terrific lightning strokes fell thick,
and fast amid the roar and bellow of the volcano, audible fifty miles
away.
"The heat of the observatory rose to ISO degrees an oven
-temperature yet Palmeiri' never dreamed of deserting bis post.
He was a captain of science, and this was bis battlefield, whether
It should prove a Roncegvailea or a Tours. Nor was there danger
only from falling missiles and burning lava; vast quantities of
. carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen gases and other noxious
exhalations poured from the rended mountain, rendering the air
at times foul and suffocating.
"People fled by the thousands from the semi-circle of towns
and cities lying on the shore of the bay miles away, but Palmeiri
remained at his post, while around and far below him, on all
sides, the fields were blasted with fire, trees were turned into burn
ing pyramids, deserted houses were overwhelmed and scores of lives
were lost. So steady were his nerves and so unshaken his devotion
that the records of the observatory today contain a minute history
of every phase of this calamitous eruption, which, while it con
tinued, spread the very madness of unthinking terror over Naples
and all the country round about it."
Palmeiri was succeeded by Matteucci, who, by enduring an
almost precisely similar experience, proved himself a worthy suc
cessor to the heroic scientist. He spent three days. May 11, 12 and
13 of 1900, at the crater's edge during the eruption of that year,
and escaped with his life after the most harrowing tortures. Again
all of the scenes so graphically described by Prof. Serviss were re
enacted, again the heat rose to incredible intensity, and onco more
the noxious gases, and, worse, the (lowing lava, surrounded him on
every side.
With watch in hand, Matteucci noted the progress of the erup
tion. As he watched be observed a block of mammoth size rise
above the top of the crater. Carried aloft by an unseen power, it
rose slowly at first, and then, as the fascinated eyes of the scientist
watched its progress, it gathered terrif'c speed and was hurled high
over the top of the mountain and vrecipltated with an ear-splitting
report to the slope of the mountain.
By noting carefully the time, Matteucci observed that the im
mense projectile was suspended above Vesuvius seventeen seconds
before it reached terra flrma. Later, when he had an opportunity
to measure it, he found that it was about twelve cubic metres in
circumference and weighed approximately thirty tons.
When it reached the earth it was traveling at a rate of 300
feet per second. It was later estimated that the force which pro
pelled this mass of solid rock Into the air was equal to about
607,995-borse power. J
Call at the Sultan's Home
The next morning we crossed the island under the protection
of a troop of cavalry and returned the sultan's call. (A few miles
from the trail stands a mountain where about eighty Moros still
refuse allegiance to our government.) He lives in a nlpa bouse,
but has a frame building covered with galvanized iron (still unfin
ished) in which he receives his guests. He sent for one of his
wives (of whom he has four); he has three or four concubines, he
does not know which, but these are not included in the list of wives.
The prime minister has four wives and two concubines, and one of
the head men at whose house we stopped on the way had several
wives. The sultan said that the wives were usually kept in sep
arate houses, but that his lived together in one house.
The sultana whom we saw was dressed in Bilk, with trousers
of red and white striped satin and wore high-heeled shoes. She
has a strong face, one of the most intelligent that we saw in Sulu.
Both tbe sultan and his wife wore diamond and pearl rings. At our
request the sultan brought forth his ornaments of diamonds and
pearls and exhibited his uniforms,, heavy with gold braid and but
tons. He is now drawing a salary of about $5,000 a year from the
American government for exerting' his influence in our behalf, and
as a matter of economy it might be cheaper to put the datus on the
pay roll than to suppress them by force of arms. His salary, how
ever, Is probably due as much to his being the bead of the church aa
to his fighting qualities.
We sailed from Malbun to the Bornean coast in order to take a
steamer for Singapore, and as we are studying colonialism it was
probably fortunate that we did, for we found a few foreigners de
veloping North Borneo with Chinese coolies, the natives being lost
sight of entirely.
At Sandakan there are thirty-eight English, two Germans and
2,000 Chinese, but we searched in vain for a native. In and about
Kudat, another Bornean port, there are twenty-two Europeans and
10,000 Chinese, and here we found only a few of the original in
habitants. At Labuan there are about twenty-five foreigners, and
the local business is in the hands of the Chinese and East Indians.
I refer to. the plan of development adopted in those parts of
Borneo at which our steamer stopped because they throw light upon
the colonial question with which we have to deal. Having described
briefly but as fully as space permits the conditions as I found them
in the Philippines, I shall devote the next article to a discussion of
the policy which should be pursued by the United States in regard
to them. (Copyright, 1906.) W. J. BRYAN.
Virgins' Garlands
There are seven "virgins' pa Hands" still in existence in Mlnsterley
church, Salup.Knglaud, the first of them bearing the date looi and the
last 1751.
They consist of silk ribbon and paper, bnll shaped, and are covered
with rosette, the inside center of tbe cane or wire frame supporting a
pair of paper gloves. They represent a romantic custom of very an
cient origin, and are sacred to tbe memory of girls who. while be
trothed in their youth, lost their Intended husbands by death, yet re
mained true to their first loves.
Kiich maiden designed her own gnrland, and at her death this sim
ple emblem was borne before her by the village lasves, the white gloves
being afterward adled. After the oliKequlea these garlands were sus
pended iu the village church on u rod bearing at its extremity a heart
in the shape of au escutcheon, upon which the initials and date were
inscribed. These were originally fixed alwve the maiden's pew.
Bome of "the earliest and forgotten garlands were composed of real
flowers, but later tbe covered hoops descrlled were subxtltuted.
There is a passing allusion to tills "simple memorial of the early
dead" in 'namlet" Yet here she is allowed her vii'Kla cnuiM,"
criftU" signifying garland, London Grayhi .
