St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-29
A KING IN EXILE,
ia ia, King of Opobo, Held Capt
i've in the West Indies.

80 go Ahah w OROoOb - O~P
i've in the West Indies.
New York Tribune.
The steamship Barracuda, of the At
1antic and West India line, sailed last
week for the Windward islands. While
the last of the cargo was being safely
slowed below, Capt. Hubbard, hale,
hearty and genial, sat on the quarter
deck and told reporter a story of an
exiled king, which is all the more inter-
esting because it is true.
The monarch to whom the captains
story applied is ia ia, king of Opobo,
whose dominiOns are on the west coast
OF Africa. ia ia violated his CONNER
cial treaty with the British, and year
ago he was seized and carried awaS into
exile on the Islands of st. Vincent,
West Indies, where he has remained
ever since.
Shortly after he was taken there, the
British government expressed to the
fallen monarch a desire to make his lot
as pleasant as possible, and gave him
an income of 81, 1000 a year. Being asked
if their was anything else he wanted, he
indicated a longing for the presence of
his wives. He was told that he might
have but one, and was asked to make
his choice. He selected one just turn
ing eighteen summers, and she was
brought TO him in British ship. They
are now living as happily as possible.
The government provides them with a
house, and the pension enables them to
live will. They are both black, and not
bad looking. ia ia, who is sixty-four
years old, has the distinctive features
of the African without the thick lips,
and, although not above medium height,
looks every inch king-in Africa.
ia ia has become disgusted with the
barbariSm by which he has always been
surrounded, and while he has not be-
come Christian himself he has APP
preached so near to it that he compels
his wife to go to church Sunday morn
ingS. His wife, too, seems to rather
like the new life, for she arrays herself
for church with a gorgeousness that
might we'll strike envy to the heart of a
less dusky belle. ia ia expects to re-
turn to his kingdom some day, but never
again to its barbarism.
Horrible to relate, ia ia has been a
cannibal. He told me one day that the
most delicious morsel of food that could
be served to a cannibalistic king-a
royal dish indeed-waS mans left
ankle. In ia JAS kingdom. at one time
when slaves were captured from other
tribes, all who were not sold into
captivity were fattened for the royal
table. The white feather that ia ia
wears in his hat is the insignia of the
highest order in Opobo. Only those who
have taken more than one hundred lives
can belong to this order and wear
the decoration Of the white feather.
Three of ia JAS sons wear the feather,
having killed 100 men each. ia ia,
when the boys were growing up, became
anxious for them to have the decoration,
so he used to take twenty slaves at a
time, all of the same height, and tie
them very close together in row, side
by side. The son, with sharp sword
in his hand, would run along the row,
cutting the twenty Threats with single
slash. ia ia doesn't approve of these
things any more, and if he could 60 back
to his kingdom he would make a good
king. He is an important figure in his
new home. however, and may be con-
tent to remain there. Among his most
priced possessions is an admiral's uni
form and sword presented by Queen
Victoria as a reward for his assistance
to the British in the AShantee war. He
is quite swell when he is dressed in
HIS uniform, which becomes his broad
shoulders well.