The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-05-18
A KING IN EXILE.
We SEN Dresses GorgcousIy, Though II
Ia m Monarch without Subjects.

We SEN Dresses GorgcousIy, Though He
Is n Monarch without Subjects.
At the Government House receptions
and on other gala occasions here, q
short, thick-set negro is one Of the
most conspicuous persons on view, both
because the newspapers of Europe and
America have had much to say of him
for over year, and also on account
of the extraordinary figure he cuts in
his state costume. He wears an Ad-
miral's coat with immense bullion
epaulettes, over a yellow plush vest
with big green enamel buttons. The
vest is cut very low, displaying large
area of immaculate linen. His jean
trousers have broad stripes of blue and
red, and black silk hose and pair Of
gorgeous, fower-embroide cred slippers
cover his neither extremities On his
head he wears road-brimmed hat of
African manufacture, something like a
sombrero and in the band are stuck at
uniform distances five long ostrich
feathers. In his ears are gold rings of
unique design, and encircling his neck
is a collar of sharks teeth, with a
bears tooth tipped with gold by way
of a pendant. He wears white cotton
gloves and as many flashy rings as
his fingers and thumbs will accommo-
date.
This remarkable person is a King in
exile. King ia ia, of Opobo, West AT
rica, who for many years lorded itover
q small district among the oil rivers of
the Niger delta. All the people here
have the story of his career at their
fiugers' ends, and they point him out
to strangers as the boss curiosity of the
island. They tell how his natural cum
ming and his unscrupulous nature
lifted him from slavery to freedom and
sovereignty. They repeat the stories
of his cannibalism, which are numer-
Gus enough to fill book. ia ia told
Captain Verney, of the Royal Navy,
twenty years ago, that all sensible men
were cannibals, and he said he knew
nothing in the eating line that was
quite so toothsome as a little boys
ankle. That was before ia ia was
King, but even then he was getting
rich trading with British merchants.
A few years ago ia ia built him new
palace, which was a gorgeous affair as
palaces go in West Africa. Under each
foundation post he buried slave alive
about twenty in all, for no earthly rea-
son, apparently, except to show that he
had plenty of slaves to spare. All the
stories of his degraded barbarism are
known hore, and are told again and
again.
1t is about two years since the crown
ing act of ia JAS cruelty induced the
British Government to take his prec-
ious person into custody and put him
out of the way of doing further harm.
Foryear he had exacted tribute upon
every pound of merchandise that en-
tered or left his country. The white
merchants at last decided that they
would not be blackmailed by ia Jaany
longer. They told him he might make
as much money as he pleased in trade,
but he must not meddle with their busi-
ness. Thereupon he order ed his peo-
pie to have nothing more to do with |
the white traders, and suspecting that |
his dutiful subjects in one district were |
still trading with the whites he marched |
his little army to the place and in a
few days killed 700 people. Then the |
British sent an expedition to ia JAS |
country and made things very hot him,
and when they returned to the coast
ia ia in chains was the most conspicu-
Gus feature of the procession.
About year ago ia ia arrived at
where, the imperial authori-
ties thought. they could easily keep
him out of mischief. They gave him
an allowance of 81, 600 year for spend
ing money, and he has plenty of money
besides of his own, though he spends
very little. He nearly died of home
sickness, and before long sent a piteous
appeal to England for few compan-
ions to cheer him up. He asked that
q dozen of his wives be sent to st. Vim
cent to share his exile. He thought
his request was excee dinghy modest, as
he petitioned for only small part of
his harem. Not to encourage polyga-
my, however, the wise authorities de-
cided that one wife was enough, They
permitted ia ia to take his
pick, and he sent for Patience.
Queen Patience is here, and is usu-
ally in the society Of her liege lord,
who is old enough to be her father.
She is young thing, dark and dumpy,
and is not at all regal nor dignified in
ance.-Kingston (West India)
~. NJ W Gun