Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-16
a KING IN EXILE.
He Shll Dresses Gorgeously, Though He
Ii q Monarch Without Subjects.


He san Dresses GorgeousIy, Though He
Is Monarch Without Subjects.
At the Government House receptions
and on other gala occasions here, a
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 a 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 a pair of
gorgeous, hower-embroidered slippers
cover his neither extremities. On his
head he wears PREDETERMINED 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
ohh A'0 NO>'A
is a collar of sharks teeth. with
bears tooth tipped with gold by way
of pendant. He wears white cotton
gloves and as many hashy rings as
his fingers and thumbs will accommo-
date
This remarkable person is King in
exile. King ia ia, of Opobo, West At
RIGA, who for many years lorded it over
a small district among the oil rivers OF
the Niger delta All the people here
have the story of his career at their
fingers ends, and they point him out
to strangers as the boss curiosity of the
island They tell how his natural cum
ming and his INSCRIPTIONS 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 lire 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 a new
palace, which was a gorgeous affair as
palaces 90 in West Africa. Under each
foundation post he buried a 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 here, 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 pree-
iOus person into custody and put him
out of the way of doing further harm.
For years 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 NEEDLE with their bust
ness. Thereupon he ordered 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 10 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 a year ago ia ia arrived at
Kingston, where, the imperial authori-
ties thought. they could easily keep
him out of mischief They gave him
an allowance of 81, 600 a 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 piteOus |
appeal to England for Il few cOmpan- |
ions 20 cheer him up. He asked that |
dozeE of his wives be sent TO st. Vim |
cent to share his exile He thought |
his request was eXeee dinghy modest, as
he petitioned for only a small part of
his harem- Not TO encourage polyga-
nv. however the wise authorities de- |
cided that one wife was enough. They |
graciouslF permitted ia ia to take his
pick, and ne sent for Patience
Queen Patience Is here and is nsu-
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 dignifed in
appearance Kingston (West India)