Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-06-21
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES"
THIS is WHAT SLAMS KING; IS;
CALLED FOR SHORT.
His Real Name Contains kif,y.
seven Lcttcrs-A Monarch of
bimitlcss Power Whose
Subjects are Slaves.

=
SIN dressed in the gorgeous uniform Of ST:
ihcsc royalty. Small in stature. his l,ond !,
crowned witha golden pynmid of levels
rising iii circular tiers. ti,nirish;u.. t,,n,
90 upward until they end in Il lou., mcneil
like point, which cXtc.:ds rr,rlv ,,rn r,.a,
npo'e the forehead of It's kingly owner. Ills
"o'E IS ciid III gorgeous coat and YES;
heavily embroidered in gold and Jewels
ana III place az pdntainouS inc has The ri,;,
"ruc''oci s'i:on:; of the Sia,acs, about h;s
"'iS'' II comes down hclo~ lis kprcs -.
'hc 'rohi;'i!d II looks mere not unlike ., u,;,
{" fancy krickorooc'.cr;. Below these :,
air "i siiipciy limbs III white silk sto,.,.-
i"sS are thrust into iewcicd-coycrc,,
h'eis'SS slippers, pointed like ~.
shoe Of The Turk. and H..
"hoic h';'kcS +" costume brilliont anil
/ grant. His Majesty sits on !. corci,r,, .,r,,.
c'iair and his sword lies on a table If h.s
s'":. lie is Il pleasant lookin" fellow
III" ms olive brown face is pump on.
! nh" r'hkicd He has beautiful liu,;d
o''"N eyes Il broad, high and rather nIl
,o'c'i''"i and short, straight, blacl; hair
oh"cr ms rather short and half fiat no,n
,hcfc is silky black mustache. and hr-
low Tins the lips are rather thick and th.
chii' pump and well rounded. His hands
! ."u , ''ct are well made, and he is, all
,o'u' us good Il specimen Of Samese
oe'"ty rs ! have seen. lie is the ninth
so' o! Mana ilongkut, the last kim Of
".'i' ana he WAS picked out of :, fn,niiv
o; ei.hiy-Iour children to be placed upon
.he H;aniesc throne. He has thirty -fou,.
NAH brothers aud forty-ninc half sisters
ana ne liked one of his half sisters sn
wei tia; he married her and mad. hc. III;
Queen. "'''
Looking al him, it is hard TO imn,r;pc
l!a' ne IS the sacred ruler OF from s;y 40
'c'i '''il'ions oi people, and it is hard for
q" american Prince to appreciate his al
Soiutc power and mis- holy dignity. Tho
people "i the country are his slaves. lie
mas me right 10 call them into his service
c''licr with or without pay. and all mon
III Siam are forced to rive him either th,
Wio!c or part Of their services ,iurin.,
.nc year Ills word can throw a man
'i.o chains or put him To death: can de-
Pii'c mn! OF ms property or rob him of
~: o'u+htcr. Ills court is one of in
'r'Suc and plotting, and the mobiles are
s'au To have their daughters in the hnrcm
~ 'na' they may thus the better attain
..'c hihgs friendship and powerful of.
h'rS. lie taxes the people us he plc;ses
'''' these taxes are so heavy that at times
some ihcn have to sell their wives and
cniiurci us slaves 10 enable them to n,y
NM Still his vaults are full of treasure
ci'''h has no national debt and he has nm
income oil more than ten million dollars ,
Icar' ne can spend tens of thousands of
uoiiars III crcmating dead wife or in cs-
'"ohsiIh% petty navy, which would he
oi no more good than so many bov fo,.
boats against the war ships o: the .src,t
nations. SN'''
still this King OF Siam is the most
progressive The country ever had. He
Is lar IN advance Of his people. and he is
uo'h$ a great deal 10 civilizc them. Be
io'c MS second coronation in 1873 all
natives VINO approached ;hc kins: had TO
Go SO on ai fours They had TO raise
.her hands in alteration TO him and
pump their heads on the mats before him.
ms hing did away with all this. and he
mas introduced the American hand shake
INTO his reception of foreigners. lie
gives receptions to foreigners and he
speaks the English tongue, ,i,ouri, he
never docs this when noted foreign visit
ors nave an audience with him. lie
Considers 1t beneath his dignity nj sucb
times to speak in any other lan",ooe thon
the Slalnese, and he has an internrct,r
VINO translates the English words into
Hi'liese and the Siamcsc words into
English. He has brought the telegram
and the telephone into Bangkok, has es-
.apllsned street-car line and linhts his
harcn with the electric light Just Mt
present he is considering the subject Of
railways, and he has given 500. 600 to
nave survey made of railway which
snail run from Bangkok out into his
Kingdom, and shall connect with NInpdo-
lay and Burmah. The engineers started
OUT 10 survey this railroad few DAYS ano
ana IL may be that Il decade hence we
VIII be able to travel all over this coun-
try by rail. He has established Il chs
toni-house, and very polite. dark
skinned official met me OH my arrival in
bangkok, and asked me if nv trunks
contained any contraband goods. re-
phcd they did not, and he then wanted
to Know if | was bringing any diamonds
INTO the country, or if l had any pack
ages oil dynamite about my clothes.
again replied no, and he chalk Remarked
my baggage without looking into it,
rms King of Siam is Buddhist and
he was Tor some time n Buddhist priest,
as is the custom with all men in Siam
Everyone is expected at some time to ell
ter the priesthood, and this royal mon
arch, with his millions of treasure. his
scores of wives and his ten millions n
year, once shaved his head and nominalIy
gave up his crown and his harem to wear
yellow cotton scarf, about his waist and
to go fasting AND praying. He is lib
eral buddhist now, and he gives. am
told, all facilities 10 the missionaries and
treats them well.
As far as can learn the native SiaIncse
courts are founded more on the caprice
OF the Judges than upon the law. There
IS no jury, and tortures similar to those
OF China are practiscd to make witnesses
testify. One is the twisting of bamboo
withes tighter and tighter about the head