The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-27
TOCONVERT TO ISLAMISM
MUHAMNAD WEBB OF MISSOURI!
IN NEW YORK.

Just Now He Is in SecIusion, Gut With
In Week He VIII Begin His Crusade
Against Christianity and Win IelI
medsn Faith.
From the Ne,C York sun
On the morning of Feb. 10, which was the
last Thursday but one, man OF foreign and
rather unusual aspect, short and thick set
and Of capacious paunch. walked in at the
swinging doors of the Office of the Coleman
house and. travelling bag in hand, advanced
to the desk. He wrote on the register, in a
clear, business hand, ALEX Russell Webb.
Philippine Is" The clerk turned the regis
ter around, and, having read the name, ad-
dressed "Mr. Webbn without any change Of
tone or manner that would have differ
entiated Mr.. Webb from Mr. Smith, Mr.,
Jones or any other person who might set
down his obscure name upon hotel reg,
lister.
Thus quietly and humbly, without the
blare of trumpets OF the proclaiming voices
of heralds, the bearer of the Mohammedan
faith to the western world, the leader Of the
Isamic assault upon Christianity aud inf
deity in America, made his official entry
into the kingdom which he hopes to con-
quer for the true prophet. The arrival at
the Coleman house was Muhammad Alex
ander Russell Webb. the only living Ameri-
can converted to Islamism SO far as is
known. certainly the only one 30 filed with
zeal for his new faith that he has dared to
come forth and strive to lead his beknighted
countrymen TO fight under the green banner
Muhammad Webb had been on American
soil but few minutes before he made this
record of his arrival. He had come on the
Majestic. Possibly he might not have
stepped ashore SO unnoticed had it not been
that the great English bruiser, Charley
Mitchell, was also passenger and absorbed
attention. AS it was, he had opportunity
to realize fully the truth of that saying, at
one time so true of his great prophet and
guide, that no prophet is without honor
save in his own country.
He left these shores IN 1885, appointed by
President Cleveland to 90 to Manila as the
consul Of the United States He had spent
his leisure time in studying oriental relig-
IONS. and he had learned that Mohammed
was the real, true prophet, and that after
him there was none other Now he had re-
turned to improve the green standard of
islam and to shout in the cities OF electric
cars and elevated railways, rush and hustle
the battle cry Of "Allah il Allah, and Mo-
manned is his prophetp'
Although the CLERKS and the people about
the hotel did not know that this was Mu-
hammad Webb, they did note his appear
ance and remember it. He was a man who
was evidently an American, yet also as evil
IDENTIFY long absent from home and subject
to powerful foreign influence. He wore
about the hotel frock coat, brown or gray
trousers. plain shoes, and a tall silk hat.
But his face was not ordinary.
The two features which were most nota-
BILE were his eyebrows and his beard. His
eyes were deep set, lacking in brilliancy,
and slightly uncertain. But his eyebrows
we're huge. brown. stiff, and bristling,
shooting from the hairy arch Of bis eye
socket straight outward to an uncommon
length. Then there was his beard. Ii de-
scended from his checks. beginning at the
cheek bones, to the end of his breast bone in
a vast and spreading shower of very dark
brown. IL covered the lower part Of his
face from ear TO ear. It buried mouth and
chin aud chops. lt was a beard to swear
by. The oriental Mobammedans swear " By
the beard Of the prophet" The missionary