Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-08-29
a LITTLE EDEN.
..r,..u.s odd and Prosperous Lis-
ale Kingdom

a-.,sc.u.s Odd and ProsPero"s A'A~
,Ie Kin2dom4
Amid all the trouble which Is AZ
nresent worrying the islanders OF Che
nth Pacific there is peace anu
,..cntv on one of the isles. Inere
puano flourlshes in untold quantl,,
ties. there are cocoanuts plentliul
enough for armies Of apes TO play
haze hall with, and the natives are
absolutely friendly with one anoIne'
knowing not the hideous war cluo.
The little Eden referred to IS known
on every navigator's chart OF the "a
ciflc as Sophia Island, and the moo-
ern Adam who holds sway in IT Is a
former San Franciscan named ). II.
Morse. He is rex, chief, lord, or
whatever other title has passeo W
him with the island.
The isle is his by purchase anu 'ne
royai title, like many others. was on
tained for money. When he bought
the island King Morse discovered IL
to be absolutely bald. There were no
people, no trees, no houses. But 10
the mind ambitious to do the think
ing for a small nation the oDJecuiohs
were very small ones, and wlthlh lhe
probability Of removal
So King Morse caused hair to grow
On the bald pate Of his Kingdom, ana
to-day he wields his sccpter OF au.
thority over quite community OF
dusky subjects with the ease ana as
surance of an expert club-swinger.
A schooner recently arrived here
rom a trading voyage to the South
Seas, and from her commander, Capt.
Molstad, quite an interesting account
of the white chief and his black
kingdom was received.
The location of Sophia Island Is
considerably farther south than
either the Caroline or Gilbert group,
and the nautical position is in latl-
tude 10 deg. 45 min. south, Longitude
| l79 deg. 32 min. east.
At one time it was peopled by quite
a colony of natives, who were ruled
! by one of their tribe. The encroach-
ments of the whites, however, thinned
them out, and a number of years ago
, the disguised native chief went into
solvency for the benefit of his credit
ors-principally, however, for the
. benefit of himself. He disposed OF
the kingdom to some unknown per-
son and his subjects swapped land
lords. The new owner did not prove
: a pronounced success as ruler, ana
this time his secondhand subjects
became disguised. and, taking to
their canoes, padded away from So
phia to some friendly port in the
Gilbert group, where they could be
well fed and we'll ruled at the same
time.
( Having nobody to rule and feeling
the weight and worthlcssness OF his
ocean estate the boycotted owner
looked about for good ''buy."
| 1t thus occurred that ]. II. Morse
happened along in trading schooner
one day and stopped at Sophia. After
a good deal of bartering the tract
changed hands third time and fell
into the possession of Mr.. Morse in
consideration of the sum of S5, 600.
With laudable view of producing
a new and novel type Of race to dis
tinguish his inland kingdom from its
many neighboring rivals, Mr.. Morse
induced medley of whites, half
breeds, Samoans, and Gilbert Island
ers to take up their habitations in his
colony, himself officiating from time
to time as king, sheriff, clergyman
and employer.
The barren spots in the Island were
covered with growth of banana and
cocoanut trees in great abundance,
and the Island has been subdivided
into homesteads and plantations.
Houses were built and are still being
erected. The Island is rich in guano
beds, which form one Of the chief
profits of its commerce with trading
vessels.
King Morse governs his small en-
pre- with gentlenCss. He carries his
code of laws in his mind, and does all
the planning, ordering and eXecut,
ing. He does not fear revolution OF
a German protectorate, for he owns
every foot of his territory. He is or
the best of diplomatic terms with the
chiefs of Bularlari, Taputeweal and
other islands of note, and is generally
regarded as power in South Ses
politics.
Mr.. Morse, who is well known il
this city, is a comparatively young
man, and has for years been engaged
in trading in the South Pacific. HI
is perfectly contented with his lo
and manifests no desire to mix agair
in the hurly-burly of the San Fran
cisco world.
Capt. Molstad, who put into Sophi;
Island to avoid dangerous gales, OF
his way to this port, states that th'
little Eden is increasing its prosper
ity. The crops are good and the re
sources of the place are great consid
erlng its size and population.-Sal
Francisco Chrnnicln-
! A Battle For Blood
, t. bot 11o VII Gts1,t