Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-04-12
FRoM CoLOyEL no KING,
Tho Romantic Career OF a Castaway From
South Carolina.

Florida 1imes-union.
The general population Of the city OF
Jacksonville may not have known II
yesterday, hut nevertheless there was in
our nils a monarch Of the most abso.
lutte description, one whose simple word
Will cause immediate decapitatiOn Of
any subject, and the fact that this
monarch sways sceptra over one Of
the most savage Of the cgnnibal, or man
eating, tribes now IN existence, makes
his personality all the more interesting.
This rulers name is not altogether
aristocratic, but ii is mona the less
powerful. 1t is j. +. Hobbs, aud his
military title ia "ColOnel." He is q
South Carnlinian by birth, but essen.
TALLY cosmopolitan through wide and
thrilling experiences. The story of his
accession tc a barbaric throne runs thus
wise;
several years ago he was aboard OF a
sailing vessel which encountered a tor
rifle storm of the New Hebrides islands
and was wrecked. HOBBS provided
himself with life preseryer and tloated
for two days and two nights upon the
surface CT the sea. He was rescued in
a well-nigh dead condition by the
natives of these islands TO which he
had drifted, and with these people he
lived for years.
The island is one Of the New Hebrides
group and contains an estimated pOpu-
latlOn of near 10000. During his So
j0Grn there slave dealing vessel ar.
rived and carried away from the coast
villages about so women, who were sold
as slaves to other islanders.
The natives who had suffered this
wrong and among whom Hobbs lived,
were naturally wrought up over the
matter, and when the next English
vessel touched at the coast, the sailors
sent ashore were swooped down upon
and mastered 10 man. The sAvagcs
did not know but that these were a part
OF the same tribe of white men who
had wronged them.
The English government then took
the matter in hand and war vessel was
sent down TO aVenge the death of the
sailors, and here is where Colonel Hobbs
began to grow great. This man-of-w
was instructed to skirt the cOast Of tho
island and destroy all of the VILLAGES
and plantations in reach; bu; before hos.
tllit!es were commenced Hobbs obtained
an interview with the vessels comman,
der and the incentives of the native:
being fully explained, the ship sailed
away without doing any damage.
The natives realized the narrow
escape they had sustained, and were
proportiOnately grateful to Colone
Hobbs, and a short time later, thu
ruling king dying without issue, thu
American was elected to occupy thC
vacant throne, and invested with power.
arbitrary and absolute.
The new kings first effort was t.
bring about the abolition of polygamy
and cannibalism in the tribe, and he hal
succeeded in entirely obliteratins til,
latter and greatly reducing the former
and mainly through the force of ex
ample.
The new kings great object was t
clvilize these people with whom he haC
been proyidentially thrown, and thei
present reformed and peaceful condi
ton is full testimony as to his success
Under him he appointed two sub
rulers with the title of prince-Rao
touma, an intrepid and fierce warrior
at the head of the military force, anC
ALA, crafty and diplomatic chief, wht
directs the civil affairs. These two con
troll the government of the nation in the
absence OF the king.
Colonel Hobbs had photographs o
both of these princes. Raotouma, in thi
picture, wears around his neck string
of human teeth, which used to be col
lected one by one, according to the grue
some custom of the then Gamble tribe
as the wearer ate human heart.
Colonel Hobbs is now travelling ovel
the world, and incidentally represent
the London Graphic, the Sydney (Aus
tralia) Morning Herald and the Sydne,
Mai. While his title of king Of thi
section of the New Hebrides is his 70
life, and will revert TO his direct issue
he can as we'll administer its affair
through a delegation of power to trust
worthy subjects as by remaining there
His life has been an eyentful one, an
he bears upon his body numerou
wounds received at the hands of th
Australian bushmen.
A Times UajoR man last night enioye
a long talk with this man of varied ex
periences and found him clever, genia
and possessed of wonderful fund O
general information. He was the Aus
tralian governments commissioner a
the Worlds Fair last year, and in add
ton to other credentials bears lette
from the London Graphic, which woul
prove an open-sesame in any part of tn
civilized world. His majesty, Colone
Hobbs, left yesterday afternoon 70
Ocala, where he will remain for a shol
while, after which he will visit bot
Central and South America,