The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-19
A QUEEN, BUT MISERABLE.
Young, beautiful, and Ambi-
tious, She is So Guarded BY Her
Subjects as to Make Life 81 Burden
and Would Gladly Lay Aside
Her Crown

San Francisco, Cal, Sept. 1S-The
bark Helen n. Amy, just returned
from trading voyage among the is
lands of the southern Pacific, brings
the story of a tropical princess half
English and half native, who rules over
the Manua groups against her wishes,
though her subjects worship her much
after the fashion that the CorearS wor-
ship their king, or as the Peruvians
humbled themselves before the virgins
of the sun.
History repeats itself in the biog-
raphy of Margaret Young, the English
name of the prisoner princess, for the
story of Francis Young, a sailor who
landed at the island of Tau nearly one
hundred years ago, is recalled. This
man married a Tau native woman,
who was queen of the group. His son
by her welded a half-breed maiden.
Margaret Young is the daughter of that
son. Through the death of all the heirs
apparent to the throne of the Manuas,
Miss Young found herself called upon
to assume the power of mistress of the
islands. This news was conveyed to
her at Apia some months ago by a
delegation of chiefs from Manua and
she was forced by the laws of heredi-
tary obtaining in the southern archi-
pelago to accompany them back to Tau,
where she was Immediately installed
as queen.
Great interest is lent to the case of
the girl, who is but 90 years old, by the
report that she is highly educated and
was at the time of her sudden call
from Apia, happily pursuing the course
of ner studies at a Catholic convent
Captain Luttrell of the Amy, and
his wife, who accompanied him on his
last trip, were the first white people
permitted to interview the queen and
obtained from her majesty the story
that her life was one of misery in spite
of the professional respect shown ner
by her native subjects. She is ruler
that is compelled to maintain an obi
Gus reserve, the sanctity of her dYef-
ling being rigidly preserved by fcrce
warriors, who stand ready to decapi-
tate the bold intruder who dares TO
enter the queens sacred presence with
out first being especially appointed by
the spirit fires and summoned by a
council of chiefs.
THE grand chief of the group is the
only man that is allowed to approach
the queen" explained Captain Luttrell.
He attends to her wants, assisted by
two maids who never leave her side
except when they are called upon to do
her bidding.
Should any native desire to pay
tribute to her in the shape of fish or
fowl, he must fasten his gift upon the
end of a bamboo pole, advance with
closed eyes and thrust the stick through
the door way of the palace.
Queen Margaret, as we will term
her, is not allowed to walk outside her
cabins limits. She must be carried on
a litter by her maids and when she
ventures forth upon such a journey,
subjects are ordered, under pain of
death, to keep hidden in their respec-
tive domiciles."
The captive queen informed LuttreD
that she desired to be freed. but had
never dared to say so to those who hold
her prisoner. She explained that her
subjects were kindhearted and meant
to cause her no unhappiness, but that
they religiously followed the customs
of their ancestors in acting as they do
toward her.