The morning times., 1896-09-06

There are many American girls, to be
sure, who have had the fortune, good or
bad, to marry princes. dukes, earls, mar
ouises and counts, but IL is not until now
that any girl product Of the United States
has been able 10 capture the heart OF roy
atty. The ancestry of this royalty, II is
true, cannot be found in the Almanac de
Gotha; but then. IT is also true that the girl
is not known to society and is but the daugh-
ter of the landlady OF a very modest and
questionable New York clearinghouse.
where said representative Of royalty re-
Gently stopped during long illness.
The royalty is Col. J. F. Hobbs, once a
citizen of Lexington, 8. c.. but more re-
Gently king or oumaiea Of the Ilikan Islands,
of the New Hebrides group in the Southern
Pacific. The girl who is TO lie lis queen IN
his island home, and who will return TO the
kingdom with him in the autumn, is MISS
Ella Collin, whose mother keeps a lodging
house in Fourth avenue, New York.
The story of Col Hobbs, If written by
q Daniel Defoc or Capt. Mayne heio'
would prove as fascinating to the youth
of an adventurous turn of mind as Rob1n-
son Crusoe," or the Swiss Family Robin
son." or .Masterman Ready" Hobbs is an
unassuming, mild hammered fellow, who Is
not at all boastful of the remarkabl ca reer
he has had His father was South Car
dina planter, who afterwards became q
surgeon in the Confederate army, and finally
a in IN JaffprSpU
College Hospital in Philadelphia.
Young Hobhs was educated atNewbury
College and graduated second in his class.
He then took up the study OF law in the
office of the Hon. Y. ]. Pope, justice of
the supreme court. and read 200 pages OF
law day He was admitted to the bar
IN sixteen months That is hut an example
Of the abandon and push that characterized
his whole life. He began tire practice OF
IawiBLexington. and undermined his health
byoverwork. In 1881 his physical n ordered
him to quit and go to Australia, and that
was the beginning Of the adventures that
were to end by his becoming king OF a saw
age race. He became connected with
Melbourne newspaper anc. embarked uTs2
anexplor;ng expedition in North Australia.
There his daring exploits won him dis
tinction.
He fought the Pituri tribes In an ex-
petition through the Iquana or Pitud
country. His party of seven was up
posed to so of these savages armed with
boomcrangs. and though two Of his fol
lowers were killed the white men were vic
torious. King waneo, OF the Pituris, was
so impressed with Hobbs bravery that he
made him one of his tribal chiefs. One Of
the particular exploits that commended him
to the kings favor was his fencing" Of
boomerang, as the Australians call it
When boomerang is thrown and starts
to return to the thrower there is a way
of catching and pirioning it down with
q spear. 1t was wango's own boomerang
that Hobbs fenced" and 1t is Low in the
museum Of Newbury College.
The relations that Col. Ho3b established
with the Pituris enabled him To accomplish
a great deal in the way Of exploration and
discovery. In the Cape York peninsula lie
discovered and observed the only race Tat
poisons its arrows and spears. The pigmies
are canDibals of the very wors. type worse
than y-of the canuibals OF the Australian
Islands. The women, at times, eat their
own children, and the spears and arrows
are poisoned in putrid human flesh. Hobbs
was accompanied to the Cape York PENN
suia by a large party of Pituris. with whom
he returned to the Pituri country. In the
meantime their head war chief hal died,
and he was promoted to that honor with
the title OF Mana Wallaby." Hobbs made
In all three trips across Northern Australia
1t was in 1890, that Hobbs, who had
earned considerable reputation as sue
cessful explorer, was sent to the New
Hebrides Islands, OF which the Ilikas are
! section, to investigate the workings of
the contract labor law. White men, Pa-
puans, Javancsc-all sorts of available
labor had been tried in the sugar fields OF
Australia, and none were found to be Of
much use except the natives of the New
Hebrides group, who are tall sturdy, saddle
colored fellows, with curly, coal black hair.
1t had been found difficult to enlist them
because OF the carelessness OF the con-
tractors in returning them to their island
homes after their terms OF service in the
cane fields had expired. That they be re
turned in every instance the law requires.
Different languages are spoken on the
different islands. The natives regard any
one speaking a foreign language as an
enemy, and many of the returned laborers,