The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-11-18
PIRATES OF THE PHILIPPINES.
Fierce and Bloodthirsty MorOs from
BorneO That Overran the
Islands.


Islands.
The Moros entered the Philippines
form Borneo at about the time of the
Spanish discovery. They first settled
in Sulu and Basilan but rapidly spread
over the numerous small islands of
the Sulu and Tawi Tawi archipelagoes
and eventually occupied the whole of
the great island of Mindanao to the
east, and Balabac and the southern
third of Palawan to the west. Before
their conquest of Palawan was COM
pleted they had their first serious col
lision with Spanish troops, and have
not since been able to extend their ter
ritory; but what they had taken they
have continued to hold.
Hostilities between Moros and Span
iards were precipitated by an unpro-
voked attack by the latter upon one
of the Moro chiefs of North Mindanao.
The attacking force was almost an
initiated and the fanatical passions
of the Moros were aroused. They forth
with began to organize forays against
the Spanish and native towns of the
central and northern islands, and
from the outset met with great sue
cess. Their piratical expeditions soon
became annual events. With each re-
curing southeast monsoon hordes of
them manned their war praus and
sailed north, where they harried the
coasts until the change of monsoons
warned them to return home.
Thousands of captives were taken.
Men were compelled to harvest their
own crops for the benefit of their cap
tors, and were then butchered in cold
blood, while women and children were
carried away, the former to enrich
the seraglios of Moro chiefs, the latter
to be brought up as slaves.
For two and a half centuries this
state of affairs continued. Embold-
ened by continued success, the Moros
no longer confined their attention to
the defenseless natives. Spanish plant
ers and government officials were
killed or held for ransom. But the &c
light of the grim Moslem warriors was
to make prisoners of the Spanish
priests and friars, toward whom they
displayed the bitterest hatred. Islands
which had once been prosperous were
almost depopulated. Even foreign
sailing vessels were attacked and cap
tured.
The Spaniards did not tanely sub
init to this state of affairs. EXpedi-
ton after expe dition was organized.
Millions of dollars and thousands of
lives were wasted. Temporary sue
cesses were gained but they resulted
in no permanent advantages. On sew
eral occasions landings were made OH
Sulu itself, forts built, and garrisons
established, only to be driven from the
island or massacred to a man.
The steel weapons of the Moros were
of the best, and for years they were
really better armed than the Span
iards; but with the improvement in
firearms the Spaniards gained an ad-
vantage in which the Moros did not
share. Such cannon and rifles lis they
possessed were Anticipated, and they
had difficulty in getting ammunition;
but it was not until the day of rapid
fire guns and light-draft steam gun
boats that they were finally confined to
the southern waters of the archipel-
ago,
An efficient patrol of gunboats was
established, and the Moro praus were
forbidden to put to sea without first
obtaining a written permit from the
nearest Spanish governor. They were
also ordered to fly the Spanish flag
When prau was encountered that did
not show the flag. or was not provided
with q passport, 1t was rammed and
cut in two, or sunk by the fire of the
machine guns. No quarter was given.
AS opportunity offered, the gun
boats shelled the Moro villages, which
were built over the sea and so could
be easily reached. Sulu, which had al
ways been the seat of government and
the residence of the reigning sultans.
was destroyed in 1876, and Spanish
military post established where 1t had
been. At first the Moros had a dis
agreeable habit of dropping in from
time to time and wiping out the gar
rison. 1t was constantly reinforced
or renewed, however, so that from
1915 TO the present day the Spanish oc-
cupation at this point has been al
most continuous.-Prof. Dean C. Wor-
cester, in Century.