The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-17
SULTAN OF THE sULUs.
We Have Annexed Him by Annexing
the Island.
From the Philadelphia Times.

the Island.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Americans now have a Sultan for a fell
low-citizen. His title is Sultan of Sulu.
We have annexed him together with the
Philippine Islands. His subjects are all
devout Mohammedans. He is everything
that a Sultan should be. He has harem
and a grand vizier He bowstrings his
enemies and friends, and is in constant
danger of assassination.
The Spanish peace commissioners in
Paris acceded to the entire American de-
mands These stipulated that Spain
should surrender all the Philippines, in
Guiding the Sulu Islands,
These islands are a small group, stretch
ing between the southern extremity of the
Philippines and the Island of Borneo.
They have population of 4,000 and an
area of $50 square miles.
The inhabitants of the Sulus are called
Moros 1t is their chief popularity to be
Mohammedans. The foundation of the
race is Malay, as in the Philippines, but
the Moros have been strongly influenced
by Arab blood,
In the seventeenth century an Arab
named Said Ali conquered the Sulu ISL
ands and forcibly converted the natives
to Islamism. He and his followers took
large numbers of wives and thus added an
Arabian strain to the Malay race
The Moros are governed by a Sultan and
hereditary chiefs called Datos. The latter
are often supreme in their own domains,
but are supposed to give homage to the
Sultan of SUlu.
The Sultan lives as we expect a Sultan
to live He has a great harem, replenish-
ed by periodical raids among all the
Toll hoe "a yigyta
aud a barber who tells him stories.
The Moros are not particularly Obedient
to their Sultan. Sometimes they kill him
and sometimes they set up another in his
place They are the fiercest and bravest
of all the races in or near the Philippines.
Their skill in the use of curved knives is
marvellous. They have defeated the Span
iards again and again with plain steel
against firearms Spain made no sort of
effective occupation of the island until
1871.
Dean c. Worcester the Acknowledged
American autOrity on the Philippines de-
votes considerable attention to the Sulu
Islands, their rival sultans, and the blood
curding features of life there. A few
years before the Spanish-American war
the Spaniards deposed Mahmoud, the
rightful Sultan of Sulu, and appointed in
his place a chief, under the title of "his
excellency, Paduca, Majasari Malauna
Amiril Manuin Sultan Harun Narrasid. %
The Spanish had invited the rightful sui
tan to come to Manila aud be invested
with his crown. Remembering that pre-
decessor, who received a similar invitation
had been kept I'm prison for life by the
Spanish The Sultan did not respond.
Thereupou the Spanish put Haun in his
place.
That did not worry the legitimate Sui
tan. Harun occupied the palace in the
city of Sulu, carefully guarded by Spanish
soldiers. Mahmoud occupied the rest OF
the island with 10000 well-ormed follow
ers.
The most interesting character I'm Sulu
Is the old Sultana. mother OF the Sultan
MahmOud. Although born "a slave. she
married previous Sultan. She FASTENED
his departure from this world with corro.
sive subimatc. When Harun was an.
pointed sultan she sent him an offer oi
marriage, but he declined it. as hs
wished 10 die a natural death"
Mr. Worcester remarks THAI she has a
genius for organization. but a mania foi
poisoning.
While Gen. AEolss. one VI The few com.