The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-05
THAT SULTAN Of S|JLU
And His Dozen of More or
Less Lovely SuItanas,
LITTLE ORIENTAL DESP0T
With Whom Uncle Sam Is to
Have Much Business.

can sultan. He rules the Sulu archipela-
go of the Philippines, and his rule was
recognized by the recent visit President
Jacob G. Schurman, Of Mr.. Mckinley 8
Philippines commission, and by an ar
rangement to support by American mon
ey his twelve wives and his picturesque
court. From all accounts Hadji Is not
much of sultan, but doubtless the breed
can be improved. Meanwhile Hadu will
have to do. President Schurman, who
went to the Sulu archipelago to take pos
session of the new sultan, reports that
he is thirty-five years old. The cunning
Sulu photographers, however, make him
look younger.
There is a whole harem Of sultanas
who go with the sultan, like chromos
with a pound of tea They are all Amer
lean sultanas now and form a pictures
que adjunct TO American society. The
costume which a sultan wears consists of
an undershirt three sizes too tight and a
pair of bloomers three sizes too big
They also have al kind of shawl for cool
weather. Any one who has seen Little
Egypt dancing the coochee-coochee will
have a pretty good idea of what an
American sultana looks like. A mother
also comes with the sultan. She was
originally slave girl, but Hadjfs father
fell In love with her beauty and mar
ried her. The sultana Immediately &C.
quired such an ascendency over him that
she was recognized as the real ruler of
the Sulu archipelago.
nj ydd f<a1
and deposed the monarch, naming in his
stead gentleman named Paduca Mara
sa5 Malauna Maunin Harun Nanasid.
The old sultnna was greatly ldispleased.
but she laid in a new supply of corrosive
sublimate and sent word to the usurper
that she wanted to marry him.
But 1t was not to bel Paduca heard
about the careless way in which cor
rosive sublimate had been handled in the
royal palace and sent word that his staff
OF sultanas was overcrowded. He added
that he had at first considered the mat
ter favorably, but on second thought pre-
ferred to die a natural death. Neverthe-
less, his reign was short. Hadji returned
to the throne. moved his sultanas back
into the seraglio, and now the old sultana
starred as the only original Oriental po-
tentate connected with the free and en-
lighte enlightenment of the United
States. But she tstill retains the corro-'
sive sublimate habit, and only recently,
when foreign ship was in port, she en-
deavored to replenish her stock by pre-
tending that 1t wa sneeded to kill rats.
In case .the sultana ever comes to visit
her great and good suzerian at the White
House in Washington this will be re-
membered.
Sultan Hadji, who, 1t Is to be presumed,
will be the father of a long line OF Yam.
kee sultans, is a small man, light OF
limp and intellect In full dress he re-
sembles a Spanish bull fighter with ORR
entail trimmings. He wears light pa11ta-
ed, presents an alarming aspect. On
these occasions he carries a barong,
which resembles a butchers cleaver; a
long kriss dagger, with a wayy, snake
like blade, and a big, two-edged sword.
besides a pair of horse pistols. The ba-
rong is said to be one OF the most ter
rible weapons ever constructed, and
reasonably smart man can cut a foe in
two with tiff the foe doesn't see him
first-as easily as a small boy cuts down
a thistle. In this case It Is considered
the right thing to catch the enemy be
hind In the small Of the back and cut
neatly through him at the waist line.
When HadjI come sto do homage at the
presidents knee 1t will be we'll for his
brother American to keep an eye on the
barong..
Although he is a real. sure enough
sultan, Hadji doesn't live in the style
which sultans are supposed to keep up.
There are lots OF ordinary grocers and
flour and feed merchants nj this country
who have better homes than Hadji Mo-
manned womolol Hiram. In fact, 1t Is
only two stories high. and is said TO look
quite like the homestead Of a Missouri
farmer. 1t Is also said that there are
American seraglios in Salt Lake City
that would make Hadjrs zenana look
like thirty cents. Moreover, travellers
who have been introduced to the sui
tanas of Sulu say that there is only one
good looking woman in the whole bunch.
and that even she has chewed so much
betel that her mouth resembles key Of
the new American sultanas are likely TO
prove a job lot dear at any price and OF
little credit to the Americans who con-
summated the deal.
OF course II Is needless to say that the
only American sultan Is a Mohammetan.
and while he will accept his politics from
Washington. he will take his religious
tone from the defender of the faithful in
Yildiz Kiosk at ConstantiHople-
When President Schurman called on the
sultan az NAHUM he found that he had
already begun to adopt himself TO Ameri-
can fashions and was wearing an ordi-
nary full dress waistcoat over white
nightgown. OF course this Is not cor
rect. but matters will probably improve
when Hadji has grasped the significance
OF the different kinds OF shirts used in
his newly adopted country. He also COM
piained that his wives were expensive.
This may be regarded as a moveIssnt in
the direction of civilized thought and a
primary influence toward monogamy
President Schurman had offered Hadi
a pension Of Ss.0O a year. which Is 81. OO0
more than the British pay him for stay
ing out of his hereditary domain In
North Borneo. but Hadji made a power
ful kick for permission to levy customs
duty in part OF his domain He needed
il. he said. for pin money for the sulta-
mas.
As a whole. Uncle Sans subjects are
rather a wild set The Spanisrds were
never able to control them except under
the guns OF their fOrtresSes. and rob
berry. Drawing and murder were common.
Possibly in the event OF future war in
which this country should play q star