The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-02
A WOMAN SEES
THE SULTAN OF SULU
From the Philadelphia Press.

Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 26.-Miss Mamie Hart
ley recently returned to Lincoln from
trip to the Philippines. She was a member
of the party that accompanied General
Bates commission to the sulu Islands and
is probably the first person to return TO the
United States who witnessed the signing of
The agreement with the Sultan. Regarding
the visit to the Sulu villages of>Jolo and
Maybum, where the treaty was signed, Miss
Hartley has written the following:
I'VE had scarcely dropped anchor, half
a mile out from Jolo, before we were sur
rounded by swarms of native cascos, pad
died by the small, dark people of the is
land, bringing pineapples, bananas and
few 'barongs. which the shrewd natives
have found very much sought after by
the Americans. From the Ship Jolo looks
like any other Philippine villages, but on
nearer approach we find substantial stone
pier, and beyond a well-laid-out city, with
wide, clean streets and well-built houses.
"Our party was received joyously by the
American officers stationed there, who had
not seen a white woman for months, and
the excitement was great among both the
Americans and the natives when the news
spread that there were real live American
women on the island.
1.-THE offers took us about, each deter
1.-The officers took us about, each deter
show us what he knew of Jolo. As We
were passing through a grove of cocoanut
palms, where the monkeys chartered above
our heads, the long, tangled ferns were
pushed aside by native man on horse
back. Closely following him came a girl,
the only beautiful one We saw on the Sulu
Islands. She rode horse manifestation
Some of our officers stopped the man and
began to bargain for the horse. The ma
tive said $40 for the horse and wife. Our
officer did not want the wife, and the man
would not sell the horse alone, so the bar
gain was off.
1.-The next day at Jolo we met General
Bates who was to leave in the morning
for Maybum to negotiate the peace treaty
with the sultan of Sulu. He invited us
to go down with him as his guests on the
Charleston. Dato Harun is typical MORO,
small, well-built, intelligent and crafty.
Our officers, of course, tried to over-awe
him, tried to show what great people the
Americans were, but he marched about as
They Showed him the rap.d-fire gun, and
he asked them if 1T could shoot across the
island When told that it could, he sug-
gested that we try it, for said Dato
Harun, my enemy lives on the other sde'
AT luncheon he was taken into the. cap
tains cabin. The table was deliberately
set. The captain had ordered a great array
of forks and spoons and all things that
might confuse a Dato who had never be-
fore seen them used.
THE Dato was dignity personified; he
said word but watched the officers from
under his eyelids and used each dish and
fork in the proper way. Later we found
the jackies amusing themselves by showing
the Dato's men electric light on a drop
cord. Whenever a Christian blew on it it
burned brightly but the breath of a Maho-
metan caused it to go out. They were much
worried until one of the officers said: oh,
fair play!' Then the jackies brought out
another light which burned for Mahome-
tans, but when out with a snap when a
Christian blew upon it.
ION arriving at Maybum were taken
by a native escort to the house of the Sui
tana mother of the Sultan. The Sultana is
old woman and very ugly, as all of the
women are after they pass the age of II.
She climbed upon her throne and swung her
feet. Her maids could not reach her through
the crowded room. Above the throne was a
square hole which served as a window.
Soon he heard a scrambling outside, and
first one maid and then the other crawled
through, dropped down and squatted on
the throne beyond the Sultana. They were
as ugly as their mistress.
ION her right hand the Sultana wore an
American soldiers white cotton left-hand
glove. On our way to the Sultana's palace
we spoke of her glove, and our interpreter
told us she had put 1t on so as not to touch
the hand of a Christian dog.
1.-THE way to the palace was long and
exceedingly rough On arriving we climb
ed to an upper room and were received by
the Sultan. On our way back to the beach
we saw among the crowd two girls who had
plastered their faces with some whitf
powder to be "all the same Americana