The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-21

M AtA-o NoS
so far as the Sulu group was concerned, as
1t only exercised aquasi sovereignty there,
and the real ruler is and was a. despotic
sultan, who also controls a portion OF the
island of Borneo. But the Spanish right,
such as it was, has been RELOCATED to the
United States, and doubtless in the event
of our permanent retention Of the Philip
pine Islands the Sulus also will be an
nexed.
The reflection is not consoling that many
of our fellow subjects are pirates and many
thousands more would be pirates should
the opportunity occur. There is no doubt
that Sulu pirates still pursue their voca-
lions in the seas of these archipelagoes, and
it is as certain that piratical excursions
occasionally start from Mindanao and
other islands of the Philippine archipela-
go. Over 90 years ago the United States,
first among the civilized nations of the
world, refused to pay tribute any longer
to the pirates of the Barbary States and
taught the sen robbers a lesson they have
never forgotten. It will be @ singular cir
cu1nstance should our next encounter
with pirates be with those belonging to
United States territory.
As early as 1895 the sultan Of Sulu be-
came a thurn in the side of the Spaniards.
He held sway over a large part of northern
Borneo, nearly all of Mindanao, the is
lands of Palanan, the Panguitarang, Tawi
Tawi and the Basilan groups. He levied
tribute on the Europeans as well as the
natives, and was q terror to M
ever on the China coast. His powerful
fleet of fast vessels infested all the waters
of the archipelago, and many foreign ships
became his prey.
Since then the pirates of Sulu have be-
come famous. Their vessels, propelled by
oars and sails and able to proceed either
forward or backward at equal speed, used
to be the dread of eastern waters. Indeed
the dread is not removed yet, inasmuch as
boats Of the kind are always on the look
out for unarmed craft in those seas. 1t
may be said THAI there is no piracy in the
world nowadays outside of the southern
Asiatic waters, though a century ago such
maritime ~offenses against life and prop
erty were common all over the globe. Cap
lures of vessels by the Sulu pirates have
always been followed by scenes of butch
cry and outrage too dreadful for descrip-
ton.
The biggest of the Sulu vessels (proas)
are of 20 to 80 tons burden. They are
swift, and the natives who man them are
excellent seamen. In former days the
whole nation may be said to have been en-
gagged in piracy as a business, and the
neighboring seas were secured at ali times
for prey. Twenty-Five per cent of the
booty obtained belonged by law to the sui
tan and council of mobiles. The mobiles
furnished the powder and guns, receiving
payment in the shape of captives, who
were employed as slaves.
Happily the predatory inclinations of
these barbarians lave been restrained to a
great extent within recent years by the
vigilance of European navies. The piracy
business is no longer what it was in the
good old days, though it is still a live in
dustry.
In 1851 the Balabas pirates sent q fleet
to Manila, but it was beaten of, and
early in the sixties complaints of the dep
relations of pirates practically ceased.
The latter day pirates delighted to worry
the Spaniards ind Portuguese, but they
seldom interfered with British or Ameri-
can vessels, and then never except when
in overwhelming numbers.
These piratical crews were not exclusive
" of the Malay race, for Chinese and other
Asiatics, as well as Spanish and Portu-
guese rcnegades, were comprised among
| their numbers. But various as their orr
| gins were they generally agreed well
| among themselves, and when their own
| safety was concerned they made their pris-
| oners walk the plank with no less nor no
more compunction than did their white
and more civilized brethren who followed
the same profession. The officers, crew
and others on vessels captured by these
pirates, however, stood a better hance OF
| escaping with their lives than when they
fell into the hands Of the ssBlackbeards'
and other noted white pirates. The latter
almost invariably made them walk the
plank" the former usually spared life and
consigned their prisoners to slavery.
Absolute Indifference to bloodshed is
one of the most prominent characteristics
Of the Sulu islander generally. He will
cut down a slave merely to try the edge Of
q new barcEg.
But, bad as the pirates Of the Sulu is
lands were, those of Mindanao, If possible,
were worse. They were also frequently
REINFORCED by the Malays, Chinese, Euro
pean renegades and Spanish and Portu
guese half breeds. They became famous
for the part they took Ia the work along
the coast Of the Philippines and other IS
1abds. -Whentie British Asiatic SQUADRON
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