The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-19
Sultan Of Sulu
Wbc Is One 81 Us
Interesting Narrative of an American W0mans Visit to the
Famed Philippine Ruler-H0w He Lives In His
Quaint Little Island Kingdom.

Manila, Oct. 1.-The Sultan of Sulu is
now our great and good friend. This
has long ago been chronicled in the
newspapers; who have told that this
queer pOtentate of the east has signed
a convention with us. He lives at
Maybun, the capital of the Sulu archi-
pelago, with his harem; he is virtually
a citizen Of the United States and is
to enjoy the protection of our army and
our navy, yet he keeps his royal resi-
dence and keeps his harem- The story
of how he came under our flag Is now
told for the the first time.
The largest of the SUlu archipelago
group is 9findanao, but the potentate
who rules over them lives on the Island
of Sulu. The Inhabitants are called
'.Moros," and there is an emphatic dis
tinction between them and all other
Filipinos. Aguinaldo's name means
nothing in the Sulu Archipelago, and
the Spanish foothold there was slip
perry The subjugation of this group
presented a different proposition from
that which was being considere- in
Luzon and the Visayan group though
the 'Moros" are d more warlil1e peo-
pie, our dealings with them have so
far been in the realm of diplomacy, not
of arms.
The feudal system, which was
brought to a state of perfection in
medieval Europe, has prevailed more
crudely in some of the Pacific islands.
During the age of the Crusades, the
southern islands of the Philippines
were given part of their population and
language, and their religion, to which
they have chung tenaciously. Traces of
Arabic and Sanscrit are 10 be found in
the Sulu language; it was from Arabia
that the ancient emigration took place.
The hdoros are subject to petty chiefs
fhnCe
subject to the sultans of MinGanao and
If Sulu, the latter being the overload
and claiming the allegiance of the To-
mer. 1t was to the Sultan of Sulu,
therefore, that the Spaniards made
overtures and with whom they finally
made an agreement, the articles of
which were mutually disregarded. 1t
was to secure a continuance of this
agreement that General John c. Bates
was dispatched to hold parley with his
august majesty, Lori Padka Maha Sori
Manlana Sultan Hadji Muhamed
JamaIul Hiram.
Using Common Sense With Sultan.
The general went to Jolo, across the
island from Maybun, with no other
instructions except to use common
sense. For several weeks he remained
there without seeing the sultan, who
felt indiSposed. Conferences were held
with the powerful chiefs and .Dattos,'
and the meeting with his royal high
ness was finally arranged to take place
at the palace of the sultan. The
United States cruiser Charleston, Cap
tain Pigman commanding, was at Jolo,
and it was decided that this should
take the general to Maybun. L hap
pened TO be one of a small party which
was making the tour of the islands on
the government transport Pennsyl-
vania- There were other American
women besides myself on board and we
had the good fortune to be included in
an invitation to attend the conference
extended by Captain Pigman and Gen.
eral Bates.
We were not only destined to be the
first American women to set foot on
the island of Sulu, bue we were also to
be the first to behold the sultan.
A Moro Chief.
One of the most powerful chiefs on