The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-17
THE BISHOP OF HONG KONG.
SOUTH AFRICA's PRINCE OF FA-
KRIS.

He IL better Known Than Cecil
Rhodes Himself and From Killing
an Old Man with seidIitz Powders
to Cheating "A Christmas Party Out
of Chicken Tickets the Bishop
Passes CheerfuIIy From Crime 20
Crime.
Copyright. 1899 by Allen sangree.)
l first met the Bishop of Hong Kong in
the Beach Hotel at Beira, Portuguese East
Africa, where he seemed to be concerned
chiefly in providing himself a good Christ
mas dinner. In country where bread
cost one shilling loaf, fried chicken is
sweeter to the human being than much
gold.
For month provisions had been very
low and the appearance of schooner
from Madagascar was awaited with keen
Impotence. The Beach Hotel had great
advantage over the Royal in owning a
little steam launch from which the pro-
prietor with several sharp eyed Portu-
gueSe sailors scanned the horizon daily
Early Christmas morning their vigilance
was rewarded by a dot on the water
which proved to be a felucca laden with
vegetables and chicken. Boarding It out
side the bay our host was able 10 buy un
all the poultry. the transaction being
watched In GREATNESS suspense by a hum
dred guests from the shore When news
spread that Beach Hotel would have a
chicken dinner men shook hands with one
another and treated to drinks. group
OF the more experienced had collected to
discuss some fair method by which the
chickens could be distributed fairly and
made TO go as far as possible.
In these arrangements the Bishop OF
Hong Kong was active. Similar crises, he
explained had been happily managed by
asystem OF pool drawings, ana this meth
Oh was finally adopted. It was agreed that
each regular guest and every outsider who
paid sovereign into' the hotel exchequer
should be entitled TO draw number, the
the chicken to be dealt out impartially as
1t came along, and not by giving the white
meat TO blondes and the dark to "bru-
nettes" as had been first proposed
In the secrecy of the billiard room the
Bishop and two other responsible looking
men made up a hatful of slips. You put
your hand through hole in the board
partition and grabbed one. In a short
time disturbance arose between two
men who had the same number and be-
fore they could be separated both were
so badly bruised as to have little appetite
for dinner. Two others sets OF drawers
and fraud was openly charged The Bish-
op of Hong Kong, however, smoothed
things over by giving each OF the six men
another draw. IL was significant that they
all got numbers much higher than before
and 1t was then that the transcendent
genius of the Bishop evlnced itself. Great
suspicion rested on him when he had
eaten his third dinner and there was
some demand to know whether the dis
puted numbers had been raflled Off again
or others substituted. The arrival of a
German East Coast steamer which
meant iced drinks to ccol parched tongues
averted attention for the afternoon, how
ever, and as we hurried to the beach /
noticed the Bishop sleeping on a chair
ton.
The foregoing, however, was but a
trifiing breach OF the ethical code. for the
most renowned character twixt the Linn
popo and Zambesi, for man who from
the Murchison Range TO Gwelo is known
better than Cecil Rhodes himself. Though
his sins have been many, a jolly, clean
shaver face, genial.ty Of soul and readi-
ness OF wit seem TO have been talismans
equal to disarm even an irate mob. Ready
to undertake anything. he derived equal
enjoyment from gambling for gold mine
or playing the accordion In a Wesleyan
mission. His endeayors knew no limita-
ton.
The seidfitx Powder Crime.
AS to his real name or whence he came
there was no answer Questions of that
sort are tabooed out there. The man who
tells the story Of his life Is considered
weak OF mind. On the register OF the
Beach Hotel he was down simply as THE
Bishop of Hong Kong" same as the one
eyed man signed himself Danger and
the cavalry sergeant Boots and Saddles"
Mafuta, great man." literally FIAT man"
So highly did they regard him north of
Sofala That he was made chief.
The Bishops exploit there was what first
marked him I'm South Africa. Sofala, as
you know, is supposed 20 be ancient Ophlr
famous in King Solomon's days, the land
Of gold and ivory. In company with a
Scotch physician named Ollslre, this man
went inland from the Sabi river and after
time reports came of white hippo
potamus" and a "pale-eyed lnyx" that
we're living In luxury In Sabiland. The
two scamps played their hands so well
that they got possession of a cave full OF
ivory, enough to make both immensely
rich, but lost this opportunity of a life
time through the Bishops spirit OF play
fulness Allaire, being somewhat of a
physician, carried with him medicine
chest, and from II one unfortunate day
took a seidlitz powder which the Bishop
fed to a very old induna. Instead OF mix
ing the powders, however. he rendered
them one at a time. rolling on the earth
with laughter at the old negfo's internal
surprise. When the chief died that night,
however, the tribe took II more seriously,
and the witch doctor was commanded to
smell out the culprits with the result that
guilt rested on the Bishop and the doc
tor.
Their position was not envlable. One
thousand black Indians IN war paint and
half drunk on KafIir beer surrounded them
IN a great circle. dancing about with as
sagais. 1t was only question of time
when nervous hand would slip and then
goodby, fair earth.
In this crisis the bishop summoned all
his dignity and appealed 20 the oldest
chief, clothing his words IN the usual Linz
guistic verdure. THE little hyena speaks
to the mighty elephant" he said. Thou
alone. o Separator OF Bulls know II
speak wisdom. My friend and / are ac-
cused ef a crime. Let US prove our IN
nocence or guilt At tho waters edge win
we eat OF the Obuti root. II 4 kills then