The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-15

/
tians, is that the Moros are puzzled as
| whether the Americans are Christians
| When the Twenty-thirds Regiment went
into Jolo the Catholic cathedral was TAX
en- as barracks under stress OF military
necessity. This was most startling pro-
ceeding to the Moros, and a terrible blow
! to intending Juramentados. The Moros
asked themselves whether a. people who
slept with their boots on, and who
marched with guns into the house thai
had been the sacred place OF the Span
iards, who were Christians. could them
selves be Christians. 1t could not ibe.
Moreover, on the first day of the week,
when the other Christians had marched
in long procession TO the holy place and
their priests had chanted and waved lit
| tie lamps of brass, these Americans were
wont to come out TO the meadow out
side the city wall and throw ball at
each other and hit it with a heavy stick
and knock it a great distance, and then
shout so that the echo thereof could be
heard half way to Maybun. What would
it profit man If 4he shaved even his head
and his eyebrows and slew thses people.
If these strange Americans were not
Christians then would Mohammed drive
the Juramentados away in wrath when
they should come before him and claim
entrance to his heaven. The Moros pract-
ically have ended their investigations by
deciding that the Americans are not
Christians.
Another sad blow ITO the Llramentodo
industry IS the declaration of General
Bates that his men will capture the Ju-
ramentados alive and hang them on the
same gallows with the priest who heard
their vows, the barber who shaved their
heads, as well as any person who knew
of their intentions and did not warn the.
Americans Ths Moros say this is sad,
but true. It is a part of a Ornamental
dos VOW to die while in 1.-THE act of STAY
ing Christians. To be knocked in the
back of the head with a gun butt and
dragged like sick buffalo to the Jail,
and then to be taken out and hanged like
common thief was disquieting to think
of. Then there was the risk Of finding
out, all too late, that the Americans are
not Christians, anyhow, and that the Ju-
ramentado had gained neither the proph-
cts bosom, nor the sixteen heavenly
hours, nor everlasting bliss.
Another reason for the non-appearance
of Juramentados so far, is the Sultan's
remark: 1.-The Spaniards tried continual
ly to convert US from our faith TO theirs.
Leave my peoples religion alone and
therewill be no Juramentados." There is
one at Jolo now who cares a snap Wheth-
er the Moro he meets is a Mohammedan,
a "hard-shell" Baptist, or a Mormon eld-
er. But the officers of the regiment shud-
der at the mention of missionaries. They
say they will repaint thesigns in the park
and make them read, Keep off the Mo-.
ro's religion :.
The houses in Jolo are packed in as
nicely as sardines in a 20-cent Tin. The
Spaniards did not want to waist to nuctfF
money on a wall so they drew the town.,
close in to the sea. canned it up with the
ewelve-foot wall, and sealed it heKinat
ically by decreeing[ that thereshould be no
houses outside The planting of suburbs
is not a flourishing industry at Jolo. r
The town is only about as wide as an I,
ordinary Chicago block. and not over
four blocks long. The wall runs entirely
around the town except on the water side
and there is only one gate. Outside the
wall, at some distance from the town,
are three biock-houses occupied by de-
tachments from the garrison of the town.
Jolo would delight the eye of the comic
opera librettist. It looks like nothing so
much as the setting of good stage pic
IL lT-
and moss grown. The streets are Dor
dered by rubber and palm trees that form
a shady roof over head and along the
beach the clear blue water of the Sulu
Sea rolls lazy on the shining sand. In
the trees monkeys skip back and forth or
fight vigorously with the crow that
squawk and flutter and pick at the mon
keys until the latter give up the fight
and beat hasty. retreat Moros in. their
trousers and little Jackets
wander aimlessly about selling embroid-
cries, buying in the market, or watching
a cock fight.
Cockfghts differ in Jolo from other e.
vents of the kind anywhere else in the
world. Down in Cuba and over in Porto
Rico a cockfight was always a formal af-
fair and took place after due notice in
regular pit built for the purpose. A
good round admission was charged at the
door and band played to drown the ex-
piring gurgles of the defeated rooster. In
Jolo native puts a rooster under his arm
and walks down the street until he meets
another native, who also has a rooster
under his arm. The two stop and poke
their birds at each other. A crowd gath
ers-soldiers, Cinnamon, Spaniards, and
Moros Money is tossed on the ground
in the impromptu ring and in moment
more the boosters are fighting a desper-
ate battle. When the fight is over the
owner of the growing victor picks his
money and his bird and starts on down
the street in search of another fight.
In the lanceria or spear market out
side the city gate the soldiers and chance
visitors to Jolo bargain with the Moros
for their barongs and knives. An Ameri-
can sees an ivory handledbarong that he
fancies, motions towards it, and asks
"quanta valu?" which IS supposed to be
pure Castilan for What is the value Of
chat?" The owner viii slap his hands
together and holds up his fingers to show
the price. IF he slaps his hands three
times and holds 4ub 1--WE fingers. that
means S35. The American says "No. no:
ten" and then he sl2ps his hands TO-
gether once. The Moro pokes out the ba-
roire- and the American takes II sadly and
goes away feeling sad-fhlt he did-f1ot say
s.. Sometimes passengers come down on
the trips made by the government trans
ports to the islands. They are ignorant
of the willy Moro's habits and have no
time 20 waste. SO they buy the weanons