The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-21

Certainly. dato," said the unsuspect-
ing smith. Without a seconds heslta-
ton, Jokanine raised the knife and
split the smith to the chin. The right
master has to kill a slave is, there
fore, no stronger right than that eXer-
cised by all the datos and the sultan
over the life of every man in Sulu.
Such northumberland stories as
these show how lightly these people
prize life Indeed, if one freeman kills
another the murderer is brought before
one of the datos and fined one hundred
and eight Mexican dollars or fifty-four
dollars gold. There is, however, no fine
for killing a slave. Slavery among the
Sulus does not originate in difference of
race or color; neither has it it's origin in
war. The slaves are of the same race
as their masters, and are for the most
part acquired in payment of past DEBTS.
Thus, If man owes you large sum or
money, he may sell himself or his chill
dren to you, and thus cancel the debt
Girls are sold for hard cash, believe,
but it is not a common occurrence, nor
one which takes place against the will
of the girl. If a slave runs away from
his master and returns to his original
home, declaring that he positively re-
fuses to serve the master any longer
the custom is for the family to get to-
gether and pay the original debt, thus
releasing the slave. OF course the slave
is bound to work, but, as rule, he only
works when his master works, and as
that is a matter of very infrequent &C.
currence, slavery in the Sulus can not
be called an arduous occupation. The
slave eats and sleeps in the same house
as his master; he is treated more like a
retainer than as a slave The children
of Sulu slaves are also slaves, but they
have especial privileges and are con-
sidered family retainers.
1t is considered disgrace to sell one
of these slaves. In fact, 1t Is merely be-
cause we have no more accurate word
to describe the condition that / use the
word slavery" The status Is really
one between the serfdom Of the middle
ages and the peonage of Mexico. ] re-
member seeing very beautiful girl in
the house of Dato Joganine. The girl
was born a slave and has grown UP as
member Of the family; she was really
very beautiful, as few Sulu women are
at least after they pass the age Of
sixteen Cat thirty they are all hags) l
asked the value of the girl, and was
told no money would buy her; she was
really member of the family, and was
treated so. Such cases, / am told, are
the rule.
General Bates showed exceedingly
great tact in the cause of the treaty
concerning slavery. Slaves may pur-
chase their freedom for twenty dollars,
Mexican money. Only slowly can saw
cry be eradicated from country with
out doing great wrong to property
owners, and it is to be hoped that Con-
gress, when it comes to act will see the
ACCESSIBILITY of letting the present treaty
stand as it is-at least for the present.
Polygamy is an institution so chm
nected with the Mohammedan religion
that the clause of the treaty protecting
the religion of the country practically
protects polygamy. The Moros have
generally several wives. They are of
course limited by the Koran to four, and
but few have the full number. Besides
these wives they have innumerable con-
cubines. If one of the concubines of the
oultdH ptdlS IllHi d Cllllu, Sfle lfnmeul-
ately becomes his wife. provided. of
course that the number of his wives is
not already complete Divorce is COM
mon and simple. If man no longer de-
sires his wife, he divorces her and she
returns to her family. 1t is not consid-
cred disgrace to be divorced In spite
of all these inequalities, the Sulu wo-
men are independent by nature and
we'll treated.-John r. Bass in Harpers
Weekly.