The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-26
SHE SAW THE SULTAhA
Miss Hartley of the White Cross
in the Sulu Islands.
PRESENT AT THE SIGNING
OF the Treaty Which Recognized Amer
lean Sovsreignty-Gener Bates
Was Known as the Big God
From Manila.

Omaha. Neb, Nov. 25,---Miss Mamie
Hartley left Lincoln early in 1898, des-
tined to the Philippine islands, upon
some of which she was the first Ameri-
| can woman to set foot. She entered
Manila May % and there attended to
some business in connection with the
White Cross society. Thence some of
the southern islands were explored. In
an interview Miss Hartley said;
THE party was a small and select one
and included only four women, Mrs.
Schwichtenberg, Mrs. Oscar King
Davis, Mrs. Anna Benjamin and my
self The others We're mostly officers
and newspaper men. We visited the
islands of Iloilo, Mindanao, Bohol Ne
gros, Suu. Sannicolas and many of the
towns, including the court of the sultan
of Sulu. Jolo Maimbaum, and other
places. AT Jolo we met General Bates
and his commission and were present
at the signing of the treaty. The ma
ives Of the Sulu islands called General
Bates the Big God from Manila
'On the island the party was accom-
panied by one of the Sulu chiefs, q man
who happened tobe rival of the sultan
and who, i'll fact, was almost as pow
erful. He was suspicious and would
not go with General Bates unless al
lowed a guard of so Of his own men.
These people are unusually bright and
Intelligent and this chief especially SO.
We could not phase him. The aged
sultana. mother of the sultan, proposed
marriage to this chief some time ago.
They say she has a habit of killing off
her husbands, and this chief refused.
replying to her proposal that he pre-
ferred to kill himself If he had to die
that way.
The party first visited the sultana's
home, where we were all entertained
at a dinner consisting of dried fish in
oil. The sultana is an old bag in ap-
pearance. Most of her teeth are gone,
and those that remain are perfectly
black She wore a soldiers left-hand
white glove on he right hand, for the
reason. so it was afterward explained,
that she didn't want to shake hands
with the Christian dogs. However, she
treated US exceedingly well, and spoke
of brotherly love and apparently seem
ed in favor of having the treaty signed.
I'VE said we could not eat the fish
that was brought out to us, but Cen
eral Bates said that II we refused the
sultana would be offended, and that
for the sake of the treaty we would
have to eat some of it. The chief that
had furnished SO much amusement for
the party sat at one end of the table,
but he refused absolutely to eat any
thing, thinking the fish was poisoned
Il was before this that he had refused
to marry the sultana, and he naturally
expected that she had a desire to kill
him.
ut required a good deal of nerve to
eat the stuff, especially after one of
the natives had refused to eat it be-
cause he thought it nigh. be poisoned.
All the American officers were Inxrmed,
and we We're completely at their mercy.
General Bates thought that going
among them without arms would dem
onstrate the frendliness entertained
toward them, and especially il there
We're American women in the party.
From the sultana's home the entire
party Travelled over the kings highway
to the sultan's house, where We were
received in an upstairs room. The sui
tan is a young man, very stout and
sleepy. A long yellow gown hung from
his shoulders and he wore a colored
turban on his head. He shook hands
with all of US and then at his proposal
we adjourned to the council chamber
and negotiations We're opened at once
for the signing of the treaty.
1.-The sultan was perfectly willing to
be an American and receive $3.50
month, but he wanted to fly his own
flag, and on this point he remained OBJ
stinate for some time He finally said
he would agree to fly the American flag
If allowed to run up his own whenever
he saw a ship appear. After an hour
or SO with the sultan, General Bates
finally convinced him that the United
States could not protect him unless
the United States flag was allowed to
remain where it could be seen by ap-
preaching ships. This satisfied him and
he signed the treaty"