The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-09
Moros aS. Fighters.

FROM the AnlCNSO iiDlNS-Ai er0td "a.
About The time Magellan was discover
ing the Philippine lsiands for Spain a
fierce tribe of head-hunters from Borneo
were doing little exploration on their
own account in those self-same parts
There Is no jest behind the wild man
from Borneo' lie is a bloodthirsty IA
matte, who as a young man, cannot ex-
peet TO have a girl smile upon him until
he is able 10 provide her with at least one
human head by way of ante-marital set
Element and the more heads he has cap
tured the greater swell he is taken TO be-
To a natural ferocity, by no means con-
tempthle, he adds perfect bravery, an
oVerWeenng desire TO fight and much skill
in the use of weapons, the whole cemented
by an enthusiastic acceptance of the faith
of Mahomet
Borneo, it may be explained lies south
and west of the Philippine archipelago.
and Is of the same geological formation.
the distinction between all these islands
as far north as Formosa, being an arbi-
trary and merely political one A narrow
strait, no wider than that between many
of the Philippines themselves. is an that
separates Borneo from the Sulu archipeI-
ago on It's north. When Spain began to
extend her territory southwark from the
first settlements made in Cebu she found
that all the small islands i'm the SuIu and
Tawi Taw groups, all Of Basian. Mon
danao, the second largest of the islands.
so far as its coast was concerned Bala-
bac, Cayagan, Sulu and the southern third
of Palawan We're in Moro hands II was
in the endeavor 10 reduce the whole of this
10, an ~
Moro came into contact with the Spaniard,
and for several centuries the Moro had
considerably the best Of it.
His career Of conquest was checked so
far as the mere acquisition of territory
was involved. but he contrived to fit out
marauding expeditions. regular razzias.
and in his light praGs swept up the popula-
ton of adjacent coasts by hundreds. The
women went into his harem, the men and
children did his work as slaves. This
slavery still continues in the part of the
Philippines under his care. When Prof.
Worcester of the University of Michigan
was exploring the group In search Of nat
ural history specimens he was offered a
likely young girl for about 50 in American
money.
The Moro is not fond of Christians. Nat
urally ne detests anybody who would
stand between him and what he holds TO
be his legitimate prey, the milder man
nered natives Of the island groups. To
that may be added the bloodthirstiness OF
the Malay race, with its unpleasant habit
Of running amuck and killing every one in
reach of the razor-edged criss when other
excitement fails. Finally, the faith OF
Islam makes the Moro despise Christians
on one hand. while he bases his hope of i'm
mortality largely on the number of Chris
tan heads he win be able to carry 10 the
celestial gate. One will admit him, but
the more he has the merrier viii be his life
throughout all eternity. This, i'm his esti-
nation. is worth running risks for.
For many years Spain occupied much
the same relation to the Moro that Great
Britain held to the mahdi before Kitchen
er's victory in upper Egypt or to the mad
mullah at the present time an Afghanistan.
The prevailing feature of the southern is
lands to-day, architecturally speaking, Is
the tall watch tower from which an anX-
ious eye was kept for evidences of the
Aloros' regular annual outing. These tow
ers formed a portion of heavy stone forti-
fications, usually with the church inside,
recalling a similar arrangement on the
part of the Pilgrim Fathers SO far as In
dams and NEE ting-houses We're related TO
their daily life Up to the introduction of
light draft gunboats armed with machine
guns the Moro had the better of the argu-
ment, his weapons, though all of home
manufacture, being equal to those of the
whites While ne was better skilled an their
use Even at the present day he stands i'll
no fear of Spanish authority or soldiery,
except in the rare instances where Spain
has produced a governor with real adj
illustrative ability. Otherwise he hangs
around the Spanish settlements on the
coasts and picks off the stragglers with
his rifle, varying this every day recrea-
ton by laying ambushes for parties of sol
diers and laborers who have 10 leave the
walls, and by occasional charges right up
10 the Spanish cannon.
Prof Worcester made the acquaintance
of the Moro first at the village of Ell Re
codo in Mindanao. Here they were said
to be disarmed and quite harmless" Nor
os de paz" in the Spanish phrase. When
he came to the place itself he found essen
tial portions of the Chinese anatomy used
for Che ornamentation of the Moro dwell
ing The householders had wearied of see
ing three neghboring Cinnamon about so
they dissected them for this decorative
purpose. At Sulu he came to know one
Toolawee, a renegade Moro, and went out
looking for specimens with him Venturing
to express a desire for some Of his fellows
equipment, Toolawee made him a business
proposition to shoot all The wild Moros he
saw. Worcester 60 take the goods and Too
lawee the heads, for which he could get a
reward from the Spanish. The Moro seems
to be an eastern form of the Apache.