The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-10-17
CIVILIZED KINGS
OF SAVAGE RACES.
Many Men Have uneNpo e.edly
Dropped Into The Position and
Found il a lcnab One.

There is something emincntly salts
factory In being King, despite the
draw backs reputed Ia be attendant
On the wearing Of crown and that
satlsf action Is little the less If one If
only king OF II te4 mile square island
and OF dusky colofsd subjects who are
not oNer-fetteIed b. the trammels of
civilized nation,
1t Is better to b. a monarch Of such
a county and such people than a
slave in the cities u the civilized and
most men who hay had the good for
tune 10 drop in quite unexpe, teddy for
kmsshp have found the position.
with all Its disad antages. most ten
able.
The white king Of u savage race has
been the subject OF a good deal Of ne
ton, but that he g1gr existed outside
the realms of the NfiteG'a Imagination,
readers have probably never believed
But he has prevailed iii the flesh IN
good many parts of the world, and de-
spite the earth lust itch has seized
upon the Great foW-tH, resulting ia the
absorption Of any and every little UNI
protected isle. there stlll remain u few
white men who are absolute rulers Of
lslet kingdoms.
CAST Up ~ THE SEA.
Almost without exception those
whom Fate has dceieed to he monarch
of all they surveyed were east up by
the sea after being nhipWrecked on To
the shores of their future domains and
they have invariably been men who
have followed the set.
Such Was the case Of John Curtis,
sometime King of the Caroline Islands
Whilst first mate Of the good ship
Flora Il. stafford NJ was wrecked OFF
the islands In the Early part Of 1896
After drifting about Tor fifteen days In
an open boat and rhduring most terri
bic privations. Curtis was cast ashore
on one Of the Islands. To his great
surprise he discovered, when well
enough to know anything. that he had
been treated with the greatest hOspi-
tally. and his sstOni3hinent wes great
when he learned from the king Iekie-
kee by name. that he was 10 marry
that monarch's daughter, Princess
Taale.
The old king deliared that Curtis'
coming had been foretold In a dream,
and insisted upon the marriage, and
also upon the white man sitting In his
stead on the throho. The prospective
honor was too much for Curtis at first,
and he refused both throne and daugh-
ter. But he was compelled to accept
eventually, being gwen no choice.
He reigned for three months. At the
end Of that time he was heartily sick
of court life In the Carollnes, and
longed for civilization. with It's atten-
dant comforts. So he maintained Il
sharp look out for steamers and made
a dash In boat for the first that
passed that way.
That the queen did not wish to lose
her king was apparent from the fact
that. realizing what he was about. she
followed the boat out into the water,
reckoning and calling him to return.
As he did not she threw up her arms
despairingly and sank beneath the
waves.
1t Is open to doubt If King Icklckee's
action Ia Indicating In favor OF the
castaway was to the liking of his peo-
pie, for Curtis saw from the deck Of
the steamship. which ne was successful
In reaching, flames shooting from the
temple. accompanied by the sound of
musketry. contest for the throne
was on.
Before the British Government In
1874 took possession OF the FIJI l5lanos,
and appointed a Governor over the
whole group, one OF the islets was ruled
over by an American named Captain
Rodney Burt.
He was not shipwreeked. but volun-
tarily went TO the Fills In 1863. His
father was a seafaring man. and Rod
ney then was sickly youth, who
thought that the air Of the South Sea
would suit him better than that OF
Connecticut, whence he hailed Thus
II came about that he took up his resi-
dence upon one OF the eighty inhsb-
tied Islands the remainder OF the 26O
were not peopled.
He was promptly adopted by the
ding OF the island, and married to
niece. acquiring at the same time the
dignified rank Of prince.
When the king grew old Prince Burt
became the virtual ruler % the Island
displseing the kings brother. who was
exiied to the title Of sea king He
reigned until 1874. when Thakombau.
king OF the ruling tribe Of the whole
forty tribes inhab.ting the Islands,
oeded the group h England.
illika is the name u Kingdom com
prising four small Islands in the New
Hebrides Archipelago. The ruler Of