Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-21
A Visit to His Majesty in the Royal
Palace.
4 MESSAGE TO TIE AMERICANS
How the Moros' Ruler Looks, Talks
and Acts.
TIE SULTANA AT HOME


/ AoNNf N'
| JOLO, June l, 1850.
| I beseech you to read reverently the fol-
lowing 1t was written in Arabic charac-
tiers in my note book and is signed with the
hand of the Sultan of Sulu, hand that
has more power in these islands than that
of the Car in Russia, or that of his brother
Mohammedan, the Sultan in Turkey. 1t is
| a message of peace, however, rather than
war. 1t is a message of friendship sent by
his majesty, through this paper, to his
brothers, the American people. If you
should read it in Arabic you must begin on
| the opposite side of the page, for the lines
were written across the page from right to
| left instead of from left to right, as with
| us.
have had it freely Translated. 1t reads:
| by this letter I, Hadji Mohammed jana
| lul Hiram, the Sultan of Sulu, send greet
| ing to my brothers, the people of the United
| States. L send them my best wishes and also
| the hope that their occupation of the Sulu
Islands will be of benefit to the people of
Su.u. l hope that peace may be the result
| of your administration and that thereby
my islands may become prosperous and
rich. (Signed
"HADJI MoHAMMED JAMALUL
| KIRAM.
Written this 18th day of the moon, Ram
| alan, in the year 131I.'
| A Visit to Mybun.
| This letter was the outcome Of an audi
ence which Maj. Owen J. Sweet, the COM
mander of our forces in the Sulu Islands;
| Captain Nazaro of our gunboat, Manila;
| Paymaster Coffin. Mr. Bradley of the Gus
! toms and one or two others, including my
| self, had with his majesty yesterday. Ma
! jor Sweet took the little steamer Herminia
| and, with a guard Of soldiers and escorted
also by the gunboat, sailed around the
| of SIll fn tha j.a1 f,F
| the sultan Here we spent some time going
| through the town, We're received by the sui
| tana, the Sultan'S mother, and had long
conference with the sultan himself. During
| the conference I asked the sultan If he
| would not, through me, send a word so
| to the American people. The result was this
| message, the first, venture, that was ever
made in this way by royal Mohammedan
| potentate.
Our audience was held in what is here
| called 1.-The palace Of the sultan" 1t looks
| to me more like a cross between a barn
| and haystack than any palace" which
l have yet seen. 1t is surrounded by a mud
wall about ten feet in height entered by
gates at which Moros stand with great
| knives at their sides and long, three tined
| spears in their hands,
Town Built Upon Piles.
| We had to walk about mile from the
wharf before we got to the palace. and
that over the toughest road you can i'm
|
majesty would get many a fall in going to
| and from his home over this highway of
| rough coral rocks He might break his neck
| in walking about the streets of his capital
| for the town is made up of scores of
| matched huts built from ten to twelve feet
| above the ground upon piles The most of
| the houses are far out in the water so
| that the town seems to be a1oat at high
! tide. When the water is low there is a
wide expanse of mud flats between it and
| the sea.
1t was SO when We arrived and it took
us about two hours to get to the shore.
| We were rowed. in from the ships by the
sailors TIL we came in to a place where
the water so shallow that the row
boats stuck in the mud. Here some of the
| naval officials took off their Shoes rolled IN
their pantaloons and waded to the steps
which led up to the street built high upon
piles Some were carried in on the backs
| OF half-naked coolies and others took dug
out canoes and were dragged by men
through the mud. 1 first tried the back OF a
coolle. but the man staggered so that I
| feared myself and my camera would he
| dropped in the mud, and 1 forsook him for
a dugout
| An Audience With the Sultan.
We walked through the town over bam-
boo bridges, so slippery that they are un-
safe for all except the Moros. who go about
In bare feet. We passed a dozen stores In
which were Chinese merchants selling
| goods out over the water. We went through
a crowd of hundreds of fierce-eyed, dark
weapon of some kind strapped to his
waist. and finally. after crossing river.
reached tho home Of the sultan.
guard of East Indian soldiers saI,,ted
| us as we entered the gates We passed
through low door, and, finally, on the
second moor were met by his majesty, sur
rounded by misunderstanding gang of
dattos and chiefs. The sultan led US into q
long room and asked us to take our seats
at table upon which were dishes of cakes,
fruit and candies. He took the seat at the
| fee, and smoked cigar or two before
coming to business. After this there was a
considerable discussion about the new Gus
toms duties which had been imposed at
| Jolo. and his majesty had several COM
plants to make as to the treatment of his
| subjects by the American soldiers in the
various islands of this archipelago. At one
| time during the audience there was a re-
| cess while / made a photograph Of his
| majesty, and during the conference I had
an excellent opportunity to take notes of
| just how he looks.
A Pen Picture OF the Sultan.
Imagine stocky little fellow of not over
| five feet four inches, with the face of a
mulatte. slightly pocknarked. Let him
have high, receding forehead, large vel
low ears and sensual lips, on the upper one
| Of which Is a thin black mustache. JJpon
his head put blue velvet cap about six
inches high. and let this be pushed back
from his dark yellow forehead. Let him
seem uncomfortable in light business Eu-
ropean suit and white shirt with a turn
over collar, fastened by q gold collar but
| ton. Watch him as he opens his lips and
| notice his teeth are Jet black. and see. If
| you can. the sly. cunning. cruel look under
his apparently dignifed manner. Upon his
hands put rings. each set with pearls as big
as marrowfat peas. and In one Of them let
him hold a gold-headed cane, and you have
| q fair idea OF the sultan as he sat before
me not twenty-four hours ago. He was not
| servants about him looked much more i'm
posing than he. His brother, Rajah Muda
had q great bolo at his side, and his head
dreaa Was a turfau Ha Svaa Glad In t1,~