The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-01-02

During the time of General Arolas's
stay at Jolo there were two claimants
10 the throne Of the Sultan. One-the
rightful heir-was not recognized by
the Spanish because he refused to go
to Manila TO be invested with author
ity. As a former potentate who had
gone there for this purpose had been
made a prisoner. the young Sultan re-
fused 10 go, and there was justice in
his position. But as the Government
could not get hold OF the real Sultan
to commission. they chose one of the
powerful chiefs and set him up in op-
position. He was called the Paduca
Majasari Malauna Amiril Maulni Sui
tan Harun Narrasid. commonly known
as Harun. The real Sultan. who was
a mere boy. lived on the other side OF
the island, at his capital of Maybun-
a city of nipa huts built over the wa
ter. The Sultan's mother, who also
lived there. is one of the most interest
ing of Moro characters. She is vi
sayan-the Visayans inhabit the mid
die group Of islands and are OF diff
ferent race from the Moros-and was
brought TO Sulu as a captive. destined
to be a slave. The reigning Sultan. in
an unfortunate moment, became infat-
uated with her beauty and made her
/ his Sultana. or first wife. il did not
/ take the young Nisayan long to appre-
ciate the privileges Of Oriental royal
/ ty: she developed a fondness for the
use of corrosive sublimate on other
people. and her husband was the first
victim of this unfortunate habit. 'She
then married his successor. but IL was
not very long before he too succumbed
, TO ar overdose Of his spouse's favorite
chemical, and she was left TO be practi-
cally the regent, as her son, the pres
ent Sultan. was very young. At the
same time. when the rival Sultan was
proclaimed by the Spanish Govern
i mCnt the dowager wished to be on the
safe side. She was secure in being the
mother of one claimant: IL would be
a stroke of state 20 be the wife of the
other: accordingly she notified Harun
that she was willing to marry him.
Harun. with civilized sarcasm. re-
spOnded that he wished to die a nat
ural death" The Sultana's hopes were
thus crushed i'm that direction. Her
name. by the way. is Inchi Jamela. and
she is still the power behind the throne
at Maybun.
Before Arolas had finally succeeded
in getting things at Jolo into proper
shape. he had found IL necessary to
march upon Maybun and destroy 10.
for the time being. and 10 otherwise
,castigate the Moros by innicting de-
feat after defeat uron them. till they
were brought to such a state OF sub
mission as they had never known be-
fore. In 1892 General Arolas left the
Philippines for Spain. and. as might be
expected. there was trouble. and OF a
most serious character. The new
Governor had evidently little appreCia-
tiOn OF Moro character. and this ig-
norance cost him his life. As soon as
he had established himself at JolO, 10
seemed to him a good thing that the
Moros should pay taxes. and so he is
sued a decree TO the effect that they
should be forthcoming on a certain
date The Sultan Harun called to-
gether his chief advisers and laid the
matter before them. saying that he
would abide by their decision. They
were not long in making one. The
next day the Moros communicated IL
TO the Governor in their own original
manner. Harun, with a large number
of his cOuntrymen behind him, came
to the city gates and asked for admis-
sion in order 10 pay their taxes. as re-
quested. During the day of Arolas no
Moro was ever allowed inside the
gates with his arms. and during that
time only one man succeeded in thus
entering. The new Governor. howev-
er, concluded that they were acting in
good faith and ordered that they be
admitted He first drew mp his own
forces i'm line and then opened the
gates.