The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-12
A TREACHERoUs TRIBE.
The Moros of the Philippines, Whose
Especial Hatred is Christians.


The Moros of the Philippines, Whose
Especial Hatred is Christians.
The following letter, written by Lieut.
Jennings B. Wilson of Company d,
Thirty-frst United States Volunteers,
to his father in this city will be of in
terest to the many friends of the young
man and to the general reading public.
1t was written at Isabella de Basllian,
1 Basila, Philippine Islands, and was
commenced December 80, 1899:
| I'VE left Manila December 2, and af-
ter touching at Iloilo and Jolo got to
Zamboanga on December 6. On the eth
we started to land. At noon half of this
company, with Captain Cabell, went
! aboard the United States gunboat Ma
Mia and came here. We landed on the
8th, and, assisted by the sailors from
the ship. raised the first American flag
on this island and took possession in the
name of the United States. / have the
flag which we raised. 1t is quite a
valuable relic.
There has been no trouble on these
islands and perhaps will not be, at least
with the Filipinoe, for they are, think,
truly loyal. Trouble if it comes at all,
will be with the Moros
THE headquarters of the regiment are
at Zamboanga, Mindanao We may not
stay here, as the navy Is going to take
charge of the old naval station here and
we may be moved back to headquarters
We occupy a very good fort here and
are well pleased with out situation. The
navy left about 500 tons of coal here
last week, and will no doubt leave more,
as this is the only good coaling station
south of Manila. We are seven and one
half degrees north of the equator and
600 miles south of Manila, and not
thermometer in town, so we do not
know how hot it is.
Dec. Slit is Sunday, and as | am
alone l will write little more. Captain
Cabell has gone to Zamboanga for two
days; that is why I am alone.
This country is like all tropical coun-
tries that have seen and is very pref
ty. We have plenty of fruit and for
to-day's dinner we a:c green corn. You
can't get that in America on December
81. We get great, large pineapples for
cents, and corn enough for fifty-eight
people for so cents, our money. We pay
in Mexican money, which is the money
of the islands, and, of course, pay two
of Mexican to one United States dollar.
"You know, or perhaps don't know,
that all the Moros in these islands are
controlled by the Sultan of Jolo and
Mindanao Each island, or separate
tribe, is ruled by dato, and districts
by. mandarin.
"They are an obedient people to a
dato, or Sultan, but hate a Christian,
and have a habit of what the Ameri-
cans call running amuck.' That il,
they don't want to live any longer and
believe if they die killing Christians that
they go to heaven. So they start out,
armed with bolo or kries, and proceed
to do up any Christian in sight until
they themselves get killed. The Sultan
claims the power of letting his subjects
run amuck,' but they sometimes do so
without his permission.
'They never count their ages, and sell |
their children and women to whoever |
wants to buy them. An old mandarin |
who lives near here, and calls on us
every week or SO, has four boys that he |
bought for $50 (Mexican money! apiece. |
All the Cinnamon buy their wives. The
Moro is small man, wearing few |
and some of them none at all, |
ana they live all THEN lives in the c0un-
try, end along the coast but never to
any extent in towns. They are always
armed with a bolo or kries. The old !
lato on this island has plenty of Maus-
ar rifles. given him by the Spanish when
hey left in hopes the Moros would fight
he United States. The Spanish always
lad more or less trouble with them, but
he Moro is not much with the rifle.
This is New Years, and our dinner,
contested of baked beans, roasted sweet
potatoes fried bacon coffee, and hard
ack. The chickens here are too tough
o be eaten but we have plenty of eggs.
The cattle are dying of some disease like
iistemper or fever, so we eat no fresh
)eef, but the fish are fine.-Washingto
star.