The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-17
never been able to get it to run smooth
~ in the same groove again.
Consul RiIey's Experience.

Mr.. Riley came from one of the first
families of Virginia. Accomac was his
home town. He was quite a power in
Virginia politics, and when he came
to Washington for his reward they
gave him Zanzibar, and to Zanzibar he
went. On arriving he searched around
for the scions of first families who
lived there, but it was like looking for
a needle in a haystack. There are $780,
900 negroes in Zanzibar, while the
latest census shows that there are
about 90 Englishmen, like number of
Germans and five Americans shifted
through the colored population. Not
finding congenial society Riley decided
to live in splendid isolation, so he
procured a house close to. the sea-
where he could see the waves roll in
raised the American flag over the
matched roof and announced that he
was there to defend his government,
commercially, socially and diplomatic
ally, against all Corners. He watched
| the ships go away loaded with cloves.
| ivory. rice and rubber, which are the
| principal articles of export of that
| country, and made voluminous reports
! to the department about the increases
| in American trade, but not one breadth
| did he breathe Of the terrible humilia-
ton he continually suffered while up
holding the flag.
He shoots the SuItana.
1t happened that the spot on which
Riley had chosen to locate the Ameri-
| can consulate was in the immediate
neighborhood of the favorite bathing
place of the influential citizens of the
sultanate. The American Consul's
siestas were married by visions of
ebony-hued aristocrats tripping past
his window on their way to the sea
for an afternoon dip. The bathing
costumes were not worth mentioning.
Riley's Southern blood boiled. He
lodged protests at headquarters and
fumed and stormed, but the afternoon
procession continued. One well-fed
negress. in particular, was more re-
pugnant TO him than all the rest She
seemed to find great deal of amuse-
ment in his objections and this fact
made it the harded to bear for the
American official. One day something
broke and Riley loaded up his trusty
shotgun and waited for the sea to
tumble the negress into a good target.
He blazed away and pepered her full
of birdshot.
Relations with the American consul
late were Immediately broken by the
Sultan, for it turned out that the par
ticular objectionable black woman was
no less a parsonage than the Sultana
Ri'ev was recalled and his government
made abject apologies to the dusky
potentate. who rules Zanzibar. Never
theless, since the shotgun incident the
American Consul to Zanzibar has
never been welcomed into the best
society of the island. He is even an
object of suspicion and distrust and
the Oriental politeness with which he
is tolerated is hard to bear.
The State Department officials, after
Riley's adventure, took Zanzibar from
the Virginia political plum tree and
put it on that of Indiana. It was
thought best to give it to some State
whose citizens did not entertain such
strong sentiments on the color ques-
ton.
Jacob Billheimer. of Washington,
Ind, was appointed Consur to Zanzi
bar So far as the records of the de-
partment show Billheimer executed no
great diplomatic coup, but he had
enough money to get home. He gave
the insignia Of the consulate to a
merchant who decorated his ware
house with It. The Indiana Senator's
made haste to fix another of the faith.
full in this $1,000 berth. Robert Mans
field was selected as a victim. He had
served as the secretary of Senator
Beveridge and 1t is not on record what
the eloquent young Hoosier statesman
had against his former assistant At
any rate. Mansfield went to Zanzibar
took look at the place and waite
for the first boat home. on his arrival
in Washington he informed the depart |
ment that there had been no armed
conflict between the Sultana and him.
self and he was rewarded with a de- |
sired consular appointment, which !
took him TO Valparaiso.
The next resident OF Indiana who
tackled the position was Charles b.
Rogers, OF Shoals. He had scarcely used
up his passage money before he be- |
came convinced that Zanzibar was
the most undesirable place on earth |
Even q seat in the Indiana Legislature
was preferable He came back 70 Amer. |
lea and is now busy with his cam.
paign for the Legislature.
search IN Vain for Consul.
Senators Fairbanks and Beyerldge.
who had undertaken 20 provide guar.
dams for American interests on the iel.
ana began another hustle for "A Consul
They searched the State from end b.
end and "a iast n was reported that
the TWO Senators could not md IN me
whole stste ~ Indiana q man whose
political Influence was worthy ~ hena
tongi notice, and who would consider
~ appointment ~ Zanzibar Finally
they made a public statement 10 me
effect fa8f Notwithstanding ere high
state ~ which ihe au ~ onloe-h0iding
baf attained n Indiana there wa n0i