Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-09
MOST DISTANT FLAG
Stars and Stripes Wave Over Natives
Of Bongao.
RAISED BY AMERICAN SOLDIERS
Something About the Habits and
Life of the People.
A RE KINDLY DISPOS ED

| Written for The Evening Star
The remotest point at which the United
| States flag flies in our new domnions is
| Bongao. in the Tawi-Tawi group of islands,
| not over ninety miles from the shores of
| the wild man of Borneo. The latter is now
British realm, and from the barracks of
| Sandakin, where the North Borneo Trad
| Ing Company has established quite an
English colony, floats the remotest British
| flag. Side by side almost these two ma
| tional standards of the two great English
| speaking powers stand like twin sentineIs
| marking the widest expanse of civilization.
Nothing was known of Bongao when
the Paris treaty was signed. Indeed, not
even Prof. Worcester's big book on The
Philippines contained more than summary
notices of the Tawi-Tawis, whose metropo-
lis, Bongao, was said to be one of the
lonesomest places on earth, at which a
Spanish officer had died of sheer loneli-
ness.
The first glimpse of the island certainly
seemed to verify this statement. Bongao,
which is considerable distance off the
main channel of either the China or Jolo
sea, rises like a black Gibraltar from the
water, often dashed by furious gales 1t
was one of Spain's well-chosen St Helenas
to which were sent the very worst OF Fill
ipino exiles They had no way to escape
by water, and on land they dared not VEN
ture far among the natives, who hated
them Only one Filipino exile ever
achieved ascendancy over the Moros, and
he was a remarkably versatile man. who
spoke all the dialects of their language
and married the sister of a datto or
prince. Juanarillo Canuta was the mans
name, and he proved of valuable assistance
to Captain Dapray, the first military COM
mander and acting governor of the Tawi-
Tawi archipelago.
1t was some time after the signing of the
Paris treaty that we learned that under
an old treaty between Spain and the great
European powers actual occupation of GER
tain remote points would be necessary as
prerequisite to sovereignty. Bongao was
one Of those points, over 800 miles south of
Manila and about 100 miles south of JoIo,
whose sultan governed in all matters of
church and state. Accordingly, one COM
pany of the 23d Infantry was loaded on
the greasy and garlicky little steam coast
er Cherucco, under command of Captain
Dapray, the United States steamship York
town, with Maj. Gen. Bates aboard. accom-
expedition reached the then placid, lake-like
harbor of Bongao and anchored than nu-
merouS little native craft flying the gaudiest
colors approached. The first to board the
Cherucco were Dattos Sakalin and Tantom
the two Moro princes who ruled Jointly over
the islands Soon afterward, in Capt. Sper-
rvs Yorktown launch, the dattos and their
sons, with Gen. Bates and staff aids and
other military officers, went ashore. The
natives crowded about the one street of the
hamlet, some half clothed, children entirely
naked, but the royal set clad in bright
colored close-fitting clothes, decked and
spangled, all barefooted. The site for the
military station was selected, and with the
help of Capt. Sperry's sailors a Flagstaff
was raised. The next morning, in a show
er of rain, Gen. Bates hoisted the flag
INV dra
in line, presented arms. The sovereignty
of the United States of America had been
established on one of the most distant,
isolated islands in the world, within four
and a half degrees. of the equator, the
former haven of the worst and most daring
pirates that ever infested the China sea.
The real attitude of these people toward
Americans was yet to be discovered. AL
though friendly and welcoming, the mill
tary commander was ordered to establish
himself in good position of defense, and
had selected the old Spanish garrison site.
upon which the Spaniards, however, had
left only the stone walls Of an old block
house. The dastardly nature of the Span
ish commander was Illustrated in his COM
plete destruction of the garrison quarters.
Canuta, the Filipino, who performed for
Capt. Dapray all the varied duties from
valet to interpreter said that the day of
his departure the Spanish captain with his
hands poured the petroleum and applied
the torch; then, going aboard the Spanish
vessel he watched the flames. Even all
the huge water tanks had been punctured.
Destruction was indeed complete.
Moving a Village.
The first act of the new commander was
to cause the natives to remove from a part
of the old garrison site, upon which by au-
thority of the Spaniards they had squatted.
In fact, Bongao, though supposed to be a
town on the island of the same name, was
nothing more than a hamlet, composed of
about fifty shacks occupied by the immedi-
ate attendants and slaves of the dattos.
1t was risky business to start in by COM
but orders required it, and there was no
avoidance. Strange to say, however, there
was no dissent. Without a murmur the ma
tives began taking down their buildings,
and in a few days smoke was seen curling
upward into the sky from scores of huts
on the opposite shore across the bay where
the ne town had been located. Town
moving however, is no task for the Moro
natives of Tawi-Tawi They can build a
house in forty-eight hours, and remove it
in less time. And, besides, Datto Sakalin,
the hereditary Bongao chief, was a quick
witted Mohammedan, whose needle-ike
voice seemed not only to prick their ear
drums, but the soles of his vassals' feet as
well. At any rate, his orders were always
swiftly given and executed. His confrere,
Datto Tantom, was the stronger man
doubtless, he being like the lion, while
Sakalin was the eagle.
Datto Sakalin is reputed to be one of the