Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-08-21
ARE RULERS Of EMPIRES.
HOW SOME PEOPLE BECOME
SMALL WORLD RULERS.
A Number Of Small Domains Scastsrse
Over the Globe. Many Of Then
In Out-of.ths-Wsy
plneeh

In Out-of.ths-Way
PlscsA
Some people have a mania Tor puy'
Ing up or annexlns odd, out-of-the-way
corners Of the world, and setting them
selves up Is independent sovereisns'
Only a few months back attention was
called, through the medium Of q con-
sulsr report, to the case Of French
man who had purchased q small island
near Newfoundland and built thereon
a fort BE also, II is said, hoisted the
tri-color, and enlisted under Its folds
seventeen men and boy. Some OF the
London dailies seemed inclined Tor
awhile to treat this little burlesque au
serieux. OF course, It all mattered not
one lot. Indeed, there must be hum
dreds Of these baby empires scattered
about the globe.
There ID one of Malta. An Italian
count bought a tiny rock islet, pullt
upon It a handsome castellated resi-
dence, constructed a bastion, mounted
four rifed cannons, and proclaimed
himself monarch Of all he surveyed.
The Maltese military authorities OBJ
jected, however, to the cannons, and
these are now represented by painted
wooden dummies. They look very for
midable, though, seen from the sea.
Although It is not officially recog-
nized by our government, 1t Is never
theless a fact that a tiny British EN-
pire exists almost in the very center
Of German East Africa. 1t Is only
three square miles in extent, and Is
administered and governed by a
Scotchman named Macpherson, who
obtained 1t by a treaty from the orig
inal owners of the soil. Subject only
to the nominal approval of the Ger
man imperial high commissioner, the
Gaelic monarch makes his own laws
Furnishes eyll-doers, and even coins his
own money. The latter, however, does
not pass current outside his own do
minions."
Curiously enough. the above Is moi
the only Macpherson who Is king
In his own right, for another Of thai
name rules over Ducle island, an 1850
lated atoll In the southern Pacific. Hi
subjects" consist Of his wife ant
daughters, and some twenty coolies, al
of whom are engaged In the prepare
ton Of copra. From here to lnacces
sible island, a rugged wave-lashed
storm-rent rock in the southern Allan
tic, Is a far cry. Yet even here al
"enpire" has been founded, although
ifs head and chief, an Englishmal
named Collins, can boast of but fou
subjects all told. They are his wife
two grown-up sons, and a sailor VIM
was shipwrecked there some year
ago. and elected to throw In MS 10
with the islanders. The little Colon
gains a living by harpooning the seal
and sea-elephants that visit the plac
f, IN large numbers at certain seasons 0
the year.
Even Europe-mAita ridden, blood
stained Europe-can boast of NOR
than one baby-empire. There Is, 0
course. first Of all, Monaco, on tn
Mediterranean, between France an
italy. It Is about three miles lon
by one and half broad, and the Who'll
available space being occupied BY pr
yate residences, boarding houses, an
hotels, It presents the curious spectd
Gle Of a country without either agrlcu
ture. trade, or manufacture. Nevel
theless, It manages to support a poi
ulatlon Of some 1900 souls, and a
"army" of 1926 men. Andorra and sa
Marine are miniature republics. In
first-named nestles among the Pyr'
mean mountains, and has an area c
175 square miles, and a population
about 5000. The latter, beautiful
situated In the hills near Rlminii, 0
the Adriatic, is governed by wv
"regents" and council Of sixty. A
though the area Is but 80 square mile
and the whole opulatlon barely exceed
5000 souls, there Is an army command
ed by several generals" and titlt
and decorations are freely bestowe
for a consideration. The capital ali
boasts Of a fortified" castle, with
two-feet-deep moat and property
dungeons. Llechtenstein, tiny prl
cipality on the upper Rhine, anoth'
nomlnally independent state, betwet
the Tyrol and Switzerland, is probab
the only country in the world who
inhabitants pay absolutely no taxes
any kind, either directly or indlrectl
They are also free from the bugbe'
Of CONSUMPTION, which overshadoV
practically all the rest Of content
Europe. Luxembourg, created an IND
pendent state by the treaty OF Lond'
In 1867, Is less fortunate that d
neighbor in this respect, but her stan
Ing army only numbers S20 men.
Iouanese Romance.