The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-09-10
NOROS OF MINDANAO
ARE FIERCE ENEMIES
Characteristics OF THE RACE ChUs'
ING TROUBLE IN PHILIPPINES.
There Are Unnumbered Thousands OF
Them, and They Regard Fight
inl as a Means of Grace.


darao promises to be pretty serious,
says the Newark (N. j. Call. The
Moros are a fierce and warlike people
and. being followers of Mohammed,
believe there is no road to heaven so
sure or rapid as that by death found IN
battle The Washington officials have
long been in fear of an outbreak among
these people, and now Uncle Sam S
soldiers have been practically ordered
off the island by one of the dattOS, who
has strongly intrenched himself. Prep
arations are being made to teach the
islanders a lesson that they will not
soon forget. The MOros have simulated
peace, and some of the dattos are no
doubt friendly at present. One, how
ever, while declaring undying affec-
ton for the United States, has been
quietly gathering allies from miles
around According to recent dispatches
he has lined the walls of his fort with
out and within with stone. Then he
sent word that Americans must move
on; that they were not fit to live among
Moros since they (the Americans eat
pork and do other barbarOus things.
OF course Uncle Sam has nothing to do
but take that fort Artillery has been
ordered. 1000 soldiers (all there are on
the islanO are mobilizing and will
presently invest the fort. Then will
come the lesson.
Il am sorry to see the Moro trouble
has come at last said a Newarker the
other day who served for some time in
Mindanao in the regular army. Every
man who has served in that part of the
Philippines lInoSs that it was inevita-
BILE. still we do not like to see the thing
really heve, for it means bloOdshed,
and no man knows how much of it. |
knew a Spanish lieutenant who had
served for twelve years in Mindanao
in the Spanish army, and have
known others who have passed cOnsid-
pie myself and hare pretty good idea
of what the boys Lave on hand.
1.-The dispatches say allies have been
assembled in this particular fort. Well,
that may mean thousands of fighting
men. Nobody knows the population of
Mindanao. / have seen them come
streaming into the city of Zamboango
on market days down the one road
from the hills in streams by hundreds
and hundreds. There are unnumbered
thousands of them in those mountain
businesses. They never bowed before
h4 Spanish. In fact, the Spanish pref
+y| generally feared them and let them
pretty severely alone after they had
cut one body after another of Spanish
troops to pieces. They killed hundreds
of Spaniards. Lost good many of
their own men, of course, but that did
not bother them SO far as fighting
went.
'sThey are a brave, you might say
fearless, people. When our cannon bat
fer down the fort, those that are left
will fight from behind the heaps of de-
bris. Why, once the Spaniards attacked
one of their forts with cannon, and do
YOU think it feazed these devils? Not
much. They charged the guns with
bows and arrows. The Spaniards stuck
to the guns as long as they could and
moved swaths in them, but old Mr..
Moro came right on, and he took the
guns too
IF | were out there and were or
dered in, I'd have to go, and L would
but | tell you right now that would
not relish the job. 1t is one thing to
train your rife on an enemy like the
Tagals and other Filipino tribes out
side of MindanaO and another to get
on the firing line with the Moros in
front of you. 1t takes something of the
starch out of man to fire carefully
and often see the enemy drop and final
" run. and it's another very different
thing to see the mass close up after
you make a hole in it and come right
on Just the same. Talk about crazy
negro with q razor, he is peaceful
babbling boy alongside of these Moros
with the battle hunger in them and
their glittering swords (krisses) swing
ing over their heads
Those swords, by the way, are often
beautifully made and decorated with
gold and silver work, with ivory han
dies and all that. Very often, if you
examine the hilt of a kriSs you will
find a number of little scratches or
hicks. Each indicates a life the own
er of the kriss has taken.
"Once we acted as escort for num-
Der of dattos who were going down to
a conference. These chaps, who are
chiefs of districts, have a cheerful way
of winding their turbans to indicate
the number of individuals they have
given personal pushes into the happy
hunting grounds. Our people over here
think those dattos are ignorant. Well,
they haven't certain kinds of knowl-
edge, but they are as deep as wells and
all fired clever. l know a German jew
eler who got it into his head he could
90 to the cities of Mindanao, hobnob
with the dattos and buy pearls and
other jewels for a song. He told me
that when he got over there he found
10 his establishment that the dattos
knew as much about the prices OF
pearls in the outside world as he did,