Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-29
SULU SULTAN
INTERESTING
HAD MANY WIVES AND WAS
UNCLE SANS PENSIoNER.
FALLS VICTIM TO CHOLERA
Was Unique Character and Wie,ded
Great Religious and Civil Power
His Mother Went to Joo as a
SlaVe-Her Rise to Power Com
pared With Dowager Empress.

The sultan of Sulu, who died recent
ly of cholera was an interesting char
acter. His mother went to Jolo as a
slave. Her career has been compared
with the rise in power of the dowager
empress of China. She once asked
the Philippine commission for a
poison in order to enable her to pro-
tect her son in the sultanate.
Fo: a salary of $3.50 a month in
Mexican money, equal to about $125
in gold, Mohammed Jamalul Hiram.
the sultan of Sulu, came under the
protection of the American flag. Be
sides this the United States pays $500
a year to his heir and $500 year to
each of his three counselors.
Gen. John c. Bates negotiated the
treaty by which the sultan made him
self and his people subjects of the
United States. To assist in making
the treaty General Bates carried with
him to Sulu $4,000.
Frank G. Carpenter, after recent
visit to the sultan, wrote him as fol-
lows:
Imagine a stocky little fellow of
not over five feet four inches with the
face of a mulatto, slightly potma-ked.
Let him have high receding fore
head large yellow ears and sensual
lips, on the upper one of which is a
thin black moustache. Upon his head
put blue velvet cap about six inches
high and let this be pushed back
from his dark forehead. Let him
seem uncomfortable in a light Euro
pean business suit and white shirt
with turnover collar, fastened with
a collar button.
Watch him as he opens his lips
and notice his teeth are jet black, and
see if you can, the sly, cunning, cruel
look under his apparently dignified
manner. UpSn his hands put rings,
each set with pearls as big as marrow
fat peas and in one of them let him
hold gold-headed cane, and you have
a fair idea of the sultan as he sat be-
fore me not "a hours ago.
He was not prepossessing, and,
indeed, the dattos and servants about
him looked much more imposing than
he. The sultan's brother, Rajah Mu-
da, had great bolo at his side, his
headdress was a turban. He was
clad in the picturesque Moro costume
as were all the men in the room, ex-
cept the foreigners and his majesty
himself
THE present sultan looked to me
very weak, but he is a man of great
power among the Moros, and he could
if he would, cause the United States
no end of trouble. He has been dip
lomatically managed in the first place
by General Bates and of late by Maj.
owen ]. Sweet. He is, you know, the
greatest of our Filipino Mohammed-
ans, being reverenced by them not
only because he is the heir of oval
line of sultans. but also because he
has made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and
Is supposed to have his Mohammedan-
ism direct from the fountain source.
He is the ruler of the Sulu islands
alone of about 10000 Moros, and is
diop inc HCtih vi lllc plolOS vi nv III
BorneO. He has some kind OF author
ity over the Moros of Mindanao. but
is more nominal than real and such
dattos as Mandi and others hardly ac-
lnowledged him.
Here in Sulu he is supposed to
have the power of life and death over
his subjects. His power, is limited, |
however, somewhat like that OF the |
kings in the days of leudalism. Some |
Of the dattos refuse to obey him and |
make war upon him in case his de-
do not suit their ideas and |
plans. He has always moe or less |
trouble with is people, depressing |
hem as far as he can without causing |
rebellion.
"A large part of the income of the
men watch to see which of his sub
ects are making money, and as soon
rs a man gets something ahead he is
,harged with some crime and the re-
ult is a fine.
According to the laws he:e every
Jtdtl 10 lOuuu vi IL Ndiue vi
bout 500 goes to the sultan, and /
I'm told that he has great fortune
n pearls stored away in his barn OF
palace. Just before he went to |
Mecca he sold pearls to the amount
# $4,000. He carried lot of pearls
With him, and during his stay at Sing
pore he was robbed of about 800 900 |
worth of jewelry. Some one broke |
'pen his box one night and stole his
rown rings, some pearls and other |
ewels.
Another source of the royal in |
.ome is the tribute which the sultan |
eceives from the north Borneo com
'any for the lease of the lands about |
This pays him $4,000 a
rear
"The sultan is like Solomon in that |
he has in the neighborhood of12 wives |
n addition to the many other females |
IF his royal harem. His first wife, |
who is princess. has left him on ac-
count Of multiplicity of loves. She |
Hid NOT ohippt IN tho fo,r wivpe urO-