Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-01

tent1onS he had received the governor gen.
eral requested Ferdinand, before his de-
parture, to write letter to Muhamad
Amirubdin. the most formidable datto on
the Island of Minda4a0, urging the latter
to submit to Spanish authority ana accept
Christianity as he himself had done. The
original, written by the governor general in
Spanish was promptly signed by Ferdi-
nand. who nclosed what he said with a
translation into the native dialect for the
benefit of the datto, who could not read
any other language. Both documents were
sent together to the datto by the hands of
a Spanish military officer. He took the
trouble to have the copy In the native dia-
lect translated. and found, to his astonish-
ment that it was not a translation of the
original prepared by the governor general,
but read follows
Il shall be glad to know that the Sultan
Muhamad Amirubdin and all his chiefs,
men and women, are we'll. i do not write
a lengthy letter, as l intended, because L
simply wish to give you to understand, in
case the sultan or his chiefs and others
should feel aggrieved at my writing this
letter in this manner. that / do so under
pressure, being under foreign dominion and
I am compelled to obey whatever they tell
me to do and l have to say what they tell
me to say. Thus the governor has ordered
me to write to you in our style and Ian
guage; therefore do not understand that L
am writing you on my own behalf, but be-
cause 1 am ordered to do so, and l have
nothing more to add. Written in the year
1884 the ninth day of the Rabilajer
Moon. Ferdinand 1, King of Sulu, who seals
with his own seal"
The Sultan Punished.
The pious and trustful governor general
was shocked at the discovery; he pro-
nounced Ferdinand an migrate hypocrite
and traitor. and declared his letter to be
clearly reasonable and evidence of a de-
sign on his part to apostatize and throw
off his allegiance to Spain. So he ordered
the officers to arrest his distinguished con-
vert and all his family and bring them
forthwith to Manila. The prisoners, be-
sides the sultan, were the following:
Four sons of the sultan Prince Asin. his
brother; Princess Panguian his sister
Prince Mustafa, his sOn-in-law; four prin-
cesses. his daughters; thirty-two wives and
concubines, five brothers-in-law, seven Mus
sulmen priests, two dattos, Cherif and va
mudin, and 100 men and women servants
and retainers.
The governor general prepared an indict-
ment against the sultan, based upon the
following counts:
1. That he had not surrendered his Chris
tain captves as he had promised to do, but
still held them in slavery.
2. That while the sultan was in Manila
protesting loyalty to the Spanish throne
and adherence to the Christian religion,
new captives were being made by his peo-
pie.
g. That he had collected arms and ammu-
milton.
f. That his letter to Amirubdin was trea-
Sonable
g. That several Malsommedan books, but
no Christian booksoEene found in the sui
tas baggage That he he had dis
general had presented him:
6. That during hfS Joorney he prayed as
usual in Mahomspsdan manner. and not
after the manner ofsfha Christians:
on shipboard. sacrificing a goat, and had
given evidence in MANY other ways that
his profession of Christianity was false and
hyprocritical .s.,
was reasonable, and that he had expressed
contempt for the Sp4Mards
8. That he still cOhabited with his con-
cubines. cy *s
The sultan and hisOsuite were thrown into
prison in Fort Santiago, and In decree
dated Manila, Decemher 81, 1851, ordered
the determination Of alb Mahommedans in
the Philippine IslanasnWho would not ac-
cept Christianity. An expedition was fitted
out with authority to Garry out these orders
with fire and sword, to exterminate the
infidels to destroy their homes, their crops
and to recover their Christian slaves. All
the Moros who were willing to accept
Christianity and be baptized We're exempt
from these PENALTIES and from the payment
of tribute and taxes.
Unsuccessful Attack on the Moros.
A fleet of ships carrying a large arma-
ment and 900 men proceeded to Sulu. but
the campaign was fiasco. The Moros
PROMPTLY retaliated with an energetic
guerilla warfare by sea and by land raw
aged every coast of the archipelago They
massacred the commahuer OF the expedi-
ton and nearly all his men. and lured his
ships upon the rocks and reefs.
In the meantime the sultan and his enor-
nous retinue were retained as prisoners in
the fortress of Santiago where the British
III q oil nj