The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-05-13
sAvAeERy OF THE MoRos.
Is Subject to Strange, Murderous Fits of Insanity.

Hamilton Wright. Philippine Corresponds
 ent of Leslie's Weekly.
 The Moro is savage, a primal man,
 Malay. which is branch of one of the oldest stocks of which we know. He is subject, when not under the influence of a self-contained ruler to strange mur- derous fits of insanity. When a Moro, without effort on his part, becomes seized with a desire to murder, he is said to have run amuck," and at such times he will rush wildly, slashing and killing every one he chances to meet. even his own people When. however, he purposely works himself into a religious franzy, 1t
 is with the desire to kill Christians, and, by the faith of the prophet, ascend forth with into paradise. The Moro In this state of passion is said to be juramentado. He has taken a religious oath, perhaps ad- ministered by some sacred hadji who had duly made his pilgrimage to Mecca; he has bound himself up so that he suffers excruciatlng agonies, and through physical suffering is reduced to a nervous frenzy
 Having once taken the oath, the Moro iurafnentado Is doomed to slay until at last he himself is slain Here in Jolo, since the American occupation, man went juramentado while the American band was playing on the plaza. In shoot ing the Moro, who had mingled with the
 
 and a musician who was playing the trom- bone had his instrument perforated Tn several places. A Spanish general, who was troubled by having his soldiers Killed by juramentados. about twenty years ago, shelled the residence of the Sultan with field guns. The Sultan. who was absent at the time of the smelling, rushed Into Jolo. saying: General your soldiers are killing my people; stop them" 'I cannot stop them. as they have gone juramen- tado," replied the general. He had no more trouble with juramentados.
 The Moro is a Mohammedan. but he has perverted the Mohammedan belief until al times it is a weird. grotesque and terri ble religion. In the heart of the Moro there is no fear of death it is to him but an incident of life, and his belief as he has fashioned it. is that he who dies in battle is eleansed from sin and goes i straight to the bosoms of the houris in paradise. The Moro's idea of gov ernment is force; be kind to him he
 thinks you fear him. His world Is ruled by fear. not love. He mas no definite comprehension of abstract principles of government, nor does he appreciate an absent government. His | allegiance Is personal and 1t is paid to the datto or American officer with whom he comes in daily contact. This disposition to personal allegiance has been handed down to him through legions of dattos, or feudal chieftains. Until the American oc- cupation. these dattos were continually at war with each other and 1t Is largely through this lack of unity that the Moros never subjugated much of the territory beyond the country in which they lived. Their wars with the Filipinos, the peace able Christian tribes who live hundreds of miles to the north. were confined to acts of piracy and rading. His religion, as set forth in the Koran, tells the Moro he must obey without question his duly constituted superiors. But the Moro is l impressionable. and under rigid personal leadership makes faithful servant. For
 this reason the Moros of the island Of Mindanao. who have been thoroughly con- quered and subjugated, will make and are making excellent citizens, while the Moros | of the little island of Sulu. never having l been whipped by the Spaniards knew no l law but that of their dattos. Under bad dattos they are bad men, and under good dattos they may be good men. These men were a bad lot, and it is unfair to judge | the average Moro by them.