The San Francisco call., 1906-06-08
BR|T|SHER
IS 4 RULER
IN BORNEO
Rajah Brook Is Absolute
Monarch Over Vast
Territory.
Keeps Turbulent Tribes
in Check Without
an Army.
Missionary Comes on the
Copitc From Land Of
Head-Hunters.

The name Of Ra5ah Brook does not
appear in any Official list of the worlds
rulers and yet, according to a mission
ary who arrived yesterday on the liner
Coptic, the ra5ah is absolute monarch
over kingdom which in extent makes
some Of the little old world monarchies
look like suburban lots
The missionary is J. NJ. Hoover, who
with has wife. is returning from Bor-
neo, where for three years he has been
Il charge OF an agricultural colony in
the land OF the headhunters. The col
ony IS situated at Sarawak. where
about 1000 Christianized Chinese are
being taught farming on scientific
lines. They are raising rubber, rice
and other crops in a land of wonderful
fruitfulness It is of the man who rules
this land and who advanced $50. 900
TO the missionaries TO aid their coloni-
Z2tlon scheme that Mr.. Hoover tells a
story that makes ordinary fiction seem
tame.
Sir Charles Brook, or Ra5ah Brook,
is an Englishman, and is now 70 years
old. The rajah owns, controls and
rules with a rod of iron $4,000 square
miles Of territory, including rivers big
as the Mississippi, mountains rich IN
precious ores, an agricultural country
that has no equal ia the world and nu-
merous tribes Of murder-lovin saw
ages. The rajah, for many years ab-
solutely Independent, now enjoys Brit
ish protection, but pays no tribute 10
King Edward.
KINGDOM FOR HIS VALOR.
Sir Charles Brook in his young days
was an officer in the British army. He
was wounded in an engagement in In
oia and while invalided home fell heir
70 q small estate. He surrendered his
commission and bought and fitted out a
yacht He engaged twenty men to ac-
company him. and went forth in search
OF a kingdom. He had his eye on Singa-
pore, but found that England had an
ucipated him. He paid his first visit
10 BOrneo in 1870. He found the ruling
raJah in distress. The Dyaks, or head
hunters, his subjects had risen in re-
bellion and had the raJah besieged at
Kuching, his capital.
Brook landed a few guns and speed
ily stampeded the rebels. who were
then unscquainted with anything in the
line OF artillery. The rajah was CRATE
ful and showered thanks and gifts
upon his rescuer, who took his depart
ure and continued his voyage in search
OF fresh adventures.
He returned a year later TO find the
rajah again besieged. The rescue act
was repeated. This time the rajah con-
nded TO Brook that he was tired of the
King business and if Brook was will
ing he would turn over his kingdom
10 the Englishman.
ENGLAND TRIES TO GRAB.
Brook was willing and from that day
70 this has ruled as rajah. About
twenty years ago the British Govern
ment awoke TO the fact that Ra1ah
Brooks kingdom was a very desirable
stretch Of territory. A British gunboat
made cali and carried Brook away
70 singapore, a prisoner. He was
charged with having stolen the king
dom from the former rajah Brook
was tried and acquitted. He returned
70 Borneo a bigger man than ever.
There is no red tape in Rajah
Brooks territory. The raJah is the
law and he dispenses justice with even
handed readiness. His subjects are
warning tribes OF headhunters and in
handling them the rajah displays the
sagacity OF q Solomon. In the first
place his law absolutely forbids indis-
criminate headhunting. Infrsctions Of
this law he has punished with such
severity that he now controls the pas
time and makes use of what other
Kings might consider an undesirable
practice TO save him the expense of a
standing army.
Headhunting with the Dyaks is part
Of their religion. No girl in Borneo
VIII marry a youth who cannot show al
least one sun-cured head. severed by
HIM from the neck of some felloW-citi-
zen. II you have not chopped of a head
you rank, in Borno, with the women. To
the Dyak every head represents a slave
in the life TO come, and it is every
Dyak's ambition to have a large retinue
Of attendants in heaven.
HEADHUNTING CHAMPIONSHIP.
According to the Dyak code, the
heads vary in value according to the
danger involved in securing them. A
child's head is most valuable for the
reason that 10 get il the headhunteT
must fight his way into some home, the