Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-20

deep and such a walk is sure to leave
you in state of astonishment ana
wonder at finding such a perfect gem
of town in such an out-of-the-way
place.
There are water works and excel
lent stone cutters, and the town, UNI
like most towns, has no poor quarters,
but is everywhere uniformly clean and
excellently built. We heard the Won
derful stories of Gen. Arolas, the
Spaniard whose energy had trans
formed this lonely tropical beach into
such a place of comfort and beauty
AS l have mentioned before, Arolas
was sent to Jolo because the Spanish
government wanted to get rid of him.
Spain had made the island a penal col
ony and was shipping her 'deporta-
dos from the north down to the Sulus
The population consequently was made
up of four classes; first the Moros
who hated the Spanlards because of
their religion; second, a riffraff of
Egyptian and Arabian renegades who
had swarmed around the Mohamme-
dan rulers of the island, on the
strength of their religion: third, the
worst element of TAgalo criminals. and
fourth and finally, the little Spanish
garrison.
Gov. Arolas determined that If he
had to stay there he would make it as
PHEASANT DIS possible. 90 ne pldIlIeu d
town with all modern conveniences-
parks, avenues, a plaza, big market
place, forts, blockhouses a war and
commissary department, a government
house, a pier fine hospital water
works, barracks, a mission house, a
church, schools for the children, cafes
and broad palm-lined avenues lead
ing beyond the walls to the outlying
| blockhouses and fort. In short, he de-
termined to make city worth while.
Tradition says that he was just and
also that, when imposed upon, he was
as merciless as a Spaniard can be,
Those who were square were treated
WELL while those who weren't square
were promptly shot. Under these con-
ditions he succeeded where the other
ninety-nine men would not have sue
ceeded. Labor was cheap. He made
the convicts do the work, and knowing
the man as they did there was no re-
belling. Where he got the money from
don't know, but Spanish officers did
not usually find 1t difficult to get money
if there are people under their jurisdic-
ton who have any. In the course of a
few years he had his town completed
down to every detail, and so wisely did
he build that Jolo, instead of being the
fever bed that it once was, is now one
of the most healthful of places.
Subdues Moros
when the Moros grew troublesome
he started out and whipped them, and
he did this so successfully that the sui
tan became afraid of him, and during
the last years of Arola's rule there was
comparatively little trouble. Occasion
ally juramentado, who is a native
who has taken an oath to kill Chris
tians, would come down from the hills
enter the town with his weapon con-
cealed and then start in on his mission
of death and do a little killing, until
finally Arolas became exasperated and
told the sultan that he was getting
tired of it and that 1t must STOP The
sultan responded that he would try to
stop it, but it might be beyond his
power to do so. However, he would
promise to send Arolas word of warn
ing if he heard of any of his subjects
going 'juramentao' or running 'amuck ,
lone day a few more zealots shaved
off their eyebrows. put on their white
clothes, went before a hadji and took
the oath to die killing Christians
Then they came down to Jolo and left
crimson trail behind them during
their brief but exciting crusade. The
following day the governor received a
note from the sultan warning him that
some of his subjects had run amuck
and for him to prepare for them The
next day a Spanish gunboat and a
battalion of Spanish soldiers started
out and blew two or three Moro viii
| lagos off the face of the earth, together
with a considerable number of the sui
| tan's subjects. The sultan was thun-
derstruck until he received a polite
note from Gen. Arolas telling him that
one Spanish gunboat and a battalion
of infantry had run amuck and advis-
| ing the sultan to prepare for them.
| These are only a few of the many
stories we were told of Gen. Arolas.
1.-The next day after our arrival our
regimental band began learning to
play the Spanish national air, for pre-
vious to this occasion it had not been
a necessary number in their repertory
| At $3.50 p. m. we were drawn up facing
the governors headquarters, where the
Spanish flag still tapped at it's staff
The Spanish flag was hauled down
while the band played the Spanish
national air. while out in the harbor
the United States gunboat Helena
which had arrived in the forenoon
fired salute to the red and yellow
flag. Then when the band swung into
the stirring bars of The Star Spangled
Banner the Stars and Stripes were
hoisted on the staff where the Spanish
| flag had so long been flying, the Hell
ena's guns Numbered a salute to the
new dominion and Spanish and Amer
lean soldiers alike came to a rigid at
tention. With these simple and brief
formalities Spain surrendered her sway
in the sultan's lands and handed over
to the Americans her load of trouble
and strife.
na&fa. Dill AL~-k.L