The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1910-09-23


HN riously from a boat
founder helplessly and
sink to the bottom. Lieut.. Edward Y.
Miller, the governor of the most out
lying of all Uncle Sans territory, and
the inspired uplifter of its people, has
been drowned in the course of duty
and where is the man who will be able
to fill his place?
This is the question that is facing
the Filipino government and the Blu
reau of Insular Affairs. This is the
question that is bringing to light a
piece of work that has been carried
forward in the wilds of the great East
plishment as the most fanciful yarn
ever spun by the imagination.
For Lieut.. Miller, U. S. A, has for
eight years been absolutely ruler over
$4,000 people; wild, barbaric, unchris-
ton. He has single-handed brought
peace to those people in the place OF
continuous warfare. He has repealed
the Moro pirates in many pitched bat
ties, armed and drilled his natives and
made his coasts a place to be Stunned
of all else by these gypsies of the sea.
Yet Miller died i~ngloriously a month
ago from falling overheard from a
boat in the still waters of an inland
stream. The Moros have learned of
the nature of his death in such a sim
pie emergency that any mere native
Mould Haro haan ah1o RI couo hin1Cn1f
The fear of him and his kind has con
sequently vanished and the Moros are
again at war.
Dean C.. Worcester, American sec
rotary of the interior for the Philip
pines, came a little later into Palawan
to inaugurate Emergency Governor
Evans, was attacked by the Moros and
much blood has been shed. All IS
chaos in Palawan, where peace has
reigned for six years. The insular bu-
reau and the provisional government is
looking the 80, 900, 600 over for a mar
who can fill the place Of the dead
governor-king, but with little hope of
success.
All of which leads to the story of
Lieutenant Miller. He was at the
time of his death a member of the
Twenty-ninth Infantry, but had never
seen that regiment and was unknown
to it's officers. This because of the
fact that he had been, since the time
Of his appointment, on detached duty
as governor of Palawan. At the
breaking out of the Spanish-American
war he had been an officer in the Chi
cago militia and had enlisted. His
service was with the Fifth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry and had first taken
him to Porto Rico and later to the
Philippines. He served in the outly-
ing southern provinces and his supe-
riOrs soon recognized his genius for
getting along with the natives. Be-
cause of it he received his appoint
ment in the regular army and his de-
tached detail.
Lieutenant Miller was but "a years
a soldiers sweetheart behind him In
Illinois and when he received the
permanent detail the sweetheart came
into the wilds to him and they were
married. All the years between then
and now Mrs. Miller has spent at the
side of her husband, and hand in hand
they have sought to lead the way for
their charges from the darkness of
barbarism to the light Of civilization
and to better living. They have left
behind a monument of accomplish
ment that is perhaps unequaled In the
history Of SO small a force working
for the uplift.
Palawan is the very outpost of the
Philippines. 1t lies in that great reach
OF the island that runs out to the
southeast, two days journey nearly to
Borneo, and separates the China Sea
from Sulu Sea. 1t is a strip of land %
miles wide and 275 miles long. Tim
bered mountains store the moisture
which makes it's valleys perenniallv |
fertile. Its long coast line offers It,
self to the spoliation of the Moro
pirates, who have swarmed tbroupb
these waters for centuries and have
preyed continuously upon their ma
tives. The mountain people and those
of the valleys are wild but sweet na-
tured and simple. They are the Tag.
banos. good-natured wanderers. for
whom much hope is expressed. Yet |
all was chaos, and wal never ceased
In the old days.
1t was into these conditions that
Miller brought his young
wife. The men of the army protested
against such exposure, but the young
officer believed that he knew the ma.
better than they and that he
was safe with them. He established
himself at Puerto Princesa, which had
once been a Spanish town of some i'm.
portance, but had become a deserted
city of the south cas- Here he made
his capital and here he began his
work with the natives.
Soon he was able to muster a num-
Der of chosen young natives into ri
militia organization. These he sup