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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1908)
5 U) a: 4 7" QLO is, perhaps, the most inter- unrig, uf mc mum vf 'JwmJ ttAici orm iff Sulu archi pelago of the Philippines," urote' a recent ' visitor. "This, because of its historical as sociations, because it is the residence of the sultan, and because here one steps suddenly into a warlike atmosphere. "Life in Joo is not always the peaceful 'dream of the tropical Orient. One never knows when a religious fanatic, running amuck, will slip a sharp baron g into him. Indeed, Jolo is now, perhaps, the one place wider the flag where murder is a religious rite' Natural pirates, too, are the Moros of the archipelago. They delight in traditions of the time when their Malay ancestors set out in their war praus to conquer the m(i tude of islands in the South Seas and to scour the waters for prey. One of the frst tasks of the United States authorities was to ore an up me system or slavery mat naa 'flourished there from earliest times. Born to warfare and inheriting hatred of Christians, the Mohammedan Moros do I not tane Kinuty fu inc ran uinu v western ' civilization.' At any time a juramentada, or religious fanatic, is apt to be seized with ' a murderous, craze. SOLDIERS and foreigners in many parts 4 of Jolo go armed. They wish to be ready should a crazed juramentada make them tho object of attack. As a rule, the juramentada becomes wrought to a remarkable frenzy. When one breaks loose the people of " the community arm themselves and hunt hid down as they would a dangerous wild beast. j "One is. constantly greeted," said the trav eler quoted above, "with the sight of a lot of men' going: about with big .pistols strapped to them.v I-met-Bomo soldiers returning . from a plunge- in the . aurf . They worc-only bathing Kuite, but each man carried lis revolver in his hand." .rK -r;-s " t , VT Xr?1??- wentJriiiJUtned. under the , priestly -ministrations .to-determine Wnen a Moro becomes sufficiently inflamed upon a juramentada career, he formally an- nounoes his purpose. The word juramentada pronooncea s nooramentada" ig Spanish land means "vowed ones," the to win. question being to die killing Christians. -9: ; ; r ; Having announced- his 'desire to take the required vow before.his priest the fanatic ie votes three days to ablutious--this -in itself' be inc. a" 6U?picioTis thintf. "Thn' b b H on. trow? feharfd off, puts on his best clothes, usn- monies..-,,". THE OREGON : ' SUNDAY" JOURNAli : PORTLAWD. SUNDAYV I A'''" v 7 ' ' lf 1JS",' mll -rv - - . t I V ' " - ' -, 1 , 1 $ i in, 1 1"" 'jut 1 11 ,1. ill... 11,11..., i.ii i. i "Vs JB 4 , o J?kf& llaving' already arranged his worldly affairs, he may spend a few.days working himself up to a white heat of murderous frenzy. Then,, some fine morning, armed with the sharpest weapon he, can-lay -bands on,, be bounds into a village. 'Charging through the streets, cutting right and left, he keeps on his desperate way until some one kills him. Under the. Spanish rule the juramentada was much more in evidence than now. Many a Spaniard seated, quietly in front of his house, . his place of business or a cafe, has had his head - ripped from' his shoulders by a charging Moro ' before he was aware that danger was .approach- -ing. .- . ; : When General Arolas became Governor of Jolo or Sulu jhe made a determined effort, to -prevent this religious slaughter, which was such menace not only to his countrymen, but to-all .other, foreigners. He-issued an order that all Moros must be disanoed before . -leing permitted to- enter ia nw tW Viin-i;. ' ' . wA.dead Jine,was established. Outside each, ' gate was, oompanyoi, soldiers under orders to , passedA, package of v cigarettes- around t as; ann ehoot.to kiU every: Mora who did not give-up '.eyidence of' peace. and good wilL. - , ; " i tf y'-lk- iw ' ' . '-'' ; SeveMl' of the- soldiers set their guns down ' ;of w w : we;""" 3uramen-;.; in:0rder,to light their -cigarettes. Instantly the. feJf8 run amuck and Moro sprang upon them, killed two .or three'and 1 ,8lfUfKeLIr their path. Vv.wounded-otherjdeBperately before he could. be! i w Un one v occasion a. lloro entprpA u.'MWn : .v . ..,,(-,., . s . . .. - ........ .. . ,. . . . . . ' ; objection. He iwan known to the it-Tiiitf ma weapon, aixne gate witncfut making-. ' soldi h feW -Jjl'il IV iff At ' 4 4 t i. A little. Jaier ha ..returned vand claimed his- YiQ rrn er . "WKon it..- vi .rpfnmpH In ViJttv - Via i:- .BUVfc'UUWU. .'Nature iseepis .'to hae implatfted in these suiuters as a -neoDle thn rtjintn for hlood.-. J hov aw Iwvrn fighf.' J- . m 1 ' ' 1 Ftnont In fhn wilder r.nrta of ha ornhi MORNING.' MAY 3, VJ3 i ! 1 1 Vr f . F 1 . 4T ? .-1 .'w . .ii"-.-.I'.-i(.- $..r.J-SnF i in - re 1- 1 f ' 1 rx .I" ii V -A i 1 4 K jv 'Tfc ..-- .v 1 j.j (.. Being Mohammedans of a peculiarly fanat ical Bort, they have long been imbued with the idea that the killing of Christians ridding the earth of their hateful presence insures admis sion to heaven. ; The greater the number of "unbelievers" slain, the'higherthey think, will be the slayer's seat upon' the' steps of the heavenly throne. , When the Spaniards discovered the Philip pines, some 400 years ago, they found the Moros occupying, as now, about nlnctyisjands south of Mindanao, the large southern island of the Phil ippine group, and stretching far away toward Borneo. v Not so very long before, it seemed, a large tribe of Malays from Borneo had made their way into the Sulu islands-a people so fierce and warlike in disposition, so bold and daring in action, that, for centuries thereafter, they defied the power of Spain and made that part of the Philippines a very uncomfortable place for the Europeans. Any kind of work except that connected with his profession as a warrior is distasteful to the average Moto. lie expects to find all his phys ical wants supplied by his wives they were looked after largely, by his slaves as long as he was permitted to have them. Much to the disgust of the Moros, the Amer icans have done away with slavery. Formerly, for failure to pay a debt as low as $2.50 gold, both a man and his family could be enslaved. It.was a Maro practice, , running back for hundreds, of years. At one time, .it was esti mated that nearly 10,000. Filipinos were held in slavery on the island of Jolo," Until some-, time in the sixties, when a fleet of steam," gunboats broke up the practice, the Moros were given greatly to' piracy on the high seas. Even now they are not averse to any dep redations they may carry on in the waters about their -island homes. .. , r . Their,praus, or boats, are neatly carved from logs, are sharp at both ends, and can be sent through the water at great speed. Bamboo out riggers prevent them from sinking, i Moro lads begin their education early it is an education of arms. They practice constantly with the shield, the campihu, a kind of "Bword; the barong, w.hich is .used for close conflict and is the favorite weapon of the juramentada ; and the kris, which is for thrusting and cutting A Moro, as a rule, becomes so expert in the use of the .barong that. he can decapitate a man at a single stroke. - On the water these people use a kind of as segai, called "bagsacay," or "simbilin," which is about half an.' inch in diameter, with a sharp point. , Some of the more expert can throw four of these at a time, making them spread out in their flight -. Very, skilful do .the Moros become in the manufacture, of their weapons.. Blades of their knives are as finely' tempered and as sharp as a - Damascus blade. Their : homes are armories. Within ; the last few .years a number of Moros have come into the possession of firearms. "The innate cruelty of the Mojjos," stated a Filipino 'writer shortly . after - American", oecu .pancy of 'the . archipelago, "is shown in their . dealings . with the savage tribes of Mindanao, ; whose men they-hunt' with murderous zeal. ;u ',' - " "The title -of bagani' gives its holder the f right to wear a" scarlet' turban and makes him eligible to the' office of chief. But to obtain this : title the aspirant must have cut off sixty human heads: i ? '.-'-;,' -vy - ' :: ."These are', sought from' the , savage iMan-' dayas of( the interior, Iwho are pursued, remorse lessly thro'ughthe deep .forests. . They build their .huts high up in ithe -trees and defend themselves . -with "stones. '. . . t' "The ' Moros seek. te' bring them down by ; shooting burning arrows at the huts. " If these ' i Ail; they climb.the trees, with their shields lockr .;' ed above their ,h'eads, and cut down the posts that support the huts. --(.The 'captives are then divided," the heads' of the men are cut off and the women and children held as slaves. A5 - rKiV.- 3 r 1 ' - : . ws ;exPeca Jrom mm. . , : ;r -vweapons-seldom' leave theirbdts exccpt'forusev , ... . "- ' " .- ' ' "' " . -. :' " v"i '.'.'."- - , v
