"THE KING OF YVP."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 57, 13 March 1907, Page 4

"THE KING OF YVP."

0 AN ADVENTUROUS SEA CAPTAIN. Some three or four years ago an adventurous sea captain, named O'Keefe, well-known throughout the Far East, was lost, it is supposed, in a typhoon, says an exchange. lie was known by his intimates as "The King of Yap, an island in the South Seas, and lie made periodic voyages in his litf'e schooner from Y.ip to Hongkong w Hi copra, beche-'de-mer, ami other island products. It was during one of tlnw voyages that lie disappeared from Iranian ken. and the supposition is that he was caught in a typhoon, and that his schooner foundered with ail hands. Captain O'Keefe was, it is said, an IrishAmerlean. He was an adventurer of the 18th century type, and many are the yarns told about him. One is that he acquired the island of Yap with its queen, who sub-cqucatlv bore him children. When he died, his legitimate widow and .family appeared from the United States as claimants of his valuable property in the Kai-l-last and in the Smith Sea's. 1-V----though an adventurer, O'Keefe Had succeeded in acquiring a good deal of this world's goods, and lie had some leasehold property m Hongkong, which realised a goodly sum at public miction.

The following paragraph appeared In a Netherland-lndia contemporary: - "Recently an American trader nailed O'Keefe.'li».l in the lVllcw Islands, leaving riches which his heirs are disputing for. From there he used to catrv on trade with the Map a Islands, a. group oil the New (iuinea eoa-t. within the jurisdiction of the Sultan of Tidore. a vassal of Ihe N'cilu Inlands - India (iovernnient. O'Keefe bound the Mapia chiefs to supply him, under contract, with all the copra produced on the islands. "The hold of the Netherlands India Government on the islands is very slight indeed, and is only manifested by occasional visits of men-of-war. On O'Keci'e's death, his contract rights in the islands passed over to his widow, a Filipino, and their children.- The Government have directed that O'Kcefe's contract with the Mapia chiefs should be confirmed to his heirs, on condition that they allow no other foreigners to settle there."