Samuel Kaboo Morris
Samuel Kaboo Morris (1873 - May 12, 1893) was a Liberian prince who converted to
Christianity while around age 14. At around age 18, he left Liberia for the
United States to achieve an education and arrived at Taylor University in
December 1891. He died in 1893 from complications of respiratory infection.
Morris's life has been the subject of five novels, over a dozen biographies, a
1954 film, and a 1988 documentary. Taylor University has named numerous
buildings, scholarships, and a society in his honor.
One of the most amazing stories from the story of Samuel Morris's life is his
escape from the Grebos; another tribe in the interior of Liberia. His tribe (the
Kru) was attacked by the Grebos one day and Kaboo (his name was changed to
Samuel Morris later) was captured. He was used as a "pawn", meaning the Kru
would have to bring the Grebos a present each month if they wanted to see their
prince again. His father the chief came each time but what he brought was never
enough. Kaboo was beat badly with thorns that made his back burn (being
poisonous). Finally the Kru could bring no more and Kaboo was beat everyday. The
Grebo cheif would send another one of their slaves to the crew village once in a
while to tell them what he saw. Kaboo realized that he would die if this
continued, the Grebos already had a cruel fate planned for him. He would be
buried up to his neck with honey on his face, then driver ants would eat his
flesh. One night there was a flash of light and a voice telling Kaboo to flee.
His ropes fell off and his sick body gained strength. He ran off into the jungle
were he wandered for days living off such things as snails and mangos until he
came to a coffee plantation owned by a former slave. The slave had come to
Liberia and was a Christian. Kaboo worked there with another boy from his
village before coming to America. His motavation to come to America was learning
more about God and the Holy Spirit. One of the missionaries there told him all
she knew. Sammy asked who it was that taught her. She told him it was a man in
New York named Stephen Merrit. He decided he would go to New York to find this
man. As he walked to the shore he prayed that there would be a boat there that
could take him. There was a ship there called a tramp ship. The crew of this
ship made money by trading. It was very profitable for them because natives
often sold goods for useless trinkets. God told Sammy that the captain would
take him to America. When Sammy asked the captain refused at first. Later on two
of his crew members ran of leaving the captain short-handed. He accepted Sammy
onboard taking him for an unemployed sailor.
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Below is Samuel Morris, or Kaboo's story based on his own account.
Pay or Sammy Suffers!
The year: 1872
The place: My native country of Liberia, in Africa
"You must pay if you want peace," threatened the enemy chief. "We will pay,"
thundered my father, "We will pay." As the oldest son, I was taken as a hostage
until my father, also a tribal chief, could pay off the war debts. Each month,
my father brought gifts to the enemy chief, but they were never enough. The
chief beat me daily with a poisonous, thorny vine he used as a whip. The
poisonous thorns infected the wounds on my back, making me sick with chills and
a fever.
A Bright Light and Broken Knots
After many whippings, I was so weak, I could no longer stand. I was tied to a
wooden cross to be beaten. My captors planned to bury me alive if my father
didn't bring enough goods next time. I actually began to look forward to death.
At least I would be released me from this unbearable pain. As I hung over the
grave they had dug, I could feel myself slowly dying. Then suddenly a bright
light appeared over me! The ropes miraculously fell off my hands and feet! I
heard a voice call my name, and it told me to run! All of a sudden, I felt
strong. I ran as fast as I could into the jungle and hid in a hollow tree until
night came. I now had time to think about what had happened. What caused the
bright light? Who had spoken to me? How did I become strong so quickly? I didn't
have any answers, but I knew I must run far away. If I returned to my father,
the enemy chief would kill my entire tribe.
As I stepped out of the hollow tree into the darkness, I was amazed--the bright
light that shone on me earlier was still there. It guided me through the night.
After walking for many days, I came to a farm. A young worker greeted me and
took me to his boss. The boss gave me clothes to wear and a job. I noticed there
was something different about the young farm worker. I often saw him kneeling on
the floor. He told me he was praying to God, his Father in heaven. He invited me
to go to church with him. I went and found the presence of God there. It all
began to make sense to me. I now know it was Jesus who saved me from my captors.
Jesus was the light who guided me through the jungle and to my new home!
As I began to learn more about Jesus, I asked him to be my Savior. After I was
baptized, an American missionary who was teaching me gave me a new Christian
name: Samuel Morris.
It Really Did Happen
I know my story about the bright light seems impossible, but many months later I
met a young boy who had been a slave of the enemy chief at the time I was a
hostage. He said, "We did not know what had happened to you. We saw the bright
light flash over you. We heard someone call your name, and then you were gone."
After I told him about the miracle, he became a Christian, too.
Nothing Stops God Taking Me to America
I had so many questions. I was hungry to know more about God. I decided to go to
America to study and learn. I went to the African coast and found a ship headed
to America. The ship's captain refused to let me on board. I asked God to change
his heart, and he did! One of his sailors became very sick. The captain let me
take his job, assuming that I knew how to sail, but I didn't. When he and the
sailors drank too much, they treated me very badly. One man even tried to kill
me. But I showed them God's love. Over the months at sea, many of them,
including the captain, became Christians. A ship, once so full of hatred and
drunkenness, became a vessel of love and unity in Christ.
America Warms to Sammy Morris
We arrived in New York City, and I spent many months with Stephen Merritt, a man
the missionaries said could teach me more. My desire to know God better helped
stir the hearts of the men at the homeless mission that Stephen operated. Many
of them became Christians. Stephen later urged me to go to Taylor University, in
Fort Wayne, Indiana. Even though the University was having hard times, the dean
felt that God wanted me to come. God used my desire to know him better to start
a spiritual revival in the town, after a local newspaper printed a story about
an all-night prayer service we had. It also included the story of my capture and
conversion to Christianity. The name Samuel Morris became known in almost every
home in Fort Wayne. So many donations came in to the "Samuel Faith Fund" that
the university began to grow. (The fund helped other needy students, too.)
PostScript
Samuel often became sick because of the cold Indiana climate that he was not
used to. He asked God to heal him, but Samuel's work on earth was done. He died
just five years after coming to America. But the story doesn't end there. God
used Samuel's simple faith and strong prayer life in a mighty way. Many students
took the Gospel that Samuel understood so well back to Africa and even around
the world. Taylor University is still sending out missionaries today, thanks in
part to the faith of a young African man named Samuel Morris.