Lieutenant Governor of Bontoc

This chapter focuses on John Early's appointment as lieutenant governor of Bontoc, arguably Mountain Province's most important subprovince. As Bontoc's previous teacher, Early knew the place and garnered praise from its inhabitants. He had built its brick buildings and established an education system that reached Bontoc's most remote areas. Early's initial impression of his new station was captured in one sentence: “The Bontoc to which I had returned after fourteen months' absence was not the Bontoc I left.” The town was now a city filled with new faces, both foreign and domestic. It also housed the province's three officers, including William F. Pack, Samuel Kane, and Charles Olson. This logistical arrangement meant that Early had to carefully navigate his subprovincial authority with that of the provincial governor, treasurer, and supervisor. Early reported to these officials, and each one had a story behind their rise to provincial officialdom.