Samuel Kaboo Morris (1873 – May 12, 1893) was a Liberian prince who converted to evangelical

Christianity around the age of 14. Around age 18, he left Liberia for the United States to achieve an
education and arrived at Taylor University in December 1891. There is now a residence hall at Taylor
University bearing his name. He died in 1893 from complications of a respiratory infection.

Samuel Kaboo Morris was born in Liberia, in 1873. Little is recorded of his early life. Kaboo was a prince
in the Kru tribe. When he was 14 years old, his tribe,(the Kru) was attacked by the Grebos. Kaboo was
captured and used as a "pawn". The Grebos forced the Kru to pay each month in order to be able to see
Kaboo and ensure his safety. Kaboo's father, the chief, came each time but the Grebos consistently
refused what he brought. Finally, the Kru could bring no more and Kaboo began to be tortured every
day. During one of his beatings, there was a flash of light and a voice told Kaboo to flee. The ropes which
bound him fell off and his sick body gained strength. He fled to the jungle, where he wandered for days
living off snails and mangos until he came to a coffee plantation. Kaboo began to work for the owner of
the plantation, and a former slave who had come to Liberia. While living on the plantation, he began to
attend church where he was taught by missionaries. After hearing the Biblical narrative of Saul's
conversion, where a man encountered a blinding light, Kaboo converted to Christianity. He was
baptized, and took the name Samuel Morris, after a mentor of one of the missionaries. Morris was
motivated to travel to America as he learned more about the Christian God whom he had encountered.
The missionaries told him about Stephen Merritt, a christian teacher in New York. Morris declared "I am
going to New York." After waiting at the docks for several days, Morris eventually found passage on a
ship to New York in exchange for work. On board, he was abused and beaten again, but he endured with
patience and forgiveness. The crew saw Morris pray frequently, even during dangerous storms. Their
curiosity piqued by the profound peace that Morris exuded, the crew were attracted to Christianity.
Many converted, and by the end of the five-month journey across the Atlantic, the crew was radically
different.

In the States, Morris found Stephen Merritt. Impressed by his anointing and confidence, Merritt invited
Morris to stay at his house. In a time where racism against Africans was widely accepted, the community
which encountered Morris instead saw that God was working in him and created the Samuel Morris
Missionary Society to collect funds to send Morris to college so he could study the Bible. He enrolled at
Taylor University, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While at Taylor University, Morris encouraged many people in
their faith. Students frequently asked to pray with him. People from around the world would come to
hear him speak. He was known to spend hours in prayer with God, from late at night to early in the
morning. Newspapers printed stories of "the boy from Africa who was charging Fort Wayne with the
electric power of God". Morris was an active member of Berry Street Methodist Episcopal Church and
regularly attended East Wayne Street Methodist Episcopal Church.

Morris desired to be educated in Biblical literature in order to return to Liberia as a missionary.

However, late in 1892, he suffered a case of pneumonia that would eventually end his life.
Samuel is reported to have said, “It is not my work [to go to Liberia]. It is His. I have finished my
job. He will send others better than I to do the work in Africa.”[1] On May 12, 1893, at
approximately 20 years of age, Samuel Morris, died. Fellow students served as pallbearers at his
funeral. After his funeral, many of them said they felt led to go to Africa to be missionaries in
Samuel's place. At the time, it was customary to bury blacks in the "Negro" section of the
cemetery. However, Samuel's body was later moved to the center of the cemetery, linking
blacks and whites in death like he did in life. A memorial is placed at his gravesite that reads:

Samuel Morris

1873-1893

Prince Kaboo

Native of West Africa

Apostle of Simple Faith

Exponent of the Spirit-filled life

Student at Taylor University 1892-3

Fort Wayne, now located at Upland,

Indiana. The story of his life

a vital contribution to the

development of Taylor University.

The erection of this memorial

was sponsored by the 1928 class

Taylor University and funds

were contributed by Fort Wayne

citizens.[2]

Quotes from Samuel Morris.... RELIGION has it's joys and crosses; you love joys but you draw
back from crosses. However, you must take both of them to become strong, healthy Christian.

Bread is one thing, a stone is another thing

In Africa they show me a stone and they say there is gold in it.

Gold means much money and buy lots of barrels of flour to bake bread

Now when am hungry i do not eat the stone i must have the bread.

So is this thing true of my soul.

When i find the bread of life ''Jesus''

i do not need anymore the things of the world

they are the stone i cannot eat

but i can eat the bread of life

and this i have for all of the time

This is what john said for Jesus... ''God is a spirit now, Jesus is god the son and this is the bread
of life and we eat it and are filled''

You have heard of missionaries who went to Africa to tell the people about Jesus. But did you
know that in the late 1800s an African man came to our country and showed Americans the
love of Jesus?

His name was Samuel Morris, or Kaboo, as he was known to his tribe. His story is as amazing
today as it was to those who met the young Samuel Morris more than 100 years ago. Here is his
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.)