Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-25
Oannibalism in the Marouesas.

Among the passengers by the Grey
hound, arrived at this port from
Tahiti, was an American named
Lewis Chase, who for more than a quar-
ter of century has never seen civ
ilized country and has seldom looked
upon the face of a white man. San
Francisco is the first glimpse of civili-
Zation he has had since he left his ma
tive home in Danbury, Conn, twenty
seven years ago. For twenty-five years
and six months he lived on groupof
islands inhabited by ferocious canni-
balls, and, fortunately for himself, has
come out hale and hearty, without ever
having as much as a slice of human
steak taken from his anatomy. The
group of islands on which Mr.. Chase
has passed his quarter of a century is
/ the Marquesas, where before his own
eyes he has seen cannibalism practiced
both as a fine art and as fierce dis
play of human ferocity, This horrible
practice is indulged in principally to
CRAFTY deadly spirit of revenge which
one tribe of natives holds against an
other. In the many brutal ard bloody
civil wars which they have waged
against one another the slain and capt
ured victims are eaten with vengeance.
! Ill lllCll lCDGlOuo llbOog dloOg butl OnCl
up human sacrifices captured in battle.
When victim is selected for canni-
bal feast his body is washed clean and
the hair of his head is burned off If
the feast is not of religious character
the victim is simply beaten to death
with war clubs, and when dead his
body is again washed and placed in a
large oven dug into the earth. The
hole forming the oven has fire be-
meath and over this is pile of round
stones. On the top of the stones mats
made of strong material are placed, in
which the body is wrapped up. These
mats are then covered over with great
pile of leaves and all is again covered
with another layer of mats. The fire
beneath absorbs enough of air 10 keep
it burning steadily and soon volume
of steam is generated. This escapes
slowly through the mats ndleaves, and
gradually the body becomes cooked
through this simple but certain steaming
process. The cooks are of superior
skill in their profession, and can tell to
the instant when the body is sufficient
ly "done" to suit the taste of the
guests. When ready to take it out of
the oven all the material covering it is
carefully removed, and when it comes
to the last layers surrounding the VIC
tim the mats are taken off with a sem
sitive touch, lest any of the skin on the
body should be torn away. When all
is bare and the body looks brown and
beautifully cooked shout of demoniac
laughter rends the air, and the cooks
are complimeuted in the highest terms
! by the hosts of cannibals thirsting to
, enioy the dreadful luxury
The cannibals have epicurean tastes
and a fine sense of the various shades
of delicacy of different classes of VIC
, tins. The flesh most highly priced is
, that of the African, and a colored man
who in life neither drank liquor or
! smoked, if he falls into the hands of the
e Marquesas cannibals is certain to have
( the highest respect shown him. He
3 will be fed luXuriously and tended care
fully up to the time that he is to be sac
rificed. The bodies of missionaries
take second rank, because in life they
are supposed to have used neither liq-
uors nor tobacco. Sailors are not es-
' teemed luxury, because their flesh is
. thoroughly saturated with smoke,
whisky and salt water. The cannibals
have the most dainty sense of smell in
= this respect, and will tell instantly
: whether their victim has ever been in
= the habit of using liquors or stimulants
: of any kind Young children and
women, especially unmarried women,
are great luxuries. Persons advanced
in years are seldom eaten, as their bod
!. les are too full of well-developed and
!, tough sinews Mr. Chase has never
S seen white person offered up as
/ sacrifice to the cannibal appetite, but
there are well-authenticated cases of
such being the fact. A missionary and
two colored men are known to have
been eaten on Dominique Island, one
it of the most savage of the group. In
FL recent times the cannibals rarely sacri-
y flee a white victim, but they are entire
e ly willing to do so if the opportunity
h offers.
S. There are thirteen islands in the Mar
! quesas group, seven of which are in
Il habted, and on six of these cannibal-
D. ism is practiced. Mr.. Chase is resi-
IA dent of Uhua, known to mariners as
d Washington Island, and to his knowl-
n edge there has not been case of can
e nibalism there in the twenty-five years
e he has made it his home. The natives
'r of Uhua say they never, ,practiced can
nibalism, though few of the Oldest in
i habitants remember their parents tell
" ing them that such was the case in old
times. The cannibals seem to indulge
in their horrid practice from pure
+ love of revenge. They are certainly
~ not driven TO it for want of food, as
r there is an abundance on the islands.
~ No doubt immemorial custom has
e much to do with keeping the beastly
indulgence still in vogue. Children
70 are apt to follow in the footsteps of
is their fathers, and generation gives to
If generation laws and customs. The re-
= ligious sacrifices of human bodies, and
NJ the habit of Offering them up as food,
A is now more common than any other
n kind of cannibalism. The priests know
v that if they relinquish such rites they
would be shorn of so much authority,
and hence they cling tenaciously to
their. sacrihcial affairs.
b. The whites on the islands are esti-
Z, mated at between forty and fifty, most
u of whom were sailors in early life.
m There are a few hard cases among
O. them, but, considering that there is no
Is such thing as law, as understood in
- civilization, crimes are rare among
in them. The whites are Americans,
r. French, English and Germans, with a
~ few other scattering nationalities. The
We native population is rapidly dying out.
e Mr.. Chase estimates that more than 80
per cent. has perished since he landed
II there. The present population of
y. Dominique is about 5000; Noukaheva,
Or 5000; Uapna, 250; Christiana, 200
Magdalena, 500; Uhua, 250, and an
other island with only few souls
W San Francisco Chronicle.
~
es "A railroad in Tennessee, which
IS cost SS, 600, 900, was sold the other day,
D, nv a receiver appointed to administer