Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-29
PRoF. soLoDER,s sToRY.
HIS Early ReconectiOns of the FIJI
Observation-Disclosures Religion.
F,o,n ne WIshia1tor Post.


/ From no Washington Post.
/ 81 am a native Of the Fill islands. /
was born and raised cannibal and my
/ father and mother were caEnibals," said
/ a little old man who, while he may not
/ be all that be claims, can tell an interest
ing story. His name is A. Z. soloder,
1 with the title OF professor attached.
/ His thin face and well-marked features
( would suggest Senator Evarts, If Senator
/ EYarts was copper-c0lOred. On his head
he wore an Indian chintZ cap which hung
I away dow his back. The lower edges
+ of a tawdry pair or printed cotton breaches
peeped out from below the skirts of an
I Old black clerical coat, large enough TO
+ have been worn by a fat clergyman
/ Of the Established Church Of England.
His shrunken shanks were enclosed in
scarlet stockings, and he wore canvas
/ shoes on his feet. Ashe hobbled along be
1 stretched his thin hand out before him
and leaned on a heavy STAFF that had the
! figure of the heather god Juggernaut carv-
| ed on its head.
/ "Cannibsls, you must remember" con-
/ tinued the Fiji islander, 10 not eat
/ human flesh simply because they are
/ hungry and want food. They eat tor re-
( venge, fox punishment. 1t is a religion.
/ II YOU mention Christ among heathens
/ they will eat You sure. They never eat
each other, except in punishment for
great crimes. Among the cannibals
adultery Is regarded as the greatest Of
crimes, and they roast and eat the guilty
parties. A child that is known to be the
offspring Of adultery Is thrown to the
crOcodles and eaten up. Some Of these
crOcodiles oil the Fiji islands are so feet
| long and weigh 900 pounds. Q yes, the
cannibals eat ZIP all adulterers. They
hold the family relation as sacred"
Have you eaten human food ~
ION, yes; when was a little boy / re-
member that white missionaries who
came among us we're cooked and eaten
and l ate with the rest. The bodies were
behesded and then roasted over fire of
Z bamb BOO or ebony. Human flesh is not
Juicy, but dry. That was a long time ago.
one set Of Christian missionaries belong
ing to the Episcopal church OF England
managed to carry me away from the
island when ! was a boy and / was edu-
Gated as a missionary. When | returned
to the island ! could not fnd any of my
relatives, and the island had been nearly
civilized"
ANY curious experiences in your
travels as a missionary?'
"Oh, yes. | have been been compelled
at various times to eat anacOndas, boa
constructors and even young monkeys to
worst place in the whole world. Small
monkeys are very palatable. l never ate
any old monkey, but you cannot tell the
difference between small monkey and
squirrel. The bOa-constrictor is very
pleasant eating, and the anaconda is just
ike halibut. Once, since ] have been a
missionary, ! ate a piece of another mis-
sionary to save my own life"
Are the Fiji islanders all cOlOred like
you, prOfessOrY
"They all belong to the Malay race.
They are dark skinned, but they are
quite different from the African negroes.
There is no resemblance between them
and the blacks"
They marry young, don't they2"
'Ges, generally from to y. There are
plenty Of widows at u. The marriages
are all arranged by the parents. The GER
emony is peculiar. The bride and groom
are tied together; the bridesmaids and
| the groOmsmen join hands and dance
/ around then the priest kisses the bride
and the gTOOmsmen kiss the bridesmaids,
and the groom follows suit, and there IS
great Teioicing'
An elaborate circular, which the pro-
fessOr carries with him, setting forth the
features OF a lecture, which he delivers
| whenever he can get chance, says:
ale will give an interesting sketch of
cannibal life, will tell how they bury
their dead, how the women carry their
babes when travelling, how they prepare
and eat human flesh. He will describe
their dress and customs, and a native lady
will appear in the costume Of the peOple.v
A reporter endeavored to get a descrip-
ton Of this costume. He understood that
it WAS something like a pocket-handker-
chief