Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-06-19
A REAL DIMINISHED HEAD.
Something Rare In the Line of Curlositie
to Be Seen In Boston.

something ikafe III the tiHe Oh turiusiiios |
to BE Seen in Boston.
Orators were formerly wont to invite
their defeated political antagonists to
"hide their diminished heads" while
no doubt the latter thought theirs was .
case of "big head" A literally dimin-
ished head, however, is thing which
few people have ever seen, but many
can have an opportunity of seeing one
in the Arch street window of the
Stoughton Rubber Company of this city.
1t is suspended in the window, and were
1t not that something in the form of a
human face peeps out from beneath the
mass of glossy black hair it might be
mistaken for the scalp of an Indian.
Inquiry develops the fact that the thing
is in reality the head minus the skull of
South American Indian, which is said
to have been worn as trophy, amulet,
or medicine bag of successive Indian
chiefs during the last five hundred
years at least The Indian tradition
credits it with being the head of
savage Huambisa chief who was killed
in a war of his tribe against the
Aligorunas tribe on the River Santiago,
a tributary of the Amazon above the
falls of Mansariche. 1t is said to
have been a normal head in size, from
which the skull and jaw bones were re-
moved by the conqueror, and by some
process unknown to modern science the
flesh and skin of the head and face were
cured, embalmed, or preserved in such
a way that it was reduced in size until
it is not larger than an ordinary orange
The jet black hair is about fifteen inch
es in length, and has silken gloss that
makes it appear as if still on the head
OF living person. In the general
shrinkage of the scalp and face the hairs
have been brought so closely together
that the scalp can not be seen. Curl
ously enough-though perhaps not so
strange after all-the shrinkage Of this
skull-covering has been so even and
regular that every popularity and char
acteristic of the face seems to have been
preserved in reduced proportions, and it
is hollow. The ears, nose and face all
have a strangely natural expression.
The upper lip is covered with a short,
stubby mustache, and the chin is also
covered with close-cropped goatee.
The ears are somewhat thick, and sur
rounded on the front and below
by tufts of fine hair. Above the
eyes the forefssad bulges, showing
indications OF large observatory powers
The nose is large and feshy at
the nostrils, but unlike that of an Afri-
can. In the nostrils can BIO seen small
punches of hair. The lips are pierced
in three places, evidently done after
death, with the purpose of attaching
cords for suspension. The cords are in
two strands, about twelve or fourteen
inches in length, and are said to have
served the purpose of attaching the head
to the waist-belt of the Indian chiefs
who wore it. To show it to better adj
vantage the head is now suspended by a
string running through the top This
diminished savage head is so great a
curiosity that it is said to be altogether
unique. 1t is owned by George A. Alden
& Co., the largest importers of India
rubber from Brazil in Boston, who have
refused $4,000 for it, and, indeed, will
not sell it for any price, as their inten'
ton is to present it to the Museum OF
Fine Arts of this city. 1t is attracting
crowds of the curious, whose specula.
tions in regard to what it is range from
guesses that it is the head of monkey
to the not-to-be -wondered-at one that il
is an India rubber head with hair on it
Boston Herald.