The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-12-02
THROWING THE BOOMERANG.

eran1S not tue poiitlOdi oo"SCi
the original article, made of wood, and
thrown by cannbal He would have
bstter appreciation of the term boomerang
as applied to c:rcling political movements
that sometimes come back and strike the
launcher Of them where Maggie wore the
heads. But Senator McCarren wasn't
there. and it is difficult for person who
has never seen boomerang thrown by an
Australian boomerang thrower to credit the
tales that are told about them.
Seeing is believing, however, so far as
boomerangs are concerned, and this Is what
few people saw yesterday. -Four tattooed
cannibal back-trackers, TO give them their
managers description, and they looked as
if they might live up to it, filled the air
around the Polo grounds with boomeranSs
for an hour. They stood in the middle OF
the field and threw them up over the roof
of the grand stand, and the boomeranSs,
after running their course, came back and
landed near the throwers' feet. They kept
these plain pieces of wood doing all sorts
of tricks in the air, and the spectator was
led to suspect that the boomerangs were
moved BY some internal mechanism II
was the first exhibition of the kind that
has been given in New York, and Mr..
Cunningham, the manager, says that 1t Will
probably be the last. He expects TO sail
with his company for Europe next week:
New Yorks climate in winter Is too cold
for outdoor exhibitions by Australian boom
erang thruwers, aud they need lots OF room
to show what they can do.
Almost as interesting as the movements
of the boomerangs were the men who
throw them. There were four men and
''one lady cannibal, to again quote the
manager. They came from North Queens
land, and Mr.. Cunningham is under Sl0,-
OGO bonds TO return them to North Queens
land. The lady cannibal Is Tagara, the
daughter of the King of the North Queens
land blacks. She is % years old, and she
looks about II. With all due respect to
the lady cannibal's feelings, 1t may be
stated that her hair and her teeth arc her
only points of beauty. Miss Tagara has
black face that is full of wrinkles and looks
as if it had been caught in Il severe frost.
Her arms are thin, and so are her other
limbs, which end in a pair of Chicago feet
But Miss Tagara has hair that any woman
might be proud Of 1t is jet black and
fine as silk. Her teeth are also perfect.
Mr.. Cunningham says that she Is IA real
cannibal. Her father is credited with cat
ing two missionaries, to say nothing OF
odds and ends like hunters and ranchmen.
Miss Taaara looked interested only once
Yesterday afternoon. That was when
Shorty Phillips, an old Amhorst foot
ball man. trotted out on the field his ag-
aregation of football men from the College
of Physicians and Surgeons. Max Noss
is the centre rush, and he admits that he
is fat. With his padded football suit he
looked about twice his usual size. iagara
ewes lighted on him, the wrinkles smoothed
out of her face bit, and there was expires
sion in her eyes.
Tagara male companions are very much
her superiors They are King Delarno,
Sinbinwarch, Gongowah, Neborinoha, and
Idaenteudi. They are slim, athletic look
iug men, with football players head OF
hair. Their hair is just as fine and lst
as silky ms Tagara's Notwithstanding the
amount of exercise they take in throwing
boomerangs and doing kangaroo dances
their arms and legs are small. When they
are at home they dress themselves in scars
and coat of tattooing. As they appeared
Yesterday they wore black tights and Il
good deal of hair. Lest any scotfer might
doubt the genuineness of these cannlbals,
Mr.. Cunningham has certificates from
Francis Gallon, President Of the Anthro-
biological Institute of Great Britain and
ireland. and from Prof Virchow and 9TH
ers. testifying that they are typical exam
ples of their race, which seems to be dying
out. They wear clothes here because 1t is
conventional, and the climate makes it nee
essary. They do not resemble the African
negro except in color Their only accom-
plishmens are cannibalism and boomerang
throwing Inspeaking of the latter Mr..
Cunningham said
"This peculiar knack is all theirs and |
never have known white man to acquire
il perfectly. Their boomerangs are their
playthings and their weapons for war and
hunting. | have spent good deal OF
time with the black fellows in Australia
and have studied their boomerangs and
the way in which they throw them. ocien-
lists claim that it is impossible to do with
a boomerang what these fellows do Well,
you can see for yourself
Only few people who had been invited
were there TO see the tests, but they went
away ready to believe any story that might
be Told about boomerangs. When MIR
Frost. who is associated with Mr.. Gun
ningham. said before the tests that the
black fellows could throw boomerang
clear around any building in New York
and have il drop at their feet, his reputa-
tion for veracity fell They proved, how
ever. that they could do even more remark
able feats than that The "four tattooec
black-trackers" with the alphabet-trus
names ambled out in the centre OF thu
field each carrying hall dozen boomer
angs under his arm. Apparently thes
boomerangs are very simple sticks. MIR
Cunningham says, however, that he ha'
some made in San Francisco in exactly tn
same pattern, and the Australians SAT-
thew we're useless. The boomerangs tina
they used yesterday were about two fec
long and q inches wide. They were ben
10 parabolic curve, the ends finished witt
one side convex and the other fiat Thes
black fellows have been making their boom
erangs in this country from hickory. /
Australia they use mayall, hard indigeu
o,,s wood. using either shells or broke
glass to shape them. They must hang
a nicely to be of service. Different shape
are used. Yesterday the Australians three
light boomerangs, curved about forty-fv
degrees. For war and hunting they use
somewhat heavier one that has a very shar
edge. They held them in the hand wit
the convex edge forward and the fiat sid
M, and projected them as if to hit an o.
iect directly in front Then the peculia
nature Of the boomerang would assert j