The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1894-08-11
CRUCIFIED BY SAVAGES.
The Excruciatine Experience Of q
German Adventurer.
He Ventures Among the Bloodthirsty
Singph0s Of BurmAh and II Nailed
Through the Hands and Feet
-. 70 Gross.

meyer, q Prussian by birth and min
ing expert by profession, died in Ta-
coma. He was a quiet, unobtrusive
sort of chap, says the San Francisco
Examiner, and considered by those
who knew him to be an everyday citi-
zen of the commonplace type. He died
but when the undertakers began to
prepare his body for burial they found
amost curious scar upon his right hand.
At one time there had been a hole made
by some sort of sharp instrument in the
palm, going in at one side and coming
out at the other. There was some spec
ulation in regard to its origin, when
suddenly one of the undertaker's as
sistants uttered an exclamation of as
tonishment and held up the deceased's
left hand. There was precisely iden-
tical scar upon that also. Men do not
generally have bullet holes through
both hands, and Bredemeyer had also
similar scars upon each foot. The right
hand scar was not as long as the left
hand only by an inch. Both were be-
tween the bones of the thumb and
forednger, in the thickest part of the
palm. The left hand scar was two and
one-hah inches long, and on both sides
OF the hands the scars set out like
mountain ranges, compared with the
size of the hands, the serrated top.
ridges of the ugly marks being white
and smooth, like snow-capped peaks.
They were exactly like the marks of cru
cifxion, and little wonder, for crucified
Bredemeyer had been, although he
had never told the story to anyone, and
the fact was unknown until Brede-
meyers record of his own life was
found among his papers after his death.
Bredemeyer was q graduate of the
university of Bann and had qualified as
gineer corps. That was in 1862. The
next year he entered the Dutch-India
service as mining engineer and ex-
pert, and advanced step by step in his
chosen profession until 1868, when the
king of Burmah made him chief engi-
neer of the famous ruby mines in the
northern part of the country. Brede-
meyer had headquarters at Medea, in
the ruby mine district, where big sap
phires are also found. The mines are
jealously guarded and all the precious
stones belong to the king. From the
ruby and sapphire harvest the king
realizes from fifty thousand to sev-
enty-five thousand dollars q year.
North of Medea, in the lofty noun
tains, there were some ruby mines
which the king had not prospected for
various reasons. No white man had
ever ventured into the mountains of
the north, among the half-civilized.
Singphos, who, while partially recog-
nizing the authority of the king, were
unruly and barbaric. Thither the king
sent Bredemeyer.
His advent was the signal for great
excitement among the Singphos. They
had never seen white man, and, not !
withstanding Bredemeyer announced
his mission under authority of the
king, the Singphos were not satisfied.
They decided to cruelty the white man
if he did not fee the country. A hand
full Of soldiers were with Bredemeyer,
perhaps fifty all told, but then there
were three million five hundred thou
sand inha bitants. Bredemeyer refused
to leave the country until he had
carried out the orders of the king. The
Singphos declared war. Bredemeyer's
soldiers went into ambush, only to
surrender the mining expert when the
natives swooped down upon them.
While soldiers were sc urrying about
for reinforcemcnts the natives nailed
Bredemeyer to a cross made of two
pieces of native oil wood. Before the
brutal work of mailing Bredemeyer to
the cross was finished he became
partially unconscious. The shock was
almost fatal. The last thing he dis
tinctly remembered was the swarming |
Singphos, looking like devils, with
their fat faces, broad skulls, straight
black hair, deep brown skins. When
had been nailed to the
cross the natives prepared to raise it
and fastened the end nearest his feet
i7to the ground At that instant the
soldiers returned with reenforcements
and routed the natives. Bredemeyer
was carried back to Medea. The
occurred at about noon. At I
noon the next day his wounds were
dressed. The rainy season had not set
N and it was very warn and under the
conditions it was feared
would set in. He was cared
'or tenderly under directions from the
ring and being accustomed to great
,ardships he sp lily recovered, but
never again vent,.ted into the land Of
;he Singphoa
A CHICAGO BUILDING.
h II 60 High That Its Oscillation Stopped