The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-03-26
GARNER ON GORILLAS
The Professor Believes Them a
Much Maligned People.
THEY TALK AND ARE GOVERNED.
Like Breckenridge. They Are Polyga-
Dists, but They Were Very Civil
to the Gagged stranger.

NEW YORK. March 25.-Prof. Richard l..
Garner. whose efforts TO learn the Ian
guage which he avows belongs to the go
rilla and eh.mpanz.e. has earned for him
the pseudonysm of 1.-The monkey man.
returned from his Investigations in Az
RIGA on the Etruria today. The professor
said tonight: my journey has been an
absolute success.
II left here in July, 1892 After consid-
cradle difficulty in securing funds and
making preparation for the journey, got
away from Liverpool in the following De-
cember. l went through the lake regions
enough to get inform alton about the AMI
mais, Inhabitants and condition OF the
country for my purpose. After this journey
l returned to Lake Foranavsx. through
which had already passed. There hound
q suitable place TO erect my cage. l
located it one mile from the lake in q
dense jungle. for the gorilla will not live in
an open country. It was on the south
side Of the lake. about degrees south of
the equator. do not know the Longitude.
coast In a direct line. had been advised
by the natives that il was the bsst situa-
ton in Southwes, Africa to find gorilias.
In this LOCALITY many have been cap
tured by white hunters. / slung
my cage with the assistance of three
natives. The cage consisted Of q network
OF steel rods, five-sixteenths Of an
inch thick. brought it with me in eight
sections, each feet 6 inches long. These
acknowledged forty-five pounds in all.
l anchored it with three heavy chains
passed over the roof. As q precaution q
net work of steel wire vas thrown around
the rods as guard. The roof was made
of bamboo. and had with me canvas tar
pauiin in case of rain. My effects con-
sisted of household utensils, two revoivers,
one magazine rifle. one air-gun,
and hollow arrows filled with prussic
acid, which discharged with blow-guns.
The best safeguard l had was device of
my own invention. 1t was q bag Ike q
large canteen, filled with concentrated am
monia. to which was attached q hose
thirty inches long. with q nozzle through
which could force ammonia " hich would
suffocate gorilla ten feet away. The cage
stood on foundation three or four feet
from the ground. had no phonograph,
May 3, 1898. never reached me. l
had the invoice, and Was very much
disappointed at not receiving il, as it
would have aided mo very materially in
my experiments. Unfortunately my pho
torraphic apparatus failed to work also.
l went into the cage alone on April Is.
1898, and remained in it until August g.
walls. For my young chimpanzee, Moses,
which had with me, built q hut out
side the cage. We dined together, and on
these occasions Moses Was not confined.
but went in and out at WILL On SONS
occasions he behaved very badly, for the
etiquette of the race is not always perfect.
Il think can safely say. more than
any Other white man living, that my po-
sition was such that gorilias would come
very close. and l could sit calmly and
study every detail of movement and ex-
preston. l never had occasion to use
my gun but once, Then cooked it and
aimed at gorilla to save my pet dog, but
before Iired the gorilla became fright
ened and ran away. l have seen only
OF the cage. Many things which
j have heard before and since my re-
searches In magazines and natural history
about the gorilla are fiction. have
learned not more than six or eight words
OF the chimranzee language. These can
not give you, for they are not amenable to
any known etymology or photography.
cannot pronounce them. Ii | could |
would willingly give them to you. l think
there are about forty or fifty words
or utterances in thsir Language.
The gorilla certainly has martial rel atiol.s.
out no ceremony. / learned from tho
natives that they are polvgamst. How
ever, am quite satisfied they keen the
same female as . wife Tor many wears.
have seen groups of three or four. in
which are always one male only. Ii
Is very clear TO me that they have a
patriarc HAL form Of government. I
was assured by . man, whom believe
to be truthful, that he had seen
a gorilla sitting on the ground eating
fruit. They we're brought by other male
gorlilas 10 MS supposed majesty after
being gathered BY the females. The only
thing which incines me- to doubt the
story Is the fact that the gorilla rarely eats
the plantain itself. bu, lives on the meat
OF the piantain tree, which he tears to
pieces
The goriIias are at full maturity ON
reaching tho age Of 8 or 10 years. They do
not build houses. and are not carniyerous
but omniverous. Their vocal organ. are
almost exactly like those of men. Thew
are not nearly so vicious as described.
=" hen they would approach my cage they
would take one peep and turn away
wholly uneoncerned. The natives told me
IL oiackened my face they might attack
me. l had nine attacks Of fever. The
natives. like myself, are nearly convinced
that the gorilla and chimpanzss tribes have
q language. | brought back to London
with me two chimpanzees. They died
soon alter their debut To civilization
4 preserved their skins and skulls. also
brought the vocal organs of four ehimpan-
ices and three gori.las, and the brain of
one gorilla. The brain of the chimpauzee
which died IN London was sent To Oxford
at the request Of the university. where IL
vas examined and an official repor, rem.
derei -