The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-13
GREENSBORO HUMAN MASK.
A Peruvian Warriors Face a Trophy Of
War and an Article of Merchandise.

war ana an Article OF Merchandise.
New York Letter In Chicago Times.
a complete mask of human flesh. with
flowing hair attached. which has been
trophy Of savage warfare and been re-
ceived IN payment OF commercial debt,
has been recently brought to New York.
and Is now owned here.
1t is more than likely the only veritable
death mask of tho sort in the country,
and one of less than half dozen IN
any place in the world. outside of the
wild country OF their origin.
This mask Of dried human flesh, which
Includes the entire head covering, orna-
mented with the hair OF life. is made
from complete head from which the
bones have all been removed. II is now
owned by and In the possession Of Sydney
J Manly Of 2l3 Fifth avenue, who bought
it in Paris from Napoleon Burch, a mer-
chant there. who took It in payment Of
money claim due him from a bankrupt
debtor IN Peru. In it is preserved the
countenance of its original owner, which
IL drawn and shriveled into a miniature
OF It's former self, in consequence OF the
preserving and drying process that IL has
been through The long, straight, smooth
and glossy hair, so well represented among
the aboriginal Peruvians, is preserved IN
all of its abundance and luster.
Three years ago this death mask was
the living face and scalp and flowing hair
OF Huaje, the chief of the Nurimacas,
tribe of Indians that inhabits the district
about the Yavari river in the extreme
northeast corner Of Peru, between Ecua-
dor and Brazil The Yavari river Is one
Of the tributaries that form the head
waters of the Amazon, and IL runs
through a Wild country, Inhabited by
savage people who are noted for their
. n.iNn ErF
ity in time of war, ana for their Unborn
hatred Of their Spanish conquerors, which
hatred extends 10 all whites and makes II
dangerous for a stranger not Of their
race TO enter the country. Mr.. Burch,
from whom the mask was gotten, says
that in the entire district which drains
into the Yavari river there Is now only
one white man, and he IS an American
graduate OF Yale college, who is eX-
pIoring the country. His name he did
not learn.
oct. Il, 1891, the chief Huaje. to whom
the preserved face belonged, was killed
In battle with one Of the many hostile
tribes His death was caused by a bull
let shot an the forehead. The mask
shows the wound made by the entering
lead To lose his life in battle meant to
lose his head, for these savage tribes
have a custom to take from the fallen
enemy not only the scalp, as the North
American lu0ldus 40 buA lut entire HFd4-
This Is carried home as q trophy and
prepared fer indefinite preservation The
skin Is opened from the back, the brains
and bones taken out. and the entire cav
ity stuffed with preserving herbs, after
which the inclsion IS sewn up and the
mask dried. After shis operation the
skin naturally shrnks and the features
are retained on a smaller scale, resemb-
ling Ia appearance the face Of "A child.
The luxuriant hair. OF which these In
dams are so proud. is retained in It's
natural splendor. and is used by the vic
tor to carry his trophy and TO hang it by
in his habitation.
Though these heads are more or less
plentiful IN the wild country where they
are preserved, they are difficult TO obtain.
for the reason that their owners prize
them highly as tokens of their proves.
and. besides. the buying or having in
possession Of these heads IS strictly pro-
hibited by the law in Peru Ecuador,
and Brazil
Joseph Skinner Of London, when writ
ing Of those Indians in 1905 In his book
entitled THE Present State Of Peru"
says: after having satiated themselves