The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-08
Canned Missionary.


Few have failed to smile over the sug-
gestive joke of canned missionary not
falling to realize ar the same moment that
the grim fun is at the expense Of self
sacrificing class who gave up everything
desirable in life to save to 'the better Efs'
those who delightin eating human flesh.
Many know of the tragical fate OF poor
Henderson. of Boyd county, Kentucky. who
went, IN 1851. as missionary to the Sand
| w.ch Islands only to become the principal
meat-dish of a canibaI feast. But Few
know of the incident which led up TO that
sacrifice and that the Island Of kahulani,
TO which he went. is at present wholly unin-
habited, that the Island is one of the Ha-
vivian group now being treated for. and
| that the Island was swept of all life. human
and animal, through poor Henderson's death
Henderson in his youth, though brought up
by Christian parents, was the terror Of Tug
Fork, and its principal settlement. Louisa.
But the trichinosis of slice Of ham turned
the whole course of his life and in doing so,
later on depopulated the Island of Kahulani
of every inhab!tant, including hogs and
dogs, the only other animals known TO the
Island. which has remained an uninhabited
dot in the Pacific ocean ever since. Hen
had been having night Of it. celebrating
the browning Of the fair young English
princess, Victoria, the Hendersons being OF
Tory stock Arriving home late and hun
CRY, Joseph could only find the remnant of
boiled ham, but he invited his three COM
panions, who being intoxicated, also had
escorted him home, in TO a repast of the
half cooked meat The muscle lying next
to the bone proved to be full of the encysted
parasite, tr,china spiratis, Of which little or
nothing was then known. In brief time
all were attacked with a high fever. All
three Of the neighbor boys died and were
buried, one after the other, and young Hen
dersons lige was despaired Of AS Is now
known this parasite is developed and made
active by the secretions of the stomach, In
| numbers of untold millions in some instan-
ces. Becoming active they follow the ALA
mentary and intestinal canals and then at
lacking the walls of the abdomen bore their
way into the muscles of the living body,
when they curl up and again become en-
cysted, and where they will lie indefinitely.
showing no life unless the flesh in which
they have found resting place is, in turn,
eaten or taken into another stomach. The
pain fever and suffering of the unlucky
partaker of such parasitic food experience
ed through the efforts Of these infintis:nal
spirals to pass through the walls and mus
cles of the body. Henderson realizing his
danger but not despairing made VOW that
should his life be spared he would devote
the remainder of il to his fellow man and
to God After tedious convalesence, in
which he studied his Bible and talked only
of life and its duties, he regained his health.
Within a few weeks, his parents being
wealthy for that region, he announced his
determination to become a missionary to
heather lands. The Sandwich Islands and
its can;bals and the story of Cook, with
which he was familiar, held his thoughts,
and to these islands he finally resolved to
go. TIE voyage down the Ohio down the
Mississippi to New Orleans thence to New
York and thence by sailer through the
South Atlantic around the Horn and then
through the weary weeks of the Pacifc's
expanse and waste Of waters was long,
tedious and dangerous one taken in a vessel
bound for China. A missionary had al
ready preceded him to Honolulu. The field
Of Kahulani. an island but few miles to
the south lay untouched Its inhabitants
consisted of only few hundreds. To these
he went in a native canoe. OF his life and
efforts there is little known, except that his
work of few months had not converted
the perverted appetites of the islanders He
might have succeeded and lived but for the
unfortunate incident of a reproval and a
quasi coercion attempted on his part The
natives feared and respected him but did
not love him. A number of them had
gone on a war excursion to a neighborins
and smaller island, bringing back several
prisoners. These they proceeded to slay,
cook and eat. Henderson's interference
cost him his life. They served him up in
a few days, uncanned but still full of that
ham tr;chinosis encysted, by millions in his
sy stem, back in Kentucky. The entire tribe
partook of the TO them more than ordinary
dainty dish of meat. The trtchinosis did
the rest The entire population being at
tackled by nausea. vomiting, which. follow
ed by a fever that burned out their lives.
Not soul was left TO tell the tale. The
half-wild native hogs and the half-tamed
dogs in turn Toasted on the corpses of the
canibals and so in turn died also. And so
Kahulani to tbs day Is without living
soul.