The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-26
CANNIBALISM.
Saw the Cannibals Cook and Eat a Human
Being.
Being.
-Auausta EreMing Herald.

Cluc Stuuy VI cduulDdlo dnu e"nnio"t
ism is shortly to be published as re-
suit of the experiences of an Austrian
scientist and explorer, Joachim Frei-
herr Won Brenner, who recently re-
turned from Sumatra, where he has
been for several years engaged IN the
study of the native blacks. Won
Brenner, who is apparently most
intrepid young man, went into the
subject with German thoroughness,
and will probably make large and
comprehensive volume, covering in
every phase and detail the life and
customs of the natives of that island.
Included in the equipment with which
he started out, was camera, with
which he has taken several hundred
very striking and interesting photo
graphs to illustrate every point of his
story.
Although Won Brenner's work was
undertaken for the sake of its scien-
tifc value in the fields of geography,
history and anthropology, his expert
ences will enclude much that is Of
popular interest and entertainment.
AS may be readily believed, it was an
undertaking of some hardihood to
study tribe Of cannibals at close
range, and when the young Austrian
announced his purpose he met with
considerable opposition from his
friends and associates, who freely
prophesied that ne would never return
to announce the result Of his under
taking. Even after his arrival in
Deli, the Dutch residents, who had
some experience with the half-civil-
lied natives, did their best to persuade
him to give up his project and it was
with great difficulty that he secured
an outfit with which to penetrate into
the interior of the country, where
alone, of all lands known to white man,
cannibalism is still regularly prac-
ticed. Won Brenner's account Of his
experiences after leaving civilization,
though told in plain and modest Ian
guage, shows that the fears Of his
friends and advisers were not alto
gether ungrounded. He says!
81 set out ON my trip to the land Of
the Bataks after having secured by
inducements, which tc them appeared
extraordinary, caravan of thirty-six
carriers. There was but one European
in the party besides myself. We
we're conducted by native guide from
one of the hill tribes, who was recon-
mended as thoroughly trustworthy
man, and who indeed proved invalua-
bic as time went on. Our course lay
over the high mountains which lie
few miles back from the coast at Deli,
and beyond which is the land Of the
Bataks, in which, as far as I have
been able to find, no European had
hitherto set foot. For the purpose of
ingratiating myself with the blacks I
carried large supply Of all kinds Of
glass beads, mirrors, knives and yari-
Gus colored cloths, especially sort of
red cloth with gold border, which the
blacks esteem very highly.
ssThe partially civilized tribes that
I came across in the earlier stages Of
my journey, afford many opportunities
for interesting study, and our progress
was, therefore, slow, for I reasoned
that the more thoroughly I understood
the customs and ways of these people
the better / should be able to under
stand those in the wilderness beyond,
which was our ultimate destination.
Gone peculiar custom which was
naturally among the first to impress
itself upon me and which apparently
prevailed among all the natives of the
island, is the method of preserving
the dead The body is burned but
the head is placed in small basket
on top Of bamboo pole as thick as Il
man arm, and thatched over the top
with the leaves Of the sugar palm.
Here it is left to bleach and dry and
the sight Of these ghastly sign posts
which we frequently came across was
any thing but reassuring. In some
places the head is not detached, but
the entire body is hung up in SOFT OF
wicker-wo wrapping, suspended be-
tween two posts several feet above the
ground, and it is possible to view
through the interstices in the basket
work the CHASTITY remains which the
breezes swing to and fro as they would
hammock, with q most uncanry eff
feet.
"Among the natives whom first
encountered I was an object Of mild
but intensely curious interest. 1t
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