The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-01-23
CANNIBALISM is RARE.
The InbumaD Custom Survives only
in Few Pacific Islands
and Africa.

The news received lately from Her
mosillo, Mexico, that nine members of
the Wells exploring party had been
captured and eaten by cannibalistic
natives of the island of Tortugas, in
the Gulf of California, was a reminder
to civilization that man-eating prac-
tees have not been entirely eradi-
Gated. AT the same time, says the
Chicago Tribune, the news served to
call attention to the rarity of canni-
balism nowadays in the Pacific islands,
for with a few exceptions, notably in
Tortugas island, formerly man-eating
tribes have been brought to see the
error of their ways. The natives on
! Tortugas have shown ferocity that
| has kept missionaries and other white
settlers from the island, several whole
expeditions having been killed and
eaten on the island in the last half
century.
1t is not many years since the great
er part of the South Pacific was in
| habited by man-eaters, but now the
peoples of the islands have almost en-
tirely given up the practice under the
| llluCllNC VI SlNill lauOi llNdh SONNAh-
ment. George L. Latroune, however
who recently came to America from
the French penal settlement at New
Caledonia, related on his arrival in San
Francisco this month story of es
cape from the caldron that shows that
some tribes still preserve the rite.
After being freed by the officials Of
the colony at the expiration of his
sentence Mr.. Latroune fell into the
hands of tribe of interior Kanakas
and was by them imprisoned. He
was told that he was to be cooked at
the next feast. Before his eyes two
of the women of the tribe were killed
and eaten. He bad resigned himself
to his fate when by chance the chiefs
son fell from a tree and broke his leg.
Latroune caused the king to be In
formed that he could cure the boy and
was given chance to try. He sue
ceeded, and was given his liberty, a
talisman to protect him from other
tribes and money to pay his passage
to New York.
In Fiji, which was once the worst Of
the cannibal islands, there is now
no trace of human sacrifice, and the
Tonga and other islands are as free.
Now and then rumors of the rite come
from the East Indian islands, but no
instances of man-eating have been re-
ported from there for some years.
Africa is apparently at present the
headquarters of cannibalism, and even
there, with the Cape to Cairo railroad
under construction and civilization rap
idly advancing, the practice will soon
be abolished.
A professor of the University of
Christianity, returning from several
years of travel and study among the
blacks of North Queensland, in Aus
tralia, reports that it is still practiced
there, though he has never seen a
feast. He was told on different occa-
sions of cannibalistic feasts in neigh
boring villages, and believes the ma
tives often desired to kill and eat him.
Cannibalism is not quite extinct in
Africa, if the reports of travellers are
authentic. In the upper Congo coun-
try it is sad to be the regular prac-
tice of nearly every tribe. Enemies
captured in battle are taken to the
home village and there their legs and
arms are broken. This insures the
flesh of these members growing prac-
tically toothsome within two or thres
days.
The captives are then put into q
, stream of running water, up to their
necks, and bound so they cannot es-
cape or drown themselves, and there
they are kept three days. That proc
ess softens them up so that even the
toughest old warriors become edible
After big battle, when there are more
of the captives than the victorious tribe
can eat, or when 1t is desired to pro
pitiate some neighbors, gifts OF few
| odd men are made. Often in war
time they are for sale. Human be.
ings for eating purposes have been
, known to drop to two shillings the
pair.
The African has happy faculty, ap
parently, of combining this pleasant di
, version to other blacks, and not at
t tempting to eat whites. There is nc
4 recent record, at any rate, of any white
{ having been present at an actual feast
though many have been described t.
l. xyhitas nv the DeuroeS