The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-03
WAS A YANKEE cANNIBAL KING
News From the Pacific of John Il.
RumriIl's Death


kee king of cannibalS.
Rumrill was a New Highlander, born
and bred, but for more than nifty years
he lived among the Marquesans. and
for many years he was their ruler he
died last year, at the age OF about 40,
surrounded by his native wife and chill
dren. His last thoughts took him back
to the home of his bOyhOod and his kin
dred, and. giving a missionary friend
the name and address of a sister who
vet lives in the old New England home,
he expressed a desire that she be in
formed of his feeble condition, and
that he died a Christian
1t was from this missionary that a
letter was received recently by Rum
rilrs sister. Mrs. James f. Mason Of
Roxbury. Mass, giving some details
of RumriIl's last days. The story of his
adventures as related here comes from
Joseph RumrilI, a business man OF this
city, who resides at the corner of Hud-
son county boulevard and Linden street,
Bayonne, n. j., and is a distant relative
Of the late Yankee cannlbal king
John H. RumriH was born in Boston
in the early '3os of the last century.
Love of the sea induced him to ship on
board a New Bedford whaler, whose
name is not remembered, which disap-
peared after rounding Cape Horn. It
was supposed that she was lost with
all on board, and RumriIFs family gave
up all hope of his having escaped. That
was in .S47-
Upward of forty years had passed
since he sailed away, when one day
naval officer called on Mrs. Mason with
news of her brother. The officer said
his ship had. the year before, stopped
for water off the town of Taiohae, off
Nukuhiva, one of the principal islands
of the Marquesan group. and he had
hnr 1oT hc inc of rha Sc1a
who, to his surprise. addressed him in
rather awkward English.
The king was, to all outward appear
ances, one of the natives. One side of
his face, from the center of the fore
head down, was tattooed in native de-
signs and characters, and he had the
swarthy. copper color of the islanders.
He told the officer that he was not ma
tive, but New Englander born, and
that his name was John H. Rumrill.
His story, as the naval officer repeat
ed il. was as follows: The whaling ship
on which he sailed was wrecked on one
of the Marquesas. All on board were
drowned save RumriIl and four or five
comrades.
The survivors were seized by the ma
tiVes, who determined to serve them up
at a grand feast. The news was sent
by courier to distant parts of the
islands. and the rest of the inhabitants
were invited to the banquet.
Before being dished up each one of
the captives was bound securely and
subjected TO the SLOW. torturing process
of being tattooed from head TO foot on
one side of the body. the dividing line
being drawn straight down the center
of the forehead. The rule was that he
who should survive should not be killed
RumrilPS comrades succumbed and
We're eaten. but he survived and be
came a favorite of the king of the ma
tives. In course Of time he learned the
native language and customs, and
taught the natives many useful
things. Above all. he sought to abolish
their cannibalistic practices, and in this
he was largely successful. Then, too,
he urged the king to barter in friendly
manner with the ships that called. and
sought to trade with the islanders or TO
land missionaries.
Rumril did not claim all the credit
for the life OF civilization the natives
were induced to adopt, but he believed
he was ,the first to direct their minds
toward civilized ways. The old king
died, leaving Rumrill as his successor.
At the time of the American war
ships visit Rumrill was nearly so. He
told the visitor that he had lived so
long in the islands, and had been so
thoroughly imbued with the spirit of
return to his old home. Indeed, in his
tattooed state, it would be impossible
for him to return to civilization and
live in any comfort.
One wish he did have, and that was
that his visitor. on returning to the
United States, should call at his old
home in Roxbury, seek his sister, and.
if alive, give her greetings from her
lOng-lost brother. He also desired that
she should write to him.
Mrs. Mason at once wrote long let
ter to her brother, and after many
months it reached its destination
Runrill wrote back giving more de-
tails of his life on the islands and for
a time the correspondence was kept
up, though the letters from Runrill
were few. In one letter he remarked
that he would no doubt cause a sensa-
ton If he We're Suddenly to appear in
Boston and walk up Washington street
and scare people with his half-tattooed
face.
\ short time ago Mrs. Mason re-
ceived the following letter, telling OF
the death and burial of her brother:
Taiohae. Nukuhiva Marquesas
Islands, July IS. 1901.-Mrs. James f.
Mason, Roxbury, Mass, L S A: Dear
Madam-During my residence upon
TINS isle OF some two years il has been
my privilege TO make the acquaint-
ance Of the person in whom you are
Interested and esteem as a brother,
Mr. John H Rumrill
1t is concerning him that these few
lines are now indited. with the hope
that they will come to you in due
course of time
Some time since I was shown a let
ter by him that you had written 10
him in the opening hours of 1Sw
Whether or not IL was the last he re-
ceived 1 know not, or whether he took
the opportunity of answering "
Twas many years since he took I'D
his abode in this group of islands. in
1S41. The scenes were many and
those early DAYS of standardization,
savage and cannibaI natives. TO the
present time of more peaceful and war
less epoch.
He grew old and feeble in the midst
of his friends, his body became bent
and drawn by the pangs of rheuma-
tlsm, which would occasionally bring
him TO his bed days together: with
the rays Of a bright sun he would
again be seen about
Now all this and the ravakes of time
had played upon the tabernacle of
flesh, whose vigor gradually sank I'M
til he took TO his bed, lying quietly
without much of any pain. for about
three weeks. In the meantime your
humble servant called upon him. with
newspa pers, finding him confined 10
his bed, when Mr.. RumriII stated that
he thought he would arise no more
from his cot
As a friend the writer inquired If
anything could be done in his behalf,