The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-29
Was YANKEE CANNlBAL KING
NSWS rk0u rHE PNfFH I"
yOH> o. M ukfII'S DftTH.


ern Paciar has cume news 20 the death
81 John ~ Rumrill. long . Nsnke. King
of cannilals.
Rumrill ~a. q New Highlander horn and
bred. but for NOR. than hfty years he lived
among th. Naruu-San- and for many
years ne wa- their ruler. He died last
year ut th. ag- 81 about 20, s~urround~d
by his native wife and his children His
last thoughts took him hack to the home of
his hoyhouaI and his kindred and giving
q MISSIONARY friend the name and address
~ a sister Who We; lives IN the old New
England home. h. oppressed a desire that
.hr i- infoTtn.-i 81 his feeble condition and
that n. di,si a Christian
/ II was from this MISSIONARY that a letter
wa rss.ivssl t,spnily hy hunnrills -l~ter,
MIR jane + Nss,n. Of koslury, Mas
giving ~nm. d,tails uf kumrtlls last days
The story ot his adventures ~ related here
Com,~ from Joseph kumrill, a business
man e thi. city. Who Resides AZ the c,Iner
81 hudson County Boulevard and Linden
%sir.e'. Payunne. y j, N u a distant
relative ~ ID" late Yankee cantihal king
John n RuInrill was born In Boston In
the early ~, ~ The last century Love
of the Sra induced him /" ship on board a
New Bedford whaler whose name " not
remembered which Ill. aprrsr-i after
rounding 'ape Horn. II was supposed
ina -fNs NR l'FN WIN All WI ~ 49,
Rumrill'- family gave NJ all h"ls al his
having --csIsi That was ~ lt1.
Upward 81 forty vsars had fAS-'I since
ne ~ led away. when one day "a naval officer
called on Mr.. Mason with news ii her
brother. TIL. o'h,-'r ~aid his ship lad
the YEAR before stopped for water N the
town 81 Iaiohse. on Nukuhiva. one ~ the
prlnc,tal i-land. ~ the NaruuersIs group,
aud he had here met ~" hing 81 TIN.
ISLANDER. Nho =" hi- -urprI-' addressed
No. - .a. INHI.I
The hing wa- ~ all out~ art apIssarance-
me If the natives TN" side ~ his lace
from "a. crn,rr 81 he forehead down was
tu,too.d ~ native designs and characters
and he had the svarthy. copper color oi
IN. islands -. He told the officer that
h. Wa not ~ native. lmt q New Highlander
torn. and that his name Vas John ii.
Rumri'l
IA. story. as tho naval officer repeated u.
was a. follows The whaling ship on which
he sailed was wr,Cket on one Of the Mar
qu.sas. All "a board ~er- drowned a
Rumrill and four ar five comrades,
The survivors were -s'izei bv the natives.
who de,erinined tn -erV" them up AZ a
grand feast. Tn news wa- sent by courier
10 distan parts 81 tn" islands and the rest
of IN. inhabitants We're invited to the
banquet
Before being dished up each one 81 the
captive- was hound securely and subjected
Ia the Glow. ,orturing PROCESS OF being
] tgftfasNt trNin iltttl 10 lObl on DfP rll" III
the botv, tn. dividing line being drawn
straight down the CENTRE of the forehead.
The rule wa- that he h should survive
should not tp kilksi.
Rumrilrs comrades suCcumbrd and were
eaten, but 10 suryiv,-i and hrca me "A IN vonte
of the King Of the natives. In course Of
time I've learned the native language and
customs and taught the natives many
useful things. Above all. lie sought tn
abolish their cannibali-,ic practice-. and
in this IL" Wa largely sucsr--ful. Then. too
IA. urged tine king tn tarter in u friendly
manner with the ships that csllsd and sought
,o trad" with the ISLANDERS or to land ms
sionaTi.e.
RumrilI did no, claim all the credit Tor
the life 81 civilization the natives were
Induced =" adopt, but he believed he was
the fr-, ,o dire, their minds toward civl-
lied ways. The DID King died. lea yin
Rumrill a. his successor.
A. IN. tint of the American warship's
visit Rumrill was nearly IN. he told the
visitor that he had hv,~l - long in The
islands and had been ~ thoroughly imbued
With tie spirit IT the life Of the ISLANDERS
that ~. had M de-ir 10 r'urn 10 his old
home Indeed, IN his iattoo.d state II
would ~ impossible for him 10 r~turn Ia
! civilization and liv" M any comfort.
On. wish he did have, and that was that
his visitor "a returning To the United States
should call At his old home IN Rnxbury.
-s.k hs %-rsi.F. and IL alive give her greet
ing- from her long lost hrother. He also
desir,d that size should write to him.
Mn. Mason at once wrote "A long letter 20
her bruiher, and after nAn months IL
reached it. destination. Rumrill wrote hack
giving morr details nf his III" on the islands
and Tor n time the correspondence was kept
up.ihuugh ~" letters from Ruinrhl w.r"few
In one l-ttsT he remarked that he would
no douh, Csur-a n sensation ~ he were sud
denly to appear M Boston and walk up
Washington street and scare PEOPLE with
his half iattoOed face
4 short tim. age Mrs Mason rccived
ID. following letter. telling of the death
and burial II her brother:
T,ion.I, v, xruIv,.l
MaRsrs.As ISLANDS. July =. isi,,1
NJ, james r Mason. RoTburr. Mass
Dr,n MADAM During my residence upon
this isle of some i've years ~ has been my
T~r-on Ia whom YOU are ntsie,Srd and ss-
ie,m a. a brother. Mr John u Rupriii
ara Il now q, f"% %i'I@S, x Tx , 'Ss s sST.o , is% tssss
will come Ten YOU m due 'our>- III tome
Some tlm~ -inc. vss -ho~n a letter .by
nu~nirg hours OF ls,a Whether or not II
Ma m" last be received ] know not. ~
whether h" took ID" Opportunity Of answer
'Twps MANY yc,r- since he took NJ his
ah"d" IN this group Of islands, "a ls4i The
sc.nr- S-r. MANY and varied that hr has
Witnessed. from iho~- early days ot ~"tni-
civilization. saVns" aud 'annihal native,
J To tue present Iltle 81 WbfF INa'fihi anu
warlr-s epoch
". gr-s old ard fe.h To- 'h~ midst Of his
friends. hts body became bent and drawn
hv ~. Itins- ~ rheumatism. which would
occasionally hrtug tim 10 his bed daNS 70
gril,.T Win the rtv~ ~ a bright sun Ia"
would again he ---n about
Nov all this and the riva crs OF 'ine had
uiavs.i upon II" tabernacle of flesh. Who's"
vigor gradually .,nk until l" took 'o h.
i-d. living quietly without much of any
main. foT about thrra S"-ks ~ the mean
time your humble servant called upon him.
with Newspaper. finding him confined 20
ne bod. Nhru Nr Rumrill stated that b"
thought he would arise no more IRON ls oot
n a friend th" pr.tsr iiuuirrd W ANY
thing could h- dom" ~ his t-hnlt. the 'nn-
SEQUENCE Of which - The purpo>" Ut III letter
IT, ca-. ~" Inevitable ,au" -oou, ~ was nav
bro, her hae passed irom thu sphere nj az
ton. Nhl,h o,curt~d I-a'"iully on th" 9th
Of Iup.. ifHi. IN ~" ahoNr-UaIne,t place
Ne Wished me 81 state that h" died happy,
r~-,on,il"d 20 ~" Will o' h- Lr"ntof. Who
H." tru,t-I would giv" pardon Tor any sins
Ne ma, have committed
In nv gIlHCtfN - . representative ~ the
church 81 Nrsus christ ~ Latter paN SAINTS.
I ,onN"r~.i . httl" With him T~ellsiou~ly.
from vlici could IT, -s"n be had not for
gotten hi early training and l-'li, N-"i in an
uil-Ni~. 1srl Twas about 4. " of said
morning when hi ~pirit Departed 10 mortal
confines lis fond Anticipation ~ hold
that the Rrav. shall lo~s IT. spell, AMI again
r,..s, tho. 20 haNs held Il. M v hlls % 'Ouru-