The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-02-14
SPUN OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH.
World Taken In by a Yarn Of MAssa-
ere and Cannibalism.

A great many newspapers and geo
graphical magazines published last
spring a narrowing story Of the fate
of an exploring expedition sent to
New Guinea by the Paris newspaper,
La Patrie. DR.. Henry Rouyer hadre-
turned to France withthe melancholy
particulars.
He reported, in brief, hat his ex-
ploring party had penetrated a short
distance inland on the south coast Of
the great island when they we're
treacherously attacked by natives,
who killed rs men, four of whomwere
whites. Thirty-three others were
wounded, including DR.. Rouyer.
The doctor was knocked senseless
by a blow on the head. When he
came to he saw the bodies of his muir
dered friends for the cooking pot.
They had begun to roast the body
of the unfortunate Mr.. Haganbeek
when, just in the nick Of time to save
the Mortified doctor, a rescue party
burst through the woods, having
heard the screams Of the men. The
doctor owed his life to the promp APP
pearance of these rescuers. In other
words, he lived to fill several columns
of La Patrie with the gruesome de-
tails Of this terrible event.
Every newspaper that was worth
its salt repeated the sad story. The
periodicals of learned and digniied
geographical societies gave it consid-
cradle space.
Petermann's Mitteiungen, one Of
the most scientific publications,
thought that the tragical affair might
have been indirectly the result Of the
doings of a person named Kroesen,
who had been sent to infict punish
ment upon the natives for stealing
property from white men in the Brit
ish domain. The magazine said that
according to the logic Of the Papu-
ans they would be likely to hold any
white men whom they might catch re-
sponsible for the acts of the other
whites.
One little fact mentioned by Peter
mann's Mitteilungen might perhaps
have aroused suspicion as to the
%yeracity Of DR.. Rouyer. This, says the
New York Sun, was that nothing
whatever had been heard in the geo
graphical world Of the activity or
even of the existence of the exploring
party before the massacre occurred.
The same journal now desires to
withdraw its report of DR.. Rouyer's
story. 1t says that investigation
proves that the report of the massa-
ere Of the French expedition on the
south coast of New Guinea was "a
frivolous invention of an alleged
member of a pretended expedition
and Of the Paris newspaper La Pa
trie." No such expedition had been
anywhere near New Guinea. DR.
Rouyer, who so wildly reported the
massacre and asserted that he had
been wounded and rescued, has il
fact never been nearer to New Guinea
than Buitenzozrk on the island Of
Java.
The long story which La Patrit
printed was adorned with pictures o.
villages, boats and other things pur.
porting to have been made from pho
tographs taken in New Guinea. Thc
pictures, however, represent scene.
in the neighborhood Of Buitenzorg.
The able narrative of DR.. Henri,
Rouyer, sad to say, must be RELOCATED
to the realm of fable. 1t is not tn,
first time that the imagination Of
romancer has enliyened the pages
not always picturesque and interest
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