The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-04-15
Hunting fer Queer pictures.


OF all the amateur Photographic So
cteties that are scattered through tho
world the most romantic is in existence
in corner of Formosa.
The members Of this remarkable So
ciety vie with each other to see who
can get the most unusual photographs
in the most dangerous places, and
they do not have to hunt far for dan
ger, for they are surrounded by jungles
full of poisonous serpents savage ami
mails, and still more ferocious races of
men.
Among the most interesting exploits
of these amateurs was that of penetrat-
ing into the interior with cameras and
calmly sneaking around in the villages
of the dreaded head hunters to get
pictures Of their gruesome trophies.
The photographers succeeded in their
quest and also in the somewhat moro
important matter of carrying their pic
lures and themselves back into the
fringe of civilization.
One of these amateurs returned re-
Gently with picture snapped by him
in a village far back in the interior,
which is probably unique, both in point
of subject and in point of the daring
and cunning necessary to obtain it.
1t is photograph showing thirty
seven skulls piled up on a scaffold Of
bamboos.
These skulls are the trophies of a
single savage. He was immensely proud
of them and had the display neatly ar
ranged by the side of his hut.
The savages in this village were not
meet. Their chief articles of clothing
were blowpipe full of poisoned darts,
keen curved knife about three inches
long and a long harpoon-like spear
with moose on the end of it.
With the spear they reach out after
fugitive and drop the moose over his
head. If he seems likely to be tough
customer they pierce him neatly
through the back of the neck. If they
want to have some fun before killing
him, they merely jerk the victim
over backwards and then sit ON him
restfully and cut his head off at their
ease
The severed heads are slung in nets
and after a foray the hunters return
home, each with his net full of heads
hanging over his shoulder.
At home they boil or smoke the ter
rible relics and then either hang them
in the rafters of the huts or pile them
up on platforms.
The photographer who got the pic
ture of the thirty-seven heads had to
lie hidden in the jungle ali one night
and then he managed to creep in and
snap the display in the early dawn.
Another member of this adventurous
Photographic society snapped the pic
ture of young woman whom he met
on a trail in the mountain thickets.
She looked so pretty and amiable that
he was quite proud of having found
such a beauty in the heart of the saw
age country, and he showed the pic
ture to every one.
Finally he showed it to native sub
chief of police, who recognized her as
the daughter of the most blood-thirsty
chief of all, man who ruled tribe
that had become notorious throughout
the southeastern part of Asia One
year before, his warriors had engaged
in a series of forays during which they
massacred more than seven hundred
Japanese and Chinese, whose heads
were all hanging in the huts of the
tribe.
The amateur photographer has been
wondering ever since how he managed
to get this picture of the woman and
get away with it and with his own
head.-New York Press.