The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-18
COULDN'T SHOOT
CRYING MONKEY
Mr.. Vandenheurk Talks of Visit
to South Africa.
PEOPLE FOND OF MONKEYS
Hands and Feet of the Intelligent Little
Beasts Are DeIicacles, But Amerl-
cans Thought the Hands
Looked Too Human.

]. w. vandenheurk of Vance, who has
! spent three years in the wilds of South
America for the Deering Gold Mining
company tells some interesting stories ii
! that country and its customs. Mr.. Van
| denheurk enjoys telling his first expert
! ence at shooting monkeys. and incidental
! ly says that he has never shot but one
and will never shoot another.
"The people of South America are very
| fond of monkey flesh said Mr.. Vanden-
| heurk, land 1t is one of their principal
articles Of food. They usually cook the
monkey flesh in rice. and 1t Is very
palatable. In fact. 1 like it better THAI
squirrel or rabbit Americans find it a
little difficult at first to eat monkeys but
after their timidity disappears they be-
come very fond of the dish.
Ate Monkey.
II shall never forget the first piece of
monkey l ate" continued Mr.. Vanden-
heurk. "and 1t made impression that
was lasting. l stopped at a good old
Spanish womans house and they had
monkey cooked in rice for dinner. Down
there the hands and feet of the monkey
are considered the choicest parts and the
good old lady bountifully helped my plate.
In the middle of the plate was NOM
keys hand filled with rice. / looked &C
1t moment and 1t looked so much like
a human hand I could not touch it. 1
passed my plate back and asked for an
other piece
"That is the choicest piece she said in
Spanish as she looked at me surprised
4 cant help that | replied but I am
afraid he might throw that handful Of
rice at me- I don't think the old lady
appreciated the humor but / certainly
had no intention of eating that hand"
Hunting Monkeys.
When asked to relate his hunting ex-
perience when he shot his first monkey
Mr.. Vandenheurk laughingly said: Down
there the people know nothing of shot
guns and of course the killing of mon
keys was easy to me. We started out
one morning with three dogs and good
gund with the intention of killing big
ape. We had seen hundreds of small
monkeys but it was more than an hour
before l spied big ape. Finally 1 saw
one hanging by his tail to a high limb
of a tree. If you shoot them while they
are hanging by the tail they will never
fall as the tail takes a death grip on the
lin.
Knowing this I waited for him to
move. After teasing some small monkeys
awahile the old fellow, who was as large
as a dog, Jumped down on a limb and |
fired. With a scream he fell to the
ground and all the dogs jumped on him.
He slapped those dogs about like play
things and tried to run up the tree but
he was wounded In the hips. The old
fellow then backed himself up against
tree and slapped the dogs down jas fast
as they came TO him.
Expression on Apes Face.
Il shall never forget the look on that
apes face as long as l live. His face was
perfectly free of hair and looked exactly
like an old man. AS he stood there
wounded the tears streamed down his
cheeks and In way that was pitlfnl ne
would reach up and brush the tears away
with the back of his hsai.
Shoot him again, said the fellow with
me. he Is only wounded.
IT looked at my companion and in n
tone which I meant L replied, I'll be
darned If / do; / might be shooting one
of my great great grandfathers for all
/ know. You can shoot him If you want
to. but I'll be darned If 1 will. I've get
too much respect for our ancestors.
After that l never fired on another
monkey. and If the Lord will forgive me
for the first offepse L will never DO it
again.
For months afterwards I could see that
poor apes face with the tears streaming
down his cheeks