The San Francisco call., 1905-01-16

To have been the only white man who
has ever managed to exist without hav-
ing his ribs picked clean among tribe
of the fiercest cannibals of the island of
'Luzon, Philippines; to have been greet
ed as friend by the savages' big
chief" and to have succeeded in spend
ing two years with as strange a people
as Uncle Sam has ever taken under the
protecting folds of the Stars and Stripes
is the experience of l.. NJ. Murphy. sol
dier of war and of fortune.
Mr.. Murphy arrived from Manila on
the transport Sherman yesterday after
noon. and it is an odd contradiction of
human fancy, as the civilized world un-
derstands it, that he should be some
what sorry that he is come. Murphy
among cannibals is really happier than
Murphy in America. The traveller from
the jungle is a convert to THE Simple
Life" and he eschews only the spare
ribs of the human toast--the victim of
head hunt. Savagery is not so bad as
It is painted, he says, and Murphy of
Bantoc has waxed fat and happy under
Its fanatical influences.
Northwestern and Northeastern Lu-
son." says Murphy, lis a no-man's
land, in which the mysteries of civiliza-
tion have never even had opportunity
to present problem" Abra, Ifugao
and La Ponta, deep in the frowning
ridges of rugged mountain range,
TEEN with human life that is as prim-
tive as that which peopled the Sand
wich group when Cook found them.
The Spanish never dared to venture
farther inland than Bantoc, seventy
miles from the country of the head
hunters, yet this one man. without arms
and with nothing but small supply of
provisions and a camera outfit, went
za<16
by them.
L was a private in Company c, Six
teenth Infantry..' said Murphy. Il got
my discharge about three years ago,
after serving three years in active ser
vice with my regiment. Being a pho
tographer of the amateur kind, l con-
ceived the idea that it would be a good
business proposition if / could succeed
in making a trip into the Ifugoa coun-
try and get the true story of that queer,
isolated people.
when 1 started from Bantoc, the
nearest point to the rough Ifugoa
lands, l was well provided with arms
and ammunition, but l had some diff
Guilty with the cOnStabulary, who seized
my pistols. The Spanish ex-officials at
Bantoc warned me not to make the
trip, as there had never been any eff
fort made by white men to enter the
domain of the cannibals. The province
is cut off from the main part of the
island, and as the people only bothered
the Filipinos living at the edge of their
territory the Spanish Government
thought it not worth while to send
troops into the mountainous district. to
subjugate the tribe.
STARTS ON JOURNEY.
II started on my journey, travelling
from town to town with few native
companions. Soon found myself in a
wild region threaded by narrow forest
paths that led UP and down steep
ridges. The tropic foliage entwined
about the thick growth of trees and
made it difficult to travel. After sew
eral weeks of hardship / reached the
home of the Ifugao and was told that
an old chief had a village near at hand
but probably would not receive me
with much good grace. One afternoon
l wandered into the woods, and, hear
ing a noise in the brush, looked up and
saw a savage face glaring at me
through the jungle at a distance of not
more than ten yards.
For several seconds we stood gazing
intently at each other Then the old
chief broke the silence by repeating
Amigo Cfriend).
Amigo" replied.
Marcano?'" he asked, mispro-
nouncing Americana Spanish for
American
IT knew a few words of the Ifugao
dialect and tried to tell him that my
mission was a friendly one. He turned
toward the forest and shouted some
: thing and in jiffy band Of savages
were gathered about me. / was given
"a sign to accompany them.
II found the Ifugao tribe to be con-
firmed head-hunters and cannibais.
The only distinction between good
and a bad roast of human flesh was
whether it was that of a Filipino or a
member of a neighboring tribe. The
Ifugao never eats one of his own race,
but he will travel a long distance, over.
what seems to be an impossible coun-
try to get Filipino head. never
witnessed cannfbal feats. but was
shown ample evidence of them after
their termination.
Physically the Ifugao and other
tribes Of the provinces I visited are
splendid specimens of mankind, al
though they are of small stature.
Strange to say. in spite of their canni-
'ba1istic tendencies they are the great
est producers of vegetable supplies on
the island of Luzon. They are great
farmers and transport their green
stun for many miles over the mar
row, treacherous roads Of the seventy
miles between them and Bantoc. They
grow cabbages and radishes on their