Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-04
HEAD HUNTERS OF BORNEO
Missionary Tells Of Life Among FerOOious
Malaysian savages.
CONFERENCE OF METHODIST WORKERS
Bishops Vincent and Oldham in
Attendance and Many Distinguished
workers Take Part in the
Proceedings.

The opening session of the missionary
conference at tho First Methodist Epis-
copal church Tuesday evening was greeted
with a very large audience and Is the
most remarkable assembly of it's type
which has yet convened in Omaha. 1t is
the eighth of a series of twelve delegated
conventions being held under the auspices
OF the Methodist church. Each convention
is a delegated bddy representing one or
more states. and the present convention
represents the sites Of Iowa and Ne
braska. A special feature of the present
convention is the presence OF so many
bishops and the humber of distinguished
missionaries from the foreign field.
Al Tuesday lights meeting Bishop
Hartzell, who hat just returned from an
extensive tour Of Africa, presided. The
quiet hour OF devotional exercises was
conducted by Bibhop Vincent OF Indian
apolis
The opening address was by DR.. II. L. e.
Leuring. missionary at Ipoh, Perah. one
of the federated Malay states. His address
was confined TO personal experiences in
the missionary held of Borneo, chiefly
among the head hunters OF north Borneo.
His FIRST visit toI that field, in which he
worked alone, was among a completely
strange people whose language he had to
- learn. He finally succeeded in overcoming
their aversion TO foreigners. This was
some fifteen yeats ago, the doctor re-
manning among them for several years.
The favorte delicacy of the people was
snakes which thek fattened in huge jars
-. for, u1ett. feast days. % y,
s+s'f aiumRn Hendt Chief Treasure.
In one OF the o1ef's houses he counted
$50 human heads which the datto valued
as his principal treasures He said:
II was my first Intention to penetrate the
interior of north Borneo, but floods,
swamps and mpedetrable jungles caused
me TO abandon thht intention and l OBJ
tained permission rom one OF the chiefs
20 build my house ln sight of his own on
q small plain at Tle foot OF a hill. the
ton OF which was "A series of tonfbs OF
some of the notabfs of the region. The
people were kind ahd hospitable, and not
averse 10 receiving the gospel. I was as
sisted In the building of my house by some
OF the people, and Thus by constant asso-
citation with them ! was soon enabled to
learn their Language, and found that my
best instructors wete children. These peo-
pie worshipped Certain god. who, accord
ing TO their belief inhabited a mountain
about forty miles distant from my house.
They could not corfeive that it was wrong
10 kill, and II Wad difficult to make them
understand that commandment which says
Thou shalt not kill,' especially In view
of the fact that We killed animals for food,
They thought IL ho wrong tn kill their
enemies and did so mercilessly and in
variably brought the heads to their homes
and preserved fhem as their greatest
treasures They maintained that whom-
ever they killed that soul entered their
MORE f hsads aS ssy SsT oreS d Rh
greater and stronger they became The
chief OF the tribE with which / lived had
the utmost prideP in them They yU were we're
heads OF men, women and children,
Standard OF There First.
With them war was an essential duty
nffNEHlt ~.
prehend that Christs kingdom IL a king
dom OF peace. But here let me state that
spiritual kingdom IN this lonely land, foi
I found that Jphn ID. Rockefeller prior ia
sta ms B s sSa mS asa admt tSs
was somewhat Inundated TO see that
the Standard on company had got into
These people were Very observa aTt a aTs
carefully watthed me that l should wall
s S ss1sa5 W tSot Was s0 nnSly sent m
HE to send me an assistant into thai
region, and my superiors in the mission
20 the thought that should remain there
i5 eonstant danger Il was my duty e
SSE s so P5sS pa ne 70 cbs af bs
essni SO jkinH e me; He could net under
be drew hik sword with the evident pur
pose OF adding my head to, his collection
drs srpSS a t trophies 9bs was helpless be-
Impulse seized him and he returned his
sNord to iIs seaebsrd; The hereeness LET
pleaded with me to stay.
Head a. an ArEument.
convinced him that l could not bu
asked him 10 give me one Of the head,
he had that / might take IL 10 Singapor,
need Of ~ gospel to to sSc6 S Ss he Snd III
sSossr @ Rssasa wis Sa IS sf pSs hin
20 take my pick of his collection OF heads
and ] cut one down. that OF q handsom,
Young man with flowing black hair AS
left his house his wife, Christian con
vert; gave he a sack In which TO carry
the head for fear that some OF the people
would see ~ aud might object 10 my tax
ing Il AWAY. as Il would thus detract from
his fame and proWess the greatest heaS
hunter OF TIE tribe. This head l brought
with me 20 Singapore and later 70 Amer
ira and have Il with me here tonight.
DR.. Luerine then unwrapped the uncanny
head from its covering and displayed It be
fore the great audience. 1t was a gruesom,
object, The nesh had completely dried OF
the skull and was Of a deep bronze color
with some Il the black silken hair still
adhering to the scalp. DR. Luering LET
The city shortly after the lecture and vii
so to New York and thence TO his old
home in Germany for a short visit aftel
which he viii return TO his missionary du
ties in the Malayan peninsula
MissiotaFy work IN India.
Bishop W. r. Oldham, who has just ar
rived from the mission sfeld in India anS
the Philippians. made bis first public ap
poarance and address since his return &C
America. He gave an Interesting review
OF the groNtA o. the missionary work IL
Jndia ana aetcribed the snxiousness viii
Shich the people Of India who have CONF