The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-07-03
CANNIBAL KING
Columbia Visitor Tells Some Mar.
yeIouS Tales.
Says He Has Been King in New He
brides Islands and Is Now a

brides Islands and Is Now 4
Newspaper Magnate.
Col John F. Hobbs, native Of the
Ouch Fork Of Lexington county. who
has been king of the cannibals in the
New Hebrides Islands, Oceania, part
owner of The New York News and
part owner and proprietor Of the
New York Review Of Reviews, accor-
ding to his statements to Columbia
Record man Thursday morning, Is
in Columbia, visiting his kinsman,
DR.. ]. Edwin Boozer. 1916 Blanding
street. He hasn't visited his king
dom in II years, he says, but is still
king. and is thought by his subjects
to have ascended into heaven. He is
at present resident of New York.
Col. Hobbs talked freely. when 10
Gated by a Record man at the Bailey
Copeland store With him was his
little daughter. He is man of
about fifty. but wore jaunty red
tie and a never-fading smile.
Pulling himself together within
an air of ease, the colonel proceeded
to tell of his experience. In the ear
ly eighties my health began to leave
me and my physician insisted that
should take trip abroad and settle
in Australia. This l did and I soon
gained flesh and strength and /
sought my native land. I came back
to this country in 1885 and studied
law for two years in Atlanta. My
health again failed me and | went
back to Australia and from there to
the New HebrideS islands. The ma
tives of that country at once took
liking for me and made me their
king against my will. They gave me
everything and did everything to
make my life pleasant one.
Il left the islands in 1889 and
went to New York, where | was mar
ried. With my wife l returned to
the islands, and she was made queen
taught them that it was wrong to
eat their fellow man and soon they
learned it was wrong and developed
into great hunters and fishermen and
lived on their catches.
There are over two hundred IS
lands in the group and upon each IS
land a tribe lives and each tribe
speaks a different language. l soon
learned to speak their tongues and
many learned to converse with me IN
our language.
Each time that I left the island
they firmly believed that l had gone
to heaven. returned to the Great
Father that gave me to them. The
last time I left was in 1887 and l
have not returned since. My home
is in New York and my business IS
the same as yours. newspaper DuSl-
ness. am interested in several pup
locations of the great metropolis ana
at present I am on the staff OF the
New York News. Leaving here /
will 90 to my native home. up IN the
Dutch Fork. where l will spend
few days and from there Will go 10
Atlanta, where have some property
to look after.
From Atlanta I 80 to Washington
where I have an appointment with
President Roosevelt on the 10Th OF
July, and from there go to New
York. Then go to my summer
home, at Paleeville, Catckkill noun,
tains. New York My wife and
Youngest child are there now.
The colonel has not been back 10
his island since he left them twelve
wears ago. The affairs of the ISLANDS
arc looked over by two of his chiefs,
one a big giant, seven feet, ten IN
ches in height and the other mid
Col. Hobbs says he will never re-
turn to the islands unless sometnlns
goes wrong and his services are need
ed.
Col. Hobbs is related to the booz-
ers, Fleazers, Houseals ana othe.
prominent families of Columbia ana
= number throughout the State