The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-21
CANNIBALlsM STILL FLOURlSHEs, AS SHOWN
BY THE DETAILS OF REV. M'LAUGHLlA'S DEATH


Details of the death of The
Rev. Alexander Mclaughlin. of The
Presbyterian Mission to the Solo
mon Islands, have just reached
New York. He was killed and eat
en- at St George Island on Nov. /
last but word of his death has
just reached the United States by
way OF Samoa.
His bones have been sent home
to New Zealand and decently bur
led.
Despite the warming of travel.
lers and seafaring men, the in
trepd missionary decided that
there was some work for him to
do in the southwest corner of the
island, where the natives are un-
usually fierce and all cannibals.
For few weeks they seemed
AFRAID of him and listened TO his
eXpounding of the gospel, but
eventually they resented what thov
deemed was his interference with
their tribal customs. To set an
example for other missionaries they
Killed him and displayed his skull
ana bones on "tambu" house.
word finally reached New Zeo
Iand. A Sunboat was hastily dis
patched by the Colonial Govern
ment. With guns trained on the
island Chief Onenunga was forced
10 give up the bones, pay an In
oemnity In pearls which amounted
10 100000 and sign an agreement
10 abstain from cannibalism
lhiS ana not end the matter
however AS soon as the remains
were Inferred another gunboat ,y,e
1'uriaed to st. George Island rho
native villages where cannihalisn,
Is still practiced were bomharda,
ana The sayaiges who partIcinatcJ
IN me east were either kilIed -.
disciplined 'u or
But nobody In Polynesia dreams
that this will at once stamp out
cahnibalsm there this year or next
year or for two years to come.
Nor VIII it be done anywhere else
wnere men still eat human flesh
Civilization has not succeeded
yet in stamping out cannibalIsm
by long way. There are plenty of
places on this globe in This two,-
tieuh century of ours where men
eat their fcllowmen to saw noth-
ing OF women and children.
The only difference due to the
coming of the white man IS that
what was openly done Is now done
IN secret. 1t is religion a ccrc
mony, part of the traditions or
centuries. That is why it is so hard
10 eradicate, Even little children OF
tender years eat human flesh i'm
New Guinea-nO wonder the faeto
10 lhborn and stubbornly resists
civilization.
There has been cannibalism in
our own peaceful Philippines, not
700 miles from Mania, in Mindanao.
Since the beginning of the TWEEN
tieth century white men have been
slain and eaten on the Island OF
ST. Matthias, in the South Seas:
III New Guinea, the New Hebrldes.
IN New Britain, one of the Solomon
Islands; along the Congo i'm Cen
tral Africa; in the wiIds of Havtj
and in Nigeria They have human
sacrifices in Dahomey, but no can
niDallsm In the Comeroons tho
Maka tribe eat only their crimi-
nails.
DR., Henry b. Guppy, late sur
eeon in the British Navy. who
spent much time in the Solomon
Islands, Is an authority on modern
cannibalism.
When a tambu or chiefs house
Is dedicated on the Island of St.
Christaval, one of the Solomon
group there is sure to be can
nlbal feast, he says. If a victim
cannot be secured by a raid on
some neighboring tribe he is gem
orally selected from, among the
men originally purchased by the
chief. 1t is not etiquette to let the
doomed man know .hls fate; he
may have assisted In the erection
of the very house for which his
life Is to be forfeited. One blow
with club on his head, aimed