The Paducah evening sun., 1910-12-30
HORRIBLE CANNIBALlSM YET PRACTICBD
BY CERTAIN TRIBES In NV GUINEA

The lieutenant governor OF The
British portion OF New Guinea has
just come home for brief holiday.
and according TO the London cor
respondent OF the Washington (D.
c. Post. he has found the oppor-
tunity to make his countrymen's
flesh creep with tales OF cauniballsm
as still pract!ood by natives under his
jurisdiction. The interior OF New
Guinea, Il should b. noted. is perhaps
the largest terra inoognito remaining
on the earth's surface. and according
to Governor Murray Il hides many
mysteries.
The native Papuans are divided
into many distinct tribes. primitive
and barbarous. but IN some respects
OF high native Intelligence. They are
easily won over from barbarism and
induced to take up some form of EN-
.plOyment. The governor during his
trips into the interior heard con-
stantiy OF a race OF long tailed pig
mics who dWelt just over the noun
tains. but exploration always brought
the answer that they were farther on.
The interior Papuan Village wholly
consists OF a single building from
800 to 6O0 feet long and about 20
feet high. II Is divided into tunnel
like compartments. capable OF shell
tering "a many as 1900 persons In
front OF the building is a platform
whereon the cannihal feasts take
place. Governor Murray recently ar
rived AT one OF these villages IN time
to be present az the eating OF a fresh
roasted body Re says;
''The bodies are placed on the
platform, s'ngcd. and afterward
roasted. The flesh Is cut up INTO
small portions. snrlnkled with eagO.
wrapped IN leaves and distributed.
The hero OF the cay-the man who
has done the most killing then
mounts the platform. and after much
brandisling throws a iichted torch to
the ground. thus signifying that the
entire male population IS privileged
to make love 90 his wife That is the
highest honor the tribe has In its
power TO confer upon him for his
days proves. There are less pre-
ltentious cannibal exploits on a
smaller scale. u Is point OF
Papuan etiquette that you must not
eat the man you have killed. bat you
may satisfy your conscience by ex-
changing victims with another man.
having first scaled the compact by
ldisfiguring the corpse In accordance
with conventional rules. Many OF
the tribes have their own notions of
how cannibalism should be con-
Quoted. In some districts the victims
are roasted. while IN others boiling il
preferred / have known instances
in which the process OF cooking Is
done over a fire. the body being sand
lwiched between two layers OF sago.
Some OF the tribes have a weakness
for eating babies and organize raids
on neighboring villages for the pur-
pose of kidnapping infants"
Discussing other characteristics OF
this interesting race, Governor Muir
ray says: 81 do not think the average
Papuan has the slightest fear OF
death. / have known a native when
charged with murder TO fall fast
asleep within FIVE minutes of the be-
ginning OF the trial. As judge / have
sentenced a man TO death while he
yawningly reminded me that he was
tired of the whole legal formality.
"The attitude OF lethargy is char-
Iacteristic OF the race. While fighting
had 10 be done the Papuan kept him
lself prepared for eventualitles and
lallowed his wife TO do the work. Now
that tribal warfare has almost dis
appeared among the people on the
coast line, the warrior pleads that il
would be a national disaster to re-
gard the woman as the weaker sex.
and so he permits her to go on with
the work while he arranges to do as
little as possible.
''The male Papuan Is more or less
the creature of indoience. but direct
lly he Is taken in hand he becomes
disciplined with astonishing readi-
ness. Ask a native in his primitive
days to fetch a wheelbarrow. and he
Immediately takes II up In his arms
and handles II as a fond mother
would carry a child. / have seen
Papuan men when first given a spade
lay It on the ground, pile the soil on