The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-10-30


stance here is DR.. l.. w.
III Luscher sitting peacefully In
his Office. You wouldn't think
at a casual glance he was Soldier
of Fortune" says a writer in the Kan
sas city Star
Well. he isn't-as the term has come
to be used to describe every wanderer
who strayed beyond the bounds Of his
native country, Let a track laborer
return from Mexico and he's sol
der OF fortune" The same goes for
q Cooks tourist
But there used to be real soldiers
of fortune who had real adventures
in unreal countries. Richard Harding
Davis made a fortune writing about
them. but most OF them have been
written out. Perhaps there is a new
crop growing up in strange countries
waiting to come home with new sto-
rieB. However, there aren't many OF
them these duh days that have new
stories TO tell
That's why It Is surprising TO find
Doctor Luscher sitting peacefully In
his office and chatting about the
times he used to chase headhunters
In Formosa with native Chinese
troops.
II was SO unexpected. You wouldn't
Judge Doctor Luscher to be the sort
OF n man who plunged through dank
jungles and over bleak mountains TO
run down the head hunting savages
Of an untamed country. The doctor
/ seema TO be too courteous 10 take
/ part in anything Of that sort. SIN.
he's not so young as he used to be
and there is no telling what an ad-
/ venturuus soul he used to be when he
slept under tropical stars. There
must have been n powerful spirit OF
unrest within him. for It ia known
that he has served under four flags
/ before he settled down to a staid prac.
| tice here,
/ Served Under Four Flags.
/ Doctor LusCher was present when
American troops moved against In
! dans on the plains, when Cubans met
/ Spaniards and when mongrel met
mongrel In Honduras. Also he has
zen the Chinese troops charge with
/ Eongs and flags and devils heads
against deadly aim OF waiting and
grinning French soldiers He has
/ seen the headhuntcrs skipping through
the tangled bush and has been fortu
nate enough TO have lodged divers
spears aimed at him
All OF these things are written in
his memory, which goes to show that
you never can tell about your neigh
bor. Really you wouldn't suspect I,
OF the doctor as he sits peacefully in
his office in the Argyle building al
/ Twelfth and McGee streets.
An article published In the Star
last Sunday told how Japan Ia open
ing n military campaign against the
headhunters on Formora. The head
hunters are OF Malay descent and
were probably cast on the coast oI
Formosa by storms at sea Since
man can remember they have beer
undesirable. with their head hunting
and cannibal practices China used
to own the island. but II was sick
and tired OF II when Japan came alonf
in 1895 and took 1t in as war prize
Japan has its own troubles with the
natives who have only vague and in
distinct ideas OF the correct mode o.
behaving toward their fellow men.
They eat their enemies and they
haven't n friend on earth. Altogether
they are a wicked race but they have
been making both ends meet, after I
manner OF speaking. by hiding away
in the tops OF the rugged mountains
of Formosa.
1t was into these mountains thai
Doctor Luscher went with 700 Chi
nese soldiers in 1886. immediatel!
after China had been counted out II
the Franco Chinese war. Docto
Luscher had been the only medica
man with the Chinese army in tn,
war, having organized hospital corp
OF fifty men.
The headhunters had been kiflnl
the Chinese camphor wood cutters Il
the mountains Reports had beef
drifting down to the government. bu
China was so busy trying and failini
to whip France with magic charm
and incantations that II didn't hav
time to get after the wild tribes. !
was great sport for the headhunters
swooping down on the helpless CHI
nese who we're gathering campho
wood in the forest and butcherin
them. At last China found time t
start after the savages after peac
| with France had been established.