The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-09-27
CANNIBALS SELDOM
EAT WHITE CAPTIVES
Interesting Description of Tribal Gus
toms, Given by DR.. Hoffman, For
merly a Consul in Africa.

Berlin, Ger, Sept. 27.-That cannibal;
seldom eat white captives and ther
without particular zest is the gist of a
scientific report on the subject made by
DIR. Holman, formerly consul in Africa
and an authority on the subject OF tribal
customs.
| Writing OF the recent murder of the
lGerman-American mineralogist, John
Henry Warner, by natives OF New
Guinea, DR.. Norman asserts that the abb
stention OF cannibals in Africa and OF
Guinea from the flesh of white men is
not because they fear the spirit of the
white victim or his powers OF magic, as
has sometimes been assumed, but be-
cause they consider that it has an I'M
pleasant taste due to the use of sharp
spices and condiments and of sailed
dishes in the diet of the European.
DIR. Holman cites an article printed
several years ago in a journal of Liberia,
in which it was said that the cannibals
in the Liberian territory eat white
man only when he has fallen into their
hands alive Then the victim is inn
mersed to the neck in running brook
and held there by bonds for two or three
days, on much the same principle that
an oyster is ''foated" in fresh water
after being taken from the beds. DIR.
Holman had confirmation of this from a
former cannibal.
The reported killing and eating of Mr..
Warner, in Papua, by the natives, has
called attention to the fact that canni-
balism is by no means stamped out in
New Guinea. Warner believed that ra-
dunn could be found in Papua and fell a
victim to his own zeal. 1t is reported
that his two native companions escaped
his horrible fate, the news of which they
brought to the coast
AT one time official circles believed
that eannibalism was q thing of the
past in British New Guinea. but clear
evidence that it has persisted into the
present decade has been provided by I'M
impeaehable witnesses. In a book pub
lished last year, j. II. 2. Murray, lieu
tenant governor and chief judicial officer
of Papua, has much TO say about the
practice of cannibalism among the
natives in the island He writes about
boiling springs which not many years
ago were made use of for cooking any
prisoners captured in the village war
fare
Describing the northeastern division
of the island Murray quotes native
witness, who, telling OF the eating of
human bodies, said "We boil them; we
cut them up and boil them in pot.
We boil babies, too; we cut them up like
a pig. We eat them cold or hot; we eat
the legs first. We eat them because they
are like fish. We have fish in the creeks
and kangaroos in the grass-but men
are our real food"
Murray tells of the remark of Fer
gusson islander to a stranger who want
ed to bury betel nuts from him: why
should ! sell You bete) nut; ! am going
to eat YOU" Which he promptly did.
He also writes of crew of shipwrecked
who were eaten one by one,
until the captors. surfeited with the diet,
peddled those who were left around the
coast selling them to the highest bid
ders.. Wives. who ventured to look
around during the funerals of their hus-
bands were killed and eaten. One native
who was concerned in the killing of a
chief and his two wives told
Of the subsequent eating of the victims
with the utmost uneoneern.
He told OF eating the hand of one
wife, but refused to touch the other, as
he had killed her, and it was not the GUS
tom of his tribe to eat ones own vic
tim. The two women were singed first,
then cut up into small pieces, mixed
with sage, cooked, wrapped up in leaves,
md distributed to the victors, including
heir women and children.