The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-11-08
GUINEA STILL LAND
OF WILD MYSTERY
THE ISLAND HAS BEEN BUT
LITTLE TOUCHED BY
CIVILIZATION.
CANNIBALS IN BIG MAJORITY

Tribes Are Beset by Sorcerers. Many
Maintaining Fish and Alligators In
fest Streams of Island and the Sur
rounding Waters.
The unknown is becoming dissipated
from the earth Year by year Central
Africa, once darkest, approaches the
Familiarity of our back yards; Thibet,
invaded bv scientific caravans, IS about
70 Weld the secret OF mans first roost-
ing place China is getting the habit
nj newspapers and open plumbing.
Rut there is a land little known
New Guinea, after Australia and Green
land the largest island in the world. 1t
lies eighty miles north OF the Austria
Ian continent and is the least eXpIor-
ed of any part OF the earth's area. Dis
covered about the year 1870 by Span
ish vovager it has since renamed, III
sDite of the numerous adventurous
souls who have attempted to lay bare
IFS secrets, the land OF mystery.
The western portion of the island IS
Dutch: the eastern, a territory OF Aus
+raIia. comprises that division OF New
Guinea formerly possessed by Ger
many, including Bismarck archipelago
and 200 smaller islands, and the terri
tory once known as British New Gui-
nea.
In his recent book, Tanning New
Guinea" Capt. c, A. w. Monckton,
former resident magistrate OF the Brit
ish possessions, tells OF life on the IS
land. The writer's experience covers 4
stretch OF nineteen years. Starting as
a prospector, he became resident mag
istrate at various government stations
on the mainland and outlying islands
He had many adventures and saw
many strange sights
Had Cure" for Sorcery.
Sorcerv among the New Guinea ma
tives, the majority OF whom are "a
Duans, he saws. is OF two kinds: that
OF the assassin, and that OF the benevo-
lent old magic worker who has certain
powers OF healing. The first performs
only black magic and will commit
crime for anyone who pays him. lie
often has the entire tribe III lear OF
him. Those sorcerers who practice a
kindly art pretend to possess powers
OF rain making, wind or fish bringing
bone setting the charming away OF
sickness, or charming the spot upon
which garden is to be made TO rem
der it productive They understand
massage to a certain extent, and are
highly respected in the tribe.
At Makeo station there occurred a
tvDical incident with sorcerers OF the
unpleasant kind. Capt Monckton had
taken charge OF the station, relieving
a chap who expressed great JOY at de-
Darture. The cause OF this was the
magic makers. who had formed habit
OF sneaking about the stockade near the
station and planting poisonous snakes
in his bed. The captain cured the ma
tive magicians by posting guards on
watch their guns loaded with blue
stone and dust shot OF which the in
vaders were given the benefit
Worms Cause Swordhsh's Death.
"Oncc when sailing from the island
Of St Afghan to Sudest in a whale
boat" the author writes, in very calm
weather | noticed a sWordtsh behav-
ING in a most extraordinary manner.
1t was travelling at great speed on the
surface of the water, sometimes
straight forward, sometimes in circles,
while at intervals it was leaping from
Nae water and whirling rapidly around.
I could no sign of an enemy, but
could plainly see that the fish was in
great agony. AT least it leaped halt
dozen times from the water to a great
height falling each time with re-
sounding splash, until its antics be
came fcebler and it turned on its side
and slowly sank caused the whale
boat to follow it Tor some distance, and
could see through the clear water the
almost dead fish drifting with no sign
OF external injury about its body any
where"
1t occurred to the explorer that the
cause of the fsh's agony might be
small worm. to whose attack certain
species of pearl oyster is subject. up
on inquiry among the natives they told
him that swOrdhsh often go mad IN
this manner the cause being small
snake" (the oyster worm), which bores
through his sword into the bone OF
the skull and thence into the brain
This explanation accounts Tor the nu-
merous well authenticated cases Of
swordhsh charging and breaking Oft
their swords in ships hulls
Many Man Eaters in Water.
In certain ports and rivers OF New
Guinea a1ligators are harmless, in 9th
ers thcv are man eaters which neither
hesitate to attack men in canoes nor
to sneak into a village at night and
seize people The same applies in less
cr degree to sharks haunting Papuan
seas They are in some waters quite
tame and in others have been known
to attack whale boats. Many have been
killed and when opened found to have
human bones in their bellies.
More dangerous to the pearl diver