Evening star., 1936-03-02
TROPHY OF SAVAGE
;. WON BY L|PST|cK|
Brooklyn Woman Bribes
Head-Hunter With Cosmet-
les to Get Memento.

les to Get Memento.
MIAMI, Fla, March 2 (N.A.N.A).
In a railway express car speeding
toward New York is a human head.
which once adorned the slim brown
shoulders of an Ecuadorian woman.
The present owner of the head is
Mabel Louise Guilmard OF Brooklyn,
N. Y, vino bribed South American
head-hunting savage with powder.
rouge and lipstick to obtain the grisly
memento.
Mrs. Guilmard, now visiting Miami,
is one Of the few white women ever
to accompany an expedition into the
dark and mysterious jungles of Napo
Pastaza, which for ages have remained
a closed chapter in the geography OF
the world. Just returned from that
adventure. she revealed for the first
time to friends here how she obtained
her startling souvenir. possession of
which meant death in Ecuador, for
human heads are taboo to all but the
proud tribes of aborigines which make
the jungle their home.
Last November, Mrs. Guilmard left
New York for pleasure trip to Kings
ton, Jamaica. No thoughts of col
lecting human heads were in her mind.
She met friends in Jamaica who told
her she should see the remote sections
Of South America, by all means, and
she admits-almost before she knew
1t, she was en- route to Buena Ventura,
Colombia. a primitive seaport, which
she found more insanitary than pic
turesque. So she decided to visit the
reputedly romantic city of Guayaquil,
Ecuador.
Joins Scientific Party.
In Guayaquil, she met party of
prominent scientists and anthropol-
ogists just about to leave for trip
into the interior to study the habits
of the vicious and vindictive bush
natives.
Mrs. Guilmard was thrilled, and
begged to be taken along on the ex-
pedition.
"A woman on a trip like this?"
the leader scoffed. Certainly not"
~ Two days later the expedition left.
One of its members was short, smil-
ing woman, her dufle bags bulging
with beads, knick-knacks and gadgets.
Il hear the natives like them," Mrs.
Guilmard explained.
The natives did. With the same
feminine subtlety that had gained her
a place in the expeditions personnel.
the white woman won the hearts of
the grim, suspicious head-hunters.
She drank their yama, made from
tuber previously masticated by fe-
males of the tribe. she fondled their
babies, gave every one in sight pres
ents and generally conquered the case
hardened hearts of the half-naked
lords of the jungle.
Several Fingered Knives.
Though now and then I did see
one or two of them finger their knives
and look appraisingly at my head"
she added.
In the matter of heads. she was not
long in learning why and how the
natives earn their uncomplimentary
reputation. 1t is the habit Of each
warrior, at intervals, to hunt down a
personal enemy, shoot him or her
neatly with poisoned arrow from
behind, remove the victims head, split
the skull to remove the bony structure
and shrink the flesh slowly through
secret processes until it is about the
size of base ball, with features in
perfect proportion. This trophy Is
then added to the warriors collection
and displayed prominently to attest
his social position. The more heads,
fthe better the reputation. 1t is all
very simple, Mrs. Guilmard learned.
] She likewise learned it was impos-
sible for white person to get one of
the heads. They were taboo, guarded
jealousy, and every man in the expe-
dition party warned her to leave the
miniature skulls strictly alone.
But somehow that didn't daunt her
So she set out to cultivate the friend
ship Of a tribal leader. giant of a
man whose collection of heads was a
matter of envy to every other warrior
In the tribe. She piled him with
divers 10-cent store items, apparently
to mo avail. He accepted them un-
graciously, robbed her whenever her
back was turned, and in general acted
like an untutored savage. 1t was all
very discouraging.
- Bribed With Cosmetics.
Then, one day, she was inspired to
try an experiment, based on the theory
that the male Of the species is always
vainer than the female. She sat the
Warrior down, unpacked her personal
collection of face powder, rouge and
,lipstick, and in five minutes had him
looking like one of Barnum & Bailey's
more exotic clowns. Then she handed
him a mirror and stood back to await
developments.
Her victim was ecstatic. He leaped
to his feet, screaming with joy, and
summoned every one else in the tribe
to view his gorgeous new face.
That evening, Mrs. Guilmard smil-
ingly accepted as a reward one of his
most skillfully mummified heads
that Of an Ecuadorian belle who had
displeased him-secreted it in her
personal belongings and made men,
tai note that men are very much the
same the world over.
The head Is to be added to the COL
lection of Dr. Gregory Robillard, of
Kings County Hospital, New York.
(Copyrisht 1898 by North American