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Wfcf, Ttirmrr It tillSHI US 1 , STRANGE MHH:_— i“Sod Min” Terror!**® Sis: I Hoetfle Hatrres by Will J Power; Escape*. iBy Heaxy Cliy *Sfcn Francisco, CkL, Feb. IS.—An td- * venture as a “God Man1* saved the lif* lt;of Dr. Richard Thurnwald, German scientist, and his party of blade boys * in the wilds of the New Guinea motin- , tains.Dr. Thurnwald is the man who spent I four years in a savage country collecting scientific data and study in# racial types. 1Dr. Richard ThurnwaldHe was chased for a month by 500 .Englishmen, who failed to capture him.The natives, or kanakas,' in the mountain parts of New Guinea had never seen a white man before I arrived with my party of black boya,” said Dr. Thurnwald. “When, wo approached a village in tha interior, the natives fled in terror. It was always my desire to placato them with gifts. In many places tbay refused at first to accept my peaco offerings, rushing into the bush when I advanced with iron * wares and beadB for them. Gradually they becamo moro accustomed to me and rather timidly accepted the presents,“The IBt mountain village we passed through was at first the scene of a triumphal entry and later as we returned a place of potential dentli and tragedy. 11.v black boys and I were met at the edge of the village on our first trip by the .old men of- the tribe. The rest had fled, taking their women and children into the dense forest of the tropicfl to hinder pursuit in case the atAnge men with a. white skin- -decided to choose them for hia lardor.“It .was . evident that the old men considered me a ‘God Man.’ I was a being unknown to them. I wore white clothes, such as thoy had tiever seen. They wore little'..or none 'at all, „They advanced and accepted my gifts; then, timorously, they felt of my white Buit. They, backed off in astonishment withstartled 'Aha' and grunts of surprise.“Then came a wonderful thing. With branches cut. from the sago palm, trees, they swept a path through the village for me and my party. It was a triumphal entry for the ‘God Man.’ How I wish my next visit might have been as peaceful. As we crossed a creek and stood opposite the village one of the old .-men gave me a moss sponge soaked in water and by signs made me understand that lie wished me to wave a charm on the village. I did so with much ceruinony and then went on my way.“The charm evidently failed' to work. At any rate when we came back through the village we were decidedly unwelcome. A howling mob of 300 armed savages danced around us, threatening with their clubs and arrows. I did not know tfhat to make of it and tried »■ peace offering but they would have .none, of it. They were on the warpath and preparedness for trouble Bhonldz-have been our most valuable asset. But 'we were not prepared. We had a few rifles but not enough to cope with that hand of savages.. Besides I did not want ,trouble. I did 'not wish to shoot.My black boys were weary from' long . mountain climbing and staggered under their packs.‘Oh, roaster,', they wailed, ‘kanaka, suppose' lje shoot, me die.’‘It was most unpleaBant. The savages grouped at our rear and at thncg fired arrows, wounding some of my boys. I was .determined if possible to escape. without returning their fire; it seemed suicidal to shoot at them.“Their superstitions dread- o? the white man had not vanished and thoy kept their distance, but still howling their terrible cries. I stopped once to the rear of my 'boys and noticed that as I halted the.' natives did likewise. I walked slowly backwards a- few paces and threw up my arum with a warning gesture. They turned and ran. But when wo started on once more they followed again with their arrows flying about us.. I stopped again and waved them back. A repetition of these tactics dozens of times on the trail from their village managed to ward them off until at ,.Jast we were out of their district.“If they had only been more courageous, if they had been leES afraid of me. we would never have come out.”Thus th© “God Man” won over the ignorance of the savage. A more intelligent, human being, by the sheer force of will, the use of his greater personality. bluffed the weaker mind in a time of danger and threatening death, swhen courage and subtlety were necessary.
Newspaper Details
Fort Wayne Sentinel
Fort Wayne, Indiana, US
Fri, Feb 18, 1916
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Alvin T.
NA, NA 29 Sep 2024
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