Papuan Marsalai (Ghost)

Papuan Marsalai

In the Papuan Jungle at the height of the Pacific Campaign of World War Two, the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’, became alarmed by a ghost. The ‘Fuzzies’ were Papuan New Guinean natives that were recruited by the Australian army during the Kokoda Campaign of World War Two, to help move goods, and wounded troops through the jungle.

The Papua New Guinean natives were extremely superstitious. They believed that a ‘Marsalai’, an unseen phantom was running past their barracks every morning at top speed.  The ‘Fuzzies’ swore to the Australians that they knew no living man would dare risk running in the New Guinean heat. They also claimed that no man would run in the jungle at night, so therefore only an ‘Itambu’, their equivalent of the Irish Banshee, could be the possible cause.

After an investigation, it was determined that a ghost was not present, but the ‘running itambu’ was, in fact, an American Captain, Bob MacCloskey. Capt. MacCloskey was a red-haired es-salesman from Los Angeles. Every day, he would wake up before sunrise and run 10 miles, followed by six ‘kick-ups’ on a horizontal bar.
 When asked if he was a cross country runner, MacCloskey replied ”Hell no! I gotta base job. I just gotta run to go nuts!”

...And hence the case of the Papuan Marsalai was solved!

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2019

Bibliography:

‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’, Australian Army, (4 December 2016), https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/history-in-focus/fuzzy-wuzzy-angels

'Jungle Ghost', Army News, (12 September 1943), p. 3.

Ah Yin and the Cats Eye

Ah Yin and the Cats Eye

 There are long-held traditional views of magic and superstitions associated with animals, particularly cats in Asian cultures. It is believed that parts of animals can cure different ailments. In terms of felines, Tiger’s are the most notable cat to be killed for magical purposes with some believing they hold magical cure-alls for impotence. It also believed consuming parts of Tiger’s can aid prosperity and bring affluence.

 In 1881, in Braidwood New South Wales, Chinese immigrant Ah Yin was suffering from the slow loss of his eyesight. He believed that if he was to eat a cat’s eye, it would magically restore his sight.

 Ay Pong bought a cat and took it to Ah Yin who drowned it. He then pulled out its eyes, applied some sugar to sweeten the taste, and swallowed the eye whole. Believing it would take two eyes to cure his two eyes, he followed the same procedure for the second eye. As he swallowed the second eye Yin began to cough, chocked and died.

 At his autopsy, it was revealed that the cat’s eye had lodged in the cavity immediately above Yin’s vocal cords. The size of the eye, was the exact size of Yin’s throat cavity, causing him to choke to death on the eye.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller.

Bibliography

‘Animals endangered by superstitions’, Perth Zoo, https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/article/animals-endangered-superstitions

'CURIOUS DEATH.', The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil, (17 December 1881), p. 414

'DID YOU KNOW?', Bunyip, (6 July 1951), p. 3.

'THE MAYOR'S REPORT.', Bunyip, (2 December 1881), p. 2

'CURIOUS DEATH.', The Argus, (26 November 1881), p. 10.