Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-08-13
Yours truly,
HORRIBLE CANNIBALISM--E
TON TO CALIFORNIA


The Western Expositor, of Wednesday last,
contains letter written by Peter Quivvey, of
Jackson county, who went out last year with
a company of emgrants to California. This
letter is dated on the oath of March last, at
lower Puebla. The writer arrived at the first
settlement in California on the 4th of October,
after long and tiresome Journey. Very soon
after their arrival in California, hearing of the
revolution, and that the American coiors were
raised, these emf grants enlisted as volunteers
in regiment formed under Col Fremont,
with the promise of twenty-five dollars per
month-sergeants, thirtyive. He speaks IA
vorably of the country over which he passed,
AMI says that if he were now back in Missouri
with his family, and with his present knowl,
edge of the country, he would not hesitate to
move there. The charms of the country must
be very great to counterbalance the difficulties
which the emigrants encounter in getting there,
and of which he gives some account in the
letter He went out with Moran and Boon,
who changed their mind on the route, and
went to Oregon. Gov. Boggs reached Cali
fornia about the same time Quivvey did, after
much difficulty, having lost his cattle. par
ty of emigrants who went out or started, with
Col. Russell, suffered almost incredible hard
ships in the mountain, last winter, having
been prevented from crossing them by the
snow.
This company was composed of twenty
three wagons, and left Indian Creek on the
] 9Th day OF May, 1916. About month pre-
vious to the date of the letter, five women and
two men arrived at Capt Johnson's, the first
house of the California settlements, entirely
| naked, and their feet frost bitten. They sta
| ted that their company had arrived at Truck
ey's Lake on the east side of the mountains,
and found the snow so deep that they could
| not travel. Fearing starvation, sixteen OF the
strongest eleven males and five females) a
| greed to start for the settlement on foot. Al
ter wandering about a number of days, be-
wldered, their provision gave out. Long
| hunger made it necessary to cast lots to see
who should be sacrificed to make food for the
rest but at this time the weaker began to die,
which rendered the taking of life unnecessary.
AS they died, the company went into camp
and made meat of the dead bodies of their
companions. Nine of the men died, and sew
en- were eaten. One of the men was carried
| to Johnson's on the back of an Indian.
From this statement it would seem that the
women endured the hardships better than the
men, as none of them died. The company
left behind numbered sixty souls, ten of them
men, the others women and children. They
were in camp about one hundred miles from
Johnson's. Revolving as it may seem, it is
stated that one of the women was obliged to
eat part of the dead bodies of her father and
brother, and another saw her husbands heart
cooked 1t ought to be very fine country
to justify an exposure to such sufferings and
horrors
Benjamin Hudspeth had been appointed
captain of a company in the California 'Battal-
ion, with salary of s12O per month.
This writer says that Gen. Kearney was
then Governor and Commander in-Chief oil
Upper and Lower California.
[St Louis Republican, July Goth.