Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-01-09
HORRIBLE NARRATIVE.
CAxxABALIsx or AN American BoATs'
CREW.

CAHNABAL5M CT An AMERICAN bOAT5
CREW.
In August last. John F. Sullivan, Of
Hadlsy Falls. Mass., with six cOmpan-
ions, deserted from the whalers Daniel
Webster and AnseI Gibbs, then lying
IN Cumberland Straits. They left in q
boat which they had stolen, with very
small quantity Of provisions, two guns
and 3 little ammunition and after
stormy voyage Of sixteen days reached
Cape Chadleigh, a barren region,
where. they could end not hing but ber-
ries and mushrooms to eat. One Of
the party named Dutton died there
Soon after he breathed his last, one Of
the survivors proposed to eat him, and
taking knife, cut off a slice from the
thigh Of the corpse. which he held over
the FIRE until It was cooked. The 9TH
ers followed his example, and the flesh
Of the deceased man was soon con-
sumed. Afterward the bones we're bro
ken up small and boiled in a Kettle,
even the skull being broken and the
brains taken out and cooked. When
this source Of supply was exhausted,
they commenced to hunt for mushrooms
again. Sullivan thus describes the
events that followed:
While kneelng down to cook the
mushrooms, / received heavy blow of
club from Joseph Fisher. and before
could get on my feet got three more
blows. then managed to get on nav
feet, when Samuel Fisher got hold Of
my right arm; then Joseph Fisher struck
me three more blows on the arm. /
somehow got away from them, and, be-
ing half crazy, l did not know what to
do. They made for me again; kept
begging Of them, for Gods sake, to
spare my life, but they would not listen
to my cries. They said they wanted
some meat, and were bound to kill me.
had nothing / could defend myself
with but a small knife; this l held in
my hand until they approached me-
Samuel Fisher was the first to come to-
ward me; be had large dirk knife in
his hand; his cousin was coming from
another direction with q club and
stone. Samuel came on, and grasped
NE BY the shoulder, and had his knife
raised to stab me. l then raised nv
knife and stabbed him in the throat; he
Immediately fell, and then made a
step for Joe, but he dropped his club
and went up to where the others were.
l then stopped down to see if Samuel
was dead; he was still alive; / began
to cTy; after little while the rest told
me to come up--they would see there
was nothing more done to me. had
received four deep cuts in the headS
one Of the fellows dressed them for
me. and washed the blood off my face.
Next day Samuel Fisher died; his cous-
in was the first one to cut him up; his
body was used up the same as my un-
fortunate shipmate's.
After several wesks' stay at the Cape,
the party again, took to their boat, and
were finally rescued by boats crew
Of Esquimaux, who took them to the
missionary settlement OF Okoke, where
they arrived on the Sd Of October.
The above thrilling narrative has
the air of romance rather than reality,
and some OF the circumstances appear
very improbable; but as the AnseR
Gibbs, which arrived at New Bedford
on the | lth Of last November, reported
the desertion Of seven Of her crew,
with whale boat, IN the Arctic regions,
at the date above given, the main facts
Of the story are doubtless true. The
misguided sesmen suffered fearfully in
consequence Of their folly.