The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-04-04
Man-Eating on the Ocean.

hunger to eating one Of their shipmates,
Off the Bermudas, after they had been
seven days without food, were found yes
terday in the handsome three masted
schooner Speod0eT, which rescued them
on the 3lst ult and brought them into
this port.
Walter Sampson, who shot George Sea-
man in the forecastIe, is short, thick,
full-taced negro, 81 years of age. He
says:
ION the morning of Jan. 80" Sampson
said, George Seaman, George Hicks, and
], all colored, were in the forecastle to-
gether. We were all so weak we couldn't
work at the pumps. Seaman gave out
first. think he wasn't any worse than
the rest of us, but he got crazy. l don't
think he was in his right mind when he
came aboard the schooner. H. had
threatened to kill the Captain and David
Barrett He got angry with Barrett be-
cause Barrett told him to come out of the
forecaste and work at the pumps. l was
In my bunk. don't know whether it
was 6 o'clock, 8 o'clock, or 10 O'Clock.
All know is that it was in the morning.
Seaman is mulatto. He shipped at
Charleston, but said he came from Lon.
don. He was a smart fellow. He used
to be head cook on the United States
man-ofwar WABASH. Once he worked at
steel making in Philadelphia under the
name of Joe Williams. We used to think
it rather odd that fellow as smart rs he
was should ship before the mast. Some
say he was Spaniard, but he wasn't. He
came into the forecastle on that morning
and found me in my bunk undressed He
ordered me to get up and go out. | don't
know why he wanted me to go out. He
wasn't afraid that | would hurt him, be-
cause | was in my bunk. | think it was
only "a crazy idea. got up and hurried
on with my clothes. He didn't draw his
pistol, but was afraid of him. When l
got my clothes on backed up toward the
door, keeping my eye on him. just rs |
stood by the door he yelled at me to get
out, and put his hand into the pocket Of
his jumper. He didn't draw a pistol, but
l saw he was going to- Atterward we
found that he had pistol in that pocket.
When he put his hand in was ready for
him. 1t was then between him and me
who could shoot the quickest. l shot
three times at his head. He didn't draw
one wound. That was on the left side
near his ear. He fell right down and
died"
who cut up the bodyl" the reporter
asked OF Sampson.
"There is the man." said a short, hol-
low checked, wiry, whiskered sailor,
standing at SIMPSONS side. The speaker
had extended his arm, but, with his wrist
sharply turned, was pointing at his own
breast This was David b ,rrett of Great
Egg Harbor, n. j. He is one OF the
white sailors.
IL cut the clothes off, and then cut
some flesh weighing three or four pounds
off of one of the legs. This l put on the
stove and parboiled. After that broiIed
pieces of it on II gridiron, and gave them
to the rest | did all the cooking, but all
of us ate the meat. | didn't like the
idea of it, but as remember the taste, it
was very good-better than that Of any
meat ever tasted. Some of them put
mustard on it, ami some ate it just rs
gave it to them. did not see any body
eat any of it raw. | cooked it on the
stove in the galley.
after we had eaten some | went back
to the body on deck. talked with the
Captain, and it WAS now IA question how
long we could make this man last. There
were six OF us left on board, aud al OF
us were starving. We had been blown
off the Beimudas, and were, you might
say, in mid ocean, without any means of
making Roadway. Our only chance was
in being picked up, and we were out OF
the path of most vessels. There WAS NO
use IN being delicate, because, when we
got out of meat again, somebody else
might have to be killed. So I stripped
the body, and then cut all the meat OF of
it that / could wherever | coald get it.
After that brought out the barrel in
which we had our salt beef. The brine
was yet in it. put the meat into this
brine in layers just as the beef had been
put in. With the brine and all the barrel
was about one third full. After that |
sewed up what remained of the body in
canvas sack anu threw 1t overheard.
There was no ceremony at the burial. We
did not think much about that. threa
the sack overheard alone. What we ate
of the body strengthened US great deal.
The next day we were taken off 10y the
Speed,cel Philadelphia Herald.
How FISH HOOKS TRAvEL.-In the
scientific dcpartment of "A recent number