The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-07-03
1ExAs cANSlBaLs.
Buuawsy Negroes kIaughterfnE and Eat.
ing One OF Their Number.

[San Antonia tTexas) Express
There is in this city a Mexican by the
name of Francisco Alvares, now resid-
ing on East-street. west of the San
Pedro, who has frequently told story
about two runaway negroes, man and
woman, eating up third member Of
their party. Alvares was with train
which brought the two cannibals back
TO San Antonio, Many persons have
doubted the truth of the tale as told by
Alvares, but tits nevertheless true, as
there are many parsons living who were
here at the time, by whom the facts are
remembered. Mr.. John G. French, now
one of our wealthiest and most respected
citizens, was master Of the train which
found the surviving man and woman,
and returned them to this city. The
details of the shocking story are also
preserved in print, and are found pub
ished in the Western Teran, San An
tonia newspaper of that day, under date
of March 20, 1851. The following Is
Several gentlemen, short distance
in advance Of the train which had just
arrived from Ell Paso, encountered ?
party of runaway negroes at the Limpio
Spring on the other side OF, the Pecos
River. When discovered, there were
but two of the negroes alive, and they
were in a state of misery almost im-a
possible to be described. They had been
entirely without food for ten days, and
had been forced, to save themselves
from actual starvation, to kill their COM
panion, which act they had perpetrated
on the morning of the day on which
they were discovered. They had
stripped his bones of every spar1
ticle of meat which could be obtained,
and after satisfying their hunger with
this revolving food, were, when captured,
in the act of broiling and preparing the
remainder to serve them in their onward
March toward Mexico Without DOUBT
they would have persisted, had they not
been discovered at the time they were9
as they were still two hundred miles
from the Rio Grande, without any
means of killing game, and in p most
lemaciated; condition. The two that were
taken, one boy calling him elf Henry,
and the other a girl, Melinda, were
brought in with this train, and will be
confTed in San Antonia until somein-
telligence is received from their owner
or owners. They give the following ac.
count Of themselves: They say they all
three belonged to the same owner, Mr.;
Charles Owens, who lives near Holly
Springs: i'm o Marshall County, Miss,
from whom they escaped more than q
year ago, and have been on their way
towards Mexico ever since that time.
The name of the boy who was killed
was Morgan. They were all young
negroes, apparently not more than
twenty-five years DID, After striking
the Ell Paso Road, they derived what
sustenance they could from the hides of
oxen which hAd died, and been left on
the road, by the several trains that have
heretofore made that trip. Finding
that it was impossible to support life in
that manner, they. had conyersed sew
sral times upon the question Of draw
ing lots for their lives, to see upon whom
the fate should fall of being sacrificed
to support the other two. This project,
however, was not assented to. The boy
Morgan then threatened to make surefof
the first opportunity, and kill Henry
uuawares. Henry, however, proved to
be the more cautious of the twosand
ayailing himself of the first opportu-
nifty when Morgan was asleep, to cut his
throat and made use of thee body as
above described. We have heard of IN
stances of misery similar. to the above
happening on the ocean, but this is the
first instance within our recollection
upon land, where human beings were
compelled to devour each other TO save
themselves from death by starvation