Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1883-03-20
NO CLUE TO THE CAUSE
OF THE LONDON
EXPLOSION.
4 COW MURDER IN
BOSTON.
A Colorado ('Munibal.

murderer and canniDal, who killed five
men near the site CT Lake City,
Colorado. nine years ago. After the
slaughter the slayer lived for a number
OF days of the body of one of his
victims. Packer belonged to party OF
five prospec.ors, who we're overtaken in
Winter by famine. According to state
ments made 10y him when captured at
Sagache, a few weeks after the occur
renee, the party We're upon the point Of
starvation, and agreed among them
selves to kill each other by lot at such
times as the bodies of the victims were
required for food This story has been
llscredited from first to last by the
people of that country, because the
bodies OF four men were found lying to-
ge:her there, with bullet holes through
their skulls, and one with the head
chopped of. General Charles Adams, at
the time of the slaughter Indian Commits
sioner Of Colorado, received the follow.
ing statement from Packer |, Alfred
Packer, desire to make true and volur-
tary statement IN regard to occurrences
in Southeastern Colorado during the
Winter of 1873. wish to make it to
MIR, Adams. because | made one before
about the same matter. When We left
Ourav camp We had about seven days
food for one man We Travelled Two or
three days and it began 70 storm. We
came TO mountain. crossed by gu'ch,
aud came on to another. We found the
snow so ieep that We had to folio" the
mountain TOP. About the fourth dap
We had only pound Of i ,ur left. We
followed the mountain till We came to
The main range. ! don / remember how
many days we were travelling then, but
| think about ten, living Oh rosebuds
and pine gum, and some OF the men
praying. Then we came over the main
range. We csmped twice on stream
which runs into Big Lake, San Chris
tab, and the second night just above
the lake. Next morning We crossed the
lake and cQt holes into the ice TO catch
fish. There were 30 ish, so we tried tu
catch snails The ice was 81 IN and
some broke through. We crossed the
lake and went mo a grove CT timber.
All the m7n were CRYING ana one OF
them was crazy. Swan told mt
to go and look II conIi see
someth!n. from the mountain. l
tooh gan and went up the hill. |
found big rose.husb VIII buds, stick
ing out OF ,he snow, but could see moth.
ing but snow all around. | had been
kind Of guide ior them. bG5 / did Doc
know the mountains rom that side
When ! came back 10 the camp, after
being gone nearly al day. I found the
rei-hea.ied man, " o had been crazy IL
the nornIng. sitting near a fire eatIng
piece OF meat, when he bad cut ont OF
the leg OF the German butcher. Mills
The latter body was lying farther from
the fire down the stream. bis skull
was crushed IN with Ratchet The
other three men were lying near the
fire. They were cC5 n the f0rehea
with a Ratchet. Some bad two and
some three cuts. [ came within a rod
Of the lire. When the man saw ME he
got up and came with his Ratchet to
ward me, and ] shot him sideways
through the belly. He fell On bis face
The Ratchet fell forward. / grabbed it
and mt him Oh the ton of the head. |
then lighted q ire and at up all night
Next morning, following my tracks on
the mountain. tried TO get ont, but
could not make it. The snow was too
deep. | came back and set up two
sticks, and ther with piue boughs
made shelter abou. three feet
high. This was my camp till l came
out. went back to the fire, covered
the men up. and fetched to the camp
the piece OF mea. that was near the
fire, made a new fire near my camp,
cooked the piece of meat and ate it. |
tried to get away every day, bat could
not. So / lived off the flesh of these
men the biggest part q the sixty days
l was there. 1t then began to thaw,
and l started up the creek to place
where a big slide OF yellowish clay
seemed to come down the mountain.
Then ] started up, but got my feet wet,
and having only a piece of blanket
around them l froze my feet under the
toes, and camped before l reached the
top. making fire and staying all night.
Next day I made the top of the hill n
a little over. Built fire on the top Of
a log, and upon two logs close together
camped and cooked some Of the flesh
! carried with me Tor food. | carried
only one blanket. There were $50
among the men. I fetched it ont with
me-. and one gun. The red headed man
(BeII) had a $50 bill in his pock.t. All
the others together had only $40. |
had $50 myself. Ii there was any more
money In the outfit ] C -rtainly did not
know 1t, and 1t remsined there. tiny
last camp, ju't before l reached the
agency, | ate my last piece of meat.
This meat l cooked at the camp before
1 started out, and putt into bag, and
carried the bag with me- | could eat
but little at time. When l went
out Wi the party at. the agency to
search for the bodies We came to the
mountains overlooking the stream, but
| did not want to take them any fur
Their. d not want to go back to the
camp. When ! got to the Sherti's
cabin at Sasache, / was passed key
made out of a pen-knife blade, with
which could unlock the iron shutters.
| went to Arkansas and wo, ked all
Summer for John Gill, eighteen miles
below Pueblo, and then went to GIL.
bert's ranch, still further down the
river. and put in a crop Of corn. !
sold it to John Gill, and went to Ari.
IONA.