The Portland daily press., 1884-08-13
A REVOLVING STORY TOLD BY A
NEW YORK PAPER.
Commander schley Declares 1t UnerI,
False.


this morning most remarkable story about
the Greedy party. 1t says:
Written documents now in the possession of the
navy department at Washington add to the record
of miserable suffering already published in connec-
ton with the finding of the Greedy expedition. The
most shocking stories are told of inhamanity and
cannbalism. All the facts have been in the posses
sion of Secretary Chandler for nearly three weeks
but SO closely have they been guarded and so strict
ly have the naval officers and sailors maintained
the silence imposedupon them not even inkling of
the true and horrible condition of affairs has yet
reached the public ear. For the sake of humanity
and the American people, the army authorities are
endeaYorlng to keep the matter hushe1 but in the
ot1cial investlgation which is almost sure to
the facts in full will undoubtedly come out. Every
effort was presumably taken to prevent it but the
truth must be known in time.
1t will be remembered that In Commander Schley's
hrst dispatch TO Secretary Chandler, reporting
the finding OF the Greedy party he said: 81 would
urgently suggest that the bodies now on board be
placed in metallic here for safer and better
transportation IN sea way. This appears to me
Imperative
AS Mr.. Chandler was in West Point the despatch
was answered by Rear Admiral Nichols acting sec
rotary of the navy. He said, "Use YOUR own dis
erection about the care AMI Transportation of the
bodies" Secretary Chandler afterward teegraphed !:
Prepare them according to your Judgment and
bring them home" 1t took some DAYS to prepare
the iron caskets which were all bolted and riveted
1t was remarked at the time by experienced off,
GERS that this would hardly nave been necessary for
the preservation of the frozen bodies They could
safely have been brought on without any delay in
vent all possibility of friends of the dead sailors
being given an opportunity to look at their remains
1Sr the purpose OF Identification or otherwise. Even
the sailors on the relief Ships with the exception of
few men who assisted in removing the bodies
were not allowed to see them. The lips of the off,
GERS sealed.
When Commander schley met Secretary Chandler
and Cen Hazen at Portsmouth, August I'd on the
arrival OF the ship from st. Johns, he was very
much agitated and called the gentlemen into the
cabin OF the vessel. Undoubtedly he then commu-
nlcated to them the facts which have since become
an open secret.
The suferings and privations of the men in their
canvas hut during the long, bitter winter of 1884
have not half been told. 1t has been published thai
AFTER the game gave out early in February they y-
ed principally on seal skins, ichen and shrimps As
flesh.
When the rescuing party discovered the half starry
ed survivors their first duty to look to the two
men who were insensible from cold and privation
was wild in his delirium "Oh he shrieked as the
sailors took hold of him to lift him tenderly s'don't
let them shoot me as they did poor Henry. Must
be killed and eaten as Henry was? Don't let them
don'tr'
The sailors were terrified, but at once reported
the mans words to Commander Schley. After a
brief investigation he felt satisfied that the poor fell
low was speaking the truth and that some of the
men who persisted had been stripped of their flesh to
keep their surviving comrades alive.
Commander Schley proposed to make thorough
work of it. When the horrible reality was brought
out before an investigating committee he did not
propose to have it rest solely on his oral testimony
He instructed two or three gentlemen, among whom
was Dr. Ames, the surgeon of the Bear to make a
careful examination and put their conclusions in
writing. This was done and the reports are now in
the hands of the Navy Department.
Lieutenant Greedy was decidedly adverse to hay
ing the bodies OF the buried dead disturbed. He
thought it wise, they had been buried so long to
let them remain in their Arctic graves. Commander
Schley did not agree with him, The bodies were
dug from their graves in the little hill lust back of
the permanent camp established in October 1883
Nest of the blankets contained nothing but heaps
of white bones, many of them picked clean. The
he aoA
the blankets.
By inquiries Commander Schley discovered that
many OF the IL men who are said to have persisted
from starvation had been eaten by their famishiDg
comrades. 1t was the one last resort. Provided
supplies had not arrived, death stared the hungry
and crazed men in the face But there was hope il
life could hold out for few weeks. 1t is re-
ported the only men who escaped the knife were
three or four who died of scurvy. The amputated
limbs OF men who atterward persisted were eagerly
devoured as food.
Charles b. Henry's death was particularly tragic.
He was young German without any relatives in
this country, and Joined Company K, 9TH cavalry in
Cincinnati His friends tried to dssuade him from
going with the expedition but his spirit of adven-
ture was aroused by tales of Arctic exploits and he
determined to go. Driven to despair by his fright
full hunger, Henry saw an opportunity to steal a
little more than his share of rations and he made
the attempt He was found out and shot for this
crime In the published official report the death of
this man is set down having occurred on June g.
When the body was found his hands and face
through shrunkeu. were intact and recognizable,
but NEARLY everywhere else the skin had been
stripped from him and the flesh picked from the
bones; even his heart and lungs were eaten by his
comrades. One rib was found shattered by bull
let, and to another small fragments of lead
tached. A bullet hole was found in the skin. The
body was in this condition when it was buried in Cy
press Hill cemetery last Saturday.
Some of the officers of the relief ships asserted
fatty that the bodies of the dead sailors were not al
all mutilated when they were found, and secuted
the idea of cannibalism. Others admitted that the
bodies were shocking to look upon but attributed il
to storms and ice The cannibal story they believed
If fhn narnv 90
in cloths as soon as possible after they 70 nd
and some of the party did not see them at all.
Commander Schley declined to have anything Il
say about the state of the bodies more than he gav
to the public in his first official despatch. The mem
| bers of the crew were not more communicative bu
conflicting in their statements. Enough sai(
1 however to confirm some of the ugly stories. Al
| least dozen of the men admit that Henry was sho
for stealing food, and one man gave the name of ,
| survivor who was compelled to shoot him.
/ NEW YORK, Aug l2.- The Evening Telegram
| says: Commander Schley was at the office of tn
1 Commodore, at the navy yard, today when a report
er called and requested to speak with him regardn
| the reports of murder and cannibalism among tn,
men of the Greedy expedition which were published
this morning He sent word that he most POSITIVELY
declined to make any statement to the press regard
ing the matter. The reporter then visited the thre
| ships of the Greedy relief expedition, which arr
now lying moored at the navy yard, but found with
out exception that the officers were unwilling to dis
cuss the subject further than to express their in
| dignation at the publication, and to declare thei
belief that the stories pure fabrications. TIL
article referred to produced most profound sensa
ton at the navy yard and board the relief squad
ron, but as if by common consent every one seemed
/ unwilling to talk upon the subject. One of tn
crew of the Thetis, speaking of the bodies havin,
/ been enclosed in metallic collins said 1.-THE bodie
| were not taken from the wood collins until W.
reached Newfoundland, and they were then PLACED
in iron caskets, because it was impossible to brin
them further south without doing so on account O
| the increasing warmth of the climate
| BOSTON, Aug 12.- General Hazen was inter
| viewed in Washington today upon the report tina
the Greedy survivors lived the bodies of the deat
and shot Henry and ate him. General Hazen said
| THAT is something that know nothing about ant
have heard nothing about. do not see why sucl
stories should be printed. If there had been an,
truth in such statements presume should hav
heard OF them. Buta do not believe the re
ports have any foundation. If such terrible thin
did happen as that the survivors were compelled 4
eat human flesh it would indeed seem horrible to u
but it could only have been the result of physica
necessity of life. do not believe that there is
word OF truth In the story No such reports hav
come to us and there Is no one in Washington VIII
has further information on the subject than II
| WASHINGTON, Aug. IA rumor was ahoat her
Z last week that the records of the Navy Department
moved that the rescued members of Lieutenan
Greely's party had partially sustained life upon tn
flesh OF dead comrades, and was at that time EN-
phatically denied by Rear Admiral Nichols actin
n