The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-08-23

the fact from the sailors. Blankets
were taken to the camp from the Bear,
and in them the officers relied the
bodies. Not until this was done were
they confided to the care of sailors for
transportation to til. steam launch and
to the ship. These coverings of blankets
were never removed, and when the iron
caskets were prepared at st. Johns they
received the remains without single
blanket having been disturbed, and the
lids were riveted on the collins. Clean
waste was packed about the bundles in
the caskets to prevent their rolling
about. Everything was done in a careful,
palnstakIng, reverent way, and only to
the officers and a few sailors-not more
than three or four-was it known to a
certainty that the bodies were mutilat-
ed. Some of the men had been little
more than skin and bones when they
died, but the bttle flesh they had was
gone in places, as on the calves of the
legs, on the hips, thighs, and arms.
Some of this, it is thought, was used as
bait for shrimps, some to sustain the
wasting life of the survivors. There
seems, from the condition of the bodies
that there was no concerted action on
the part of those remaining to sustain
life in this way. But rather, it seems,
that the perishing men went to the
bodies when hunger became unbeara-
bic and supplied themselves as best
they could
The bodies were found buried side by
side III shallow graves in the ice. Lieut..
Greely kept diagram OF the place, and
had SO arranged it that if no one was
rescued the diagram would enable
the finders to know where each man
was Sergt. Cross, who died on
January /. He was the stoutest and
apparently the most robust man in the
party. The sailors say that he stole
alcohol and drank it, and that this, it is
thought, fastened his death. There is
no doubt that Henry was killed. [
have heard that Henry tried to take
more than his share of rations,
and was court martialed and
shot. We found the headless re-
mains of man near the other bodies
and were told it was Henry. The flesh
had been cut from the lower limbs and
there was little more than the bones
and heap of skin left. 1t was thought
he had been shot in the head. The
body of the Esquimaux who died on
April was not mutilate3. / don't be-
lieve that Lieut.. Greedy knew about
any of the bodies having been cut until
they were taken from the ice. It
| seemed as if it had been done secretly
and at different times. Some of the
sailors insist that DR.. Octave Pavy, who
IS said to have died on June IS, com
mitted suicide by taking ergot. One of
the crew of the Bear said this was
stated in Lieut.. Greely's report, which
had been left in charge of the COM
mander of the Bear before being for
warded to Washington.
All denials of the story that the bod
les of the dead had been mutilated by
| the famished survivors are simply in
dignant evasions. The facts may be
distorted somewhat, but there seems to
be no doubt but that the starving band
was reduced to the horrible extremity
of cannibalism.
PORTSMOUTH, n. f., Aug 13.- Lieut.
Gree'y gives the following account of
the shooting of Chas. B. Henry: About
November l the party began to be
| served with one-quarter rations, and
deblhtated health soon showed the
effect of this insufficient amount of
food. The men were not before this in
| as good condition to withstand Arctic
weather as they had been year before
About November l provisions were
missed from the stores, and it was con-
al, lal L
Much complaint was made by the men,
and threats against the thief were loud.
January "a the party was rear perish
| ing from aspbyxia, and several OF its
members were unconscious. Private
| Henry, during this terrible experience.
was seen by one of the Esquimaux to
| steal some of the bacon from the stores.
| He soon afterward was taken i'll from
overlooking his stomach and vomited
| up bacon undigested. An investiga-
ton was had and Henry was proven
| guilty, not only OF this, but of several
| previous theits. it was a terrible state
of affairs. Henry's indignant comrades
| demanded his death. Over and over
| again Henry promised to reform, but
| this did not still the clamor for his life.
| LlCut. olCCly ithOlsGidJcu Will but
men, end all quieted. Taking Henry in
| hand, Lieut.. Greelv represented TO him
the enormity of his offense and pointed
| ont to him the necessity for concerted
action in the party, if all would be
| saved. Henry was then placed under
| guard for several weeks, until the in
creasing feebleness of other members
| of the party rendered it necessary for
| them to avail themselves of Henry s
| personal services. Shortly afterward
! he stole liquor from the steward and
| became intoxicated. Again his COM
rades clamored for his life, and again
| Lieut.. Greedy restrained them. June 5,
he again stole and carried away some of
the provisions. Lieut.. Greely spoke
firmly to Henry and told him it would
be policy for him to stop. Said
the lieutenant: For Gods sake,
Henry, as you seem to have no
moral sense, remember our lives de-
pend upon our holding together" With
great earnestness Kenry promised not
to be guilty of theft again. Lieut..
Greedy felt he could not trust Henry.
After revolving in his mind their cir
| cumstances, the lieutenant, on his own
responsibility, issued a written order,
now in possession of one of the sur
vivors, commanding Henry to be shot
on sight of the commission of any more
thefts of food. At this time the party
had left, as last resort, only pieces of
sealskin and such shrimps as they could
procure. About June Henry went to
the old winter quarters at Camp Clay,
near Cape Sabine, and stole some Of
the last sealskin, which was the only
| food left. He also took the last pair OF
| boots IN the stores. Being closely
questioned by Lieut.. Greely he ad-
mitted his guilt. He was again ready
| with promises to do better. His fate
| was upon him. He was, on the after
noon of that day little distance at
the rear of the summer quarters
alone by himself. The written order
| FOR his execution was committed to three
of the party. They were ordered to
shoot him, encountering as little danger
themselves as possible, as Henry was
| - ~ 4.