The Mineral argus., 1884-08-28

nsmber Of the Greedy Party Charged
with killing and Eating the Bodies
of Their Comrades.

The New York Times Of Tuesday morning
sovs. Written documents now in the posses
sion Of the navy department at Washington
add to the record Of miserable human suffer
ines already published in connection with the
finding of the Greedy relief expedition, the
most shocking stories of inhumanity and can
pibalism. All the facts have been in the pos
session of Secretary Chandler for nearly three
weeks, but so closely have they been guarded,
and so strictly have the naval officers and
sailors maintained the silence imposed upon
them, that not even an inkling of the true aud
horrible condition of affairs has yet reached the
public ear. The sufferings 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 that after game gave out
early in February they lived principally on
seal skins, lichens and shrimps.
As q matter of fact they were kept alive on
human flesh. When the rescuing party dis
covered the half starved survivors, their first
duty was to look to the men who were insen-
sible from cold and privation even to the point
of death. One of them, a German, was wild.
In his delirium he shrieked. sOhl1 as the sail
ors took hold Of him to lift him tenderly.
sDon't let them shoot me as they did poor
Henry. Must l be killed and eaten as Henry
was? Don't let them do it, don't" The sailors
we're Mortified, but at once reported the mans
words to Commander Schley.
When the horrible reality was brought out
before an.investigating committee, Commander
Schley intrusted two or three gentlemen.
among whom was DIR. 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 Lieut. Greeley was de-
cidedly averse to having the bodies of the
buried dead disturbed, butthe bodies were dug
from their graves. Most of the blankets
contained nothing but heaps Of white bones,
many of them picked clean. BY inquiries
Commander Schley discovered many Of the
seventeen men who are said to have persisted
from starvation had been eaten by their fam
fishing comrades. 1t was the one last resort
1t is reported that the only men who escaped
the knife were three or four who died Of scurvy.
The amputated limbs of men who afterward
persisted, were eagerly deYoured as food.
Whether the four bodies which were swept out
to sea and never recovered would have added
further evidence to this story of horrible
cannibalism, cannot be learned low,
of the navy department give all the
particulars as told by the survivors.
Charles P. Henry's death was particularly
tragic. Driven to despair by his frightfulhun
ger, Henry saw an opportunity to steal a little
more than his share OF %rations, and he made
the attempt He was found and shot for his
crime. IN the published official report the
death Of this man is set down as having oc-
Cured June ). When the body was found his
hands and face, though shrunken, 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. The body
in this condition when il was inferred last
Saturday. The letter from his friend Robert
Obertelder, of-Sidney, Neb., which is daily
looked for, will probably never come to light