Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-08-14
4 snnoK,Ni REKfLArfuM.
A Terrible Story OF sreoly'a Dreary
Camp-stArvtng MEN Feeding ON


A sHO0KlEG RETALIATION.
A Terrible story OF Greoly'a Dreary
Camp-sfHrvtng Men Feeding ON
the Bodies OF Their Dead Comrades.
The New York Times Of Tuesday
says It has leaked ont that written docu-
ments, now In the possession Of the navy
department, add to the record Of human
suffering already published in connection
with the finding OF the Greeley sur
vivors the most shocking stories OF In
humanity and oannibalism. All the
faotg have been known TO Secretary
Chandler for nearly three weeks, but
have been zeslously kept from the public.
The bodies OF the dead were brought
home in bOlted and riveted iron oaskets
to prevent their mutilation becoming
known. Even the sailors on the relief
ships, with the exception OF the few men
engaged in removing the bodies, were
not allowed 10 see them, The lips Of the
ofiosrs were SEALED.
Hhs aufferipgs and privAtions Of the
men In their canvass hat durirg the long,
bitter winter of 1884 have rot half been
told. II has been published ihst after
AhO kbHo ktfb Nut NnltN lu
they lived principal, on sealskins,
lichsna, and shrimps. As matter Of
fact, they were kept alive on human
heah. When the rescuing party discov-
cred the half starved survivors their first
duty was to look to the two men who
were insensible from cold end privation,
even to the point of death. One Of them,
German, was wild In his delirium.
"0h," he shrieked, as the sailors took
hold Of him to lift him tenderly, "don't
let them shoot me as they did poor
Henry. Must l be killed and eaten as
Henry was Don't let them do II.
DOn'tl Don'ti"
Lieu enant Greedy was decidedly adj
verse to having the bodies OF the buried
dead disturbed. He thought It wise, as
they had been buried SO long, to let them
remain In their arctic graves. Com
mander Sohley did not agree with him.
The bodies were dug from their graves in
the little hill just back Of the permanent
camp established in October, 1888. Most
| Of the blankets contained nothing but
heaps of white bones, many of them
| picked clean. The remains could be
identified only by the marks on the
blankets.
The death of Charles B. Henry, the
man alluded 10 by the delirious German,
was set down in the published offioial re-
port as having occurred on June 9th.
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. One rib was found shattered
by bullet hall, and to another small
fragments of lead were attached.
bullet hole was found in the skin.
of the IL men who were said to havt
persisted OF starvation, 1t ia reported tina
the only bodies which escaped the knive
Of the survivors were those of three O
four who died of scurvy. These revela
tions inspire horrible doubts as to tn
four bodies reported TO have been swep
out to sea and never recovered.
: Commander Schley declined to be inter
viewed regarding the shocking story an,
the members of the crew were not CON
: municative, but several Of the latter I'D
mitted that Henry was shot for stealth
| food.
| THE HGOht DEHlEDs
The shocking story Of the New Yor
, Times, published Tuesday, that the me
, Of the Greedy expedition who died wer
/ eaten by the survivors, ard that Pfivst
Henry, a young G5ymIu, was shot Il
. stealing food and thsp eaten, ia denit
in toto by Commander Sohley, who, o
| reading the statement, said: HThere
) no ioundation for it whatever. II the
Q had wished to live upon the flesh
D human beings, would they have {
/ tsnderly nursed Ellis, who was bound [
9 dtef Would they not have di
! patched him 7" Surg on Ames,
; the Bear, says: 81 don't beliey
there was any oarnibalism praoticed.
n G Z. Jewell, captain Of tue top, said
s II saw the German, Bederbauh, who
y represented to have exclaimed, Must
Q be eaten, as Henry wasf" The oul
/. thing | heard him say was, Here comes
/ Yankee sailor at Last The bodies hs
9 on their clothing when found, and whe
# we handled them they felt as IL the flef
Ii was all on them. think the story
II cannibaliam must have originate
n in this way Sergeant Brainal
n and a small party OF men went {
b a long sledge journey, and their prov
n sions giving ont Brsinard said /: Let
4 kill one of the dogs for feast.' So OIL
v of the dogs was sacrificed. and by son
% mistake BrAinsrd's diary was so word
o that it read a. If one of the crew b!
n been killed and eaten. | Tememb
}. BtainRrd saying that his letter would
doubt cause sensation as soon as it vi
read by the public, and think the lett
was published by come Of the St. John
- papers"
. On the other hand General Haze
while apparently endesvOfipg TO avo
. the subjsct, practically admitted tn
:, there is ground Tor the report as pu
/, lished.
ia After submitting to regular eros
'e examination, the interview closed
ID follows:
8 Rspcrter-Yo seem to be very no
L. committal, general. Your manner won
10 warrant one in believing that the sto
i really has some fl undRtion in fact
y At this the general drew himself up
le his chair, his restrained manner diss
II peafirg, end with decided emphas
said
Ig "Tlera are certain facts connected wi
A. this matter that l am not at liberty
r mention. II is vary probable, though
1t DO not say so officially, that they will
II made the subject Of congressional
Al Vestigstion next winter. The story 90
10 tains some inaccuracies, notably that
10 which reference is made to dspouring /
auputsted limbs of those who suffer
IT the loss Of legs and arms In order to pi
t, serve their lives. Only one instance
d amputstion occurred; that was on shi
10 board while the party were on their W
home"
d General Hazen was asked what tru
/. there was in the statement that you
10 Henry had been shot and his body d
vonred,
le "That is a subject" he replied, sup
to which must declined to be interviewed
y THE "TIMEs" REITERATRs ITS STORY.
D. The New York Times of yesterdI
o. rsatfirms the story told in its column
u Tuesday, and gives some addition
y particulars. 1t Gays that the officers
~ The relief expedition, assisted by only
Y few sRilogs, exhumed the bodies of ii
70 dead, which were barely covered |
:, gravel, and prepared the remains t
u removal to the ships. Blankets we
then taken to the camp from the Bea
7; and in them the officers rolled the bodie
y Not until this was done were they co
D tided to the care of sailors for tran
y portation to the steam launch ar
q to the ship. These coverings OF blanke
were never removed, and when the ire
D. caekets were predared at ST. Johns the
. received the remains without a sing
blanket having been disturbed, and Il
" | lidg were Fivited ON tina oofi no rian