Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-13
A sirkenine Rumsr-CannfbsIism
Among the Arctic Explorers
sfnxen's View OF the Matter.

WAsuISoTos, Aug. l2.-Geberal w.
B. Hazeu was interviewed to-day In
reference 10 the reports Of members OF
the Greedy party being killed aud eaten
by their companions, with the following
resuiti
'.ls the report that Captain Sebley
called upon you aud Secretary Chandler
IN the vessels cabin and informed you
eater their associates, was false ?"
That story Is untrue"
There 10 no truth, then, In the re-
mainder Of the published stories that
bodies were eatsny
II will not say that they are not.
have but casually glanced at the pub
lished story other than those portions
which deny"
Did You hear any rumors wbila at
Portsmouth that dead mep had been
eaten 2"
"There were minors Of that kind
aaoat. My official position would not
permit me to give the facts In the case. !"
'fThore are facts. thcni"
81 cannot answer that. hal long
interview with Lieutenant Greely, but
the subject Of eating bodies was not re-
ferred 10. l can imagine case when
cannibalism would be justifable and IL
would be the case where men arc
starving."
"Do you excuse cannibalism in the
Greedy casey''
Under circumstances II would be
excusable."
"IIas secretary Chandler received
any report relative TO this subjecti"
"Not that know Of. have received
none"
"Is tho report that private Henry was
shot and afterward eaten. false 7"
"Therewere rumors at Porttmouth that
he had been killed aud tho survivors
had eaten his b,dy, but decline to give
| any facts In his case tnat might know.
"Will the shooting be subject Of in-
vestigaiion by the War Department."
"Not necessarily; men are shot every
day in mutinies and no investigation
made. Under some circumstances it
might be proper"
"Will there be any investigation OF
the reported eating OF tho bodies?"
"An investigation could not be mnde,
either by the War or Navy Department.
That Is matter Congress will have to
look into. Then all Of tho facts will be
presented and until then nothing will be
given out"
Mr.. Hazen says that Lieutenant Gree.
ly's report on the entire expedition will
probably bc forwarded to him within
month. II was generally conceded that
there were records In Washington that
substantiated the story, and both army
aud navy officers among themselves did
not view it rs IN impossibility by any
means.
Said navy ofiicsr in the corridor of
the Navy Department.; Though there
Is no reason know Of for believing the
story, the fact that there are no records
to substantiatc 1t does not improve II at
all. Look ut it as true. Is there any
thing impossible about II! You and l
standing here, with all the comforts
about us, view such things with dread
and horror. But you must remember
that those men were reduced to such
condition that their moral faculties were
blunied. They should DO considered in
fact were irresponsible agents-self.p pres.
ervation was their only thought, and
they could not bs expected moralize
on it,"
what Secretary Chandler Says.
PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Aug. l2.-Sec-
retary Chandler returned here to-day,
and tonight an Associated Press agent
visited him on the Tallapoosa to inquire
concerning the truth Of an article in to-
days New York Times. The Secretary
appeared to be considerably agitated
He said, lyon may say that l have seen
the New York Times. and that the Navy
Department has received no such reports
OF the shooting Of Henry and OF canni-
balism, az tho Times gives. OF course.
you naturally next ask me is the story
true. say that l decline to say. refuse
to say ything further about the mat.
ter.