The Opelousas courier., 1884-08-30
crazed bv starvation.
Another Chapter in the Awful Story OF Cape
Sabine.


Sabine.
Until the death of Surgeon PaVy, of
the Greedy party, which occurred at
the rapidly depopulated camp on June
6. three weeks before rescue came, the
flesh cut from most of the dead bodies
for use by the survivors for food and
bait was removed by o hand skilled in
dissection. A few Of the bodies
had the feshy portion cut away entire.
Bnt with the majority the work had
been SO well done that a casual obser-
yer would not have suspected without
other evidence, of which there was
plenty, however, that the survivors had
been reduced to cannibalism, and had
for a long time been subsisting princi-
pally on the bodies of their dead COM
rades. It is not o coincidence that
the body of DR.. Payy, with those OF
two Others who died after him, should
be reported as washed away. With
the surgeon gone the sealpel could
not be used. Before, the bodies had
been left with little mark of the ter
rible work done. After his death the
survivors were forced to dismember
the bodies and denude them of flesh in
a way that left nothing but bones. SO
these u~nfortunates were reported as
buried in an ice foe and washed away,
aud to the list was added corporal Sa-
lor, who died on June 3, and Sergeant
Rice, who died on April 9.
On most of the bodies an incision was
made from the clavicle downward below
the ribs. The scalpel was then passed
along under the skin, and the flap was
carefully laid back on either side. The
flesh was then removed from the ribs,
the skin was pulled back in place, and
the edges were carefully Joined so that
there was 40 external evidence left of
the ghastly work but "a dark line The
thighs were treated in the same a
ner, the skin being replaced about the
heshless bones. The legs were stripped
to the ankle joints and the arms to the
wrists. The hands, feet and face were
not INITIATED. This was a work re-
curing skill, and must have been a
long and careful operation. No one in
the party except the Surgeon could SO
skillfully remove the flesh from u hu-
man body and leave the skin intact.
How DR.. Payy met his death has not
been explained, but it was probably
by the knife. With him gone and
every day the pangs of hunger grow
ing more unbearabfe, the caution was
relaxed. and the survivors ate of hu-
man flesh however they could easiest
secure it.
In the last days before relief came to
the wretched men it was the doctrine
of the survival of the strongest that
ruled. All sense of honor and of feel
ing had been lost. It was Sergt. Long
who first saw the steam launch, and
slid down the snow and ice from the
distress signal to greet the rescuing
party. His face and beard were COW
cred with blood from a duck which
he had recently shot and had been
eating raw. 1t is stated that he
stopped to conceal half the body OF
the bird before sliding down the snow.
He was the strongest of the party, aud,
despite the frightful gale, was able to
walk to the launch. sergt. Fredericks
and elambered on beard the Thetls al
most unaided. After so many months
in the Arctic regions, after so much
suffering, and passing through such
scenes of horror, it was seldom that
men stood upright. They craWled
about on their hands and knees over
the rocks and ice, and when Sergt
Brainerd was addressed on board the
Thetis his knees were found calloased
TO a thickness of over half an inch. LIZ
, the midst of such horrors it was won
dered by the rescuing partyshoW Gree
Nv and his few companions kept theil
reason. About the camp were scat
tered bones of the dead, and dissectet
posed in the little burial plot back o.
Che tent. It was a scene at which ths
~rescuers shuddered as they looked, ant
, the truth stood revealed.
: The bodies of those who died natu
, raj deaths were not mutiiated where
. death had been caused from disease
:. AS to how many died of scurvy &C
I counts differ. Commander Schley re
, ported ~ as having died from starva.
ton. Sergt. Cross, the first of the ex
!. ploring party to die, passed away las
. New Years Day, according TO Com
9 mander Schley's report. He did no
die Of starvation, but from the use o
liquor. He would drink anything tina
!. had d suspicion of alcohol about it
even paint. This love for liquor wa
SO strong among some of the sailors o
!, the relief party that the carpenter
using a little alcohol with which Il
mix sheIlac was obliged to guard it a
9 q miner hides away his money. Ser
geant Conneli, one of the rescued
says that Cross died of scurvy IN Jan
l8. At st. Johns it was reported tina
one of the two men lost on April 9 die
Of scurvy. With several dead ofscurv.
9 and Henry shot, all did not die of star
walton. Instead, it is feared that th'
? others met death as Henry did. It i
known that court martials were of fire.
!, quent occurrence in the Greedy camp
DR.. Pavy was on trial no less thai
. three times. There were dissension
9 among the men and as their condition
grew more desperate these increased
Until weakened in body and mind b,
. privation each did all he could for th'
others. But ait the last the struggl
became single. It was each man TO
himself.
The officers Of the relief vessels still
refuse to say anything on the unpleas
Z ant subject, I'll is their duty. Sailor
talk freely. But some of the scene
they describe are too revolving for rep
: nfitiou Al tho INpaaIv camn mo tEar