The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-08-16
ARCTIC REVELATIONS.
Interviews with Several Persons ON the
Relief FIeet-Lieut. Greedy Further DE.
mics the Report of CannibaIism.

NEW YORK. Aug. 15.-The Mali and Express re-
porter today accosted Third Officer Kelly of the
Greedy relief steamer Bear and asked him if he had
read the reports about the eating of the flesh of
Lieut.. Kislingbury and Private Henry? eyes, L
read the reports and they are true
Ibid you hear the survivors tell of eating the
flesh of their dead cOmrades?'
'sWhen they came on board they we're all but de-
lirious, and they then told everything
"What did they saY?''
'sTihey admitted that they had to eat dead bodies
in order to preserve their lives but cannot go
into particulars such facts must go through the
The reporter next saw one of the cooks of the
Bear and asked him if he had heard any of the sur
yiyors tell about eating their dead comrades flesh.
Eyes, they told everything and said they had to
eat the flesh of the dead as their food, all but
little leather of their sealskins, had given OUT
'sWho told you this?'
''They all told it,
"Will you give particulars"
mo, cannot; all the men on board knew that
bodies had been eaten, but were told not to speak
much about it when We came into port but they all
knew it F."
with Chief Engineer Melville of the Thetis in
which the latter expresses his regret that the body
of Kislingbury was dsinterred, and says: His re
latives might have known after what has been said
and written of late that they would find mutilated
body. Greedy and his companions could not have
lived as long they did unless they ate the flesh of
the men that died. 1t was only natural they should
do this. They did not kill their companions in or
der to eat them, they only ate them after they
know what they were talking about that because
belong and his companions preferred death rather
have done the same But the two cases are entirely
different. belong and his men froze and starved
to death in few days, while these poor wretches
had to go through SLOW starvation. Think of it
and realize it if you can. After a time they lost
their heads and became for the time being mad.
There have been all sorts of stories written about
this thing but when the official investigation comes
only about one-tenth will be found to be true. Mr.
Norman was the first man to reached the Greedy
party, and he took his knife and cut the tent in
which they were hidden. The sailors knew nothing
about this matter for we took care they should ot
and all their talk about their finding pieces of flesh
is bosh for not such thing happened. Then again it
has been said that the dead do not decay in the
Arctics. This is a mistake; they do. The flesh on
some of these men was so soft when we found them
that it dropped off by simply touching it, We
found that the nose eyes and hands had Totted and
dropped off of some OF the dead and saw worms
at their fell work OF destruction just as in warmer
climate
"Why was it that the officers of the relief fleet
have refused all along to make any statement re-
garding the eating of the dead?''
because it was none of the public business. 1t
has been said we were ordered to keep our mouths
shut. We received no such order. We did not talk
because we thought it best to keep still. These
things should always go through the regular official
channel, and the public have no business to want
to know things before they come out in this way"
The other officers of the relief feet refused to
make any new statements regarding the eating of
the dead by Greedy and his companions.
The Brooklyn Eagle has a statement alleged to
have been made by one of the of the Bear
which is substantially follows DIR. Pavy did not
starve to DEATH He was court-martialled three
times and at last committed suicide. There were
marks of knife upon his bones where the flesh
had been cut off, Two of the bodies found by the
relief party showed marks of bullets. His state
ment concludes: obtained sufficient proof to con-
vince me beyond doubt that all reported missing
except the native served food for the survivors
who were crazed by starvation. At present do not
care to give my name to you but as soon as l am
discharged, which will be in short time shall be
ready to appear as a witness in any investigation
which may come up.
Lieutenant Greedy Writes 60 the Father of
Sergeant Gardiner.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 15.-Major John II. Gardi-
ner, the father of Sergeant Gardiner, who was the
last but one of the Greedy expedition to die in the
Arctic region, received letter yesterday from the
commander of the expedition, Lieut.. Greedy ex-
pressing the hope that Major Gardiner will not be-
ieve the horrible story of csnnibalsm which has
been set aoat declaring that there is not particle
of truth in it. He said that Sergeant Gardiner died
of Inflammation of the bowels and water on the
heart and buried in the ice at the foot of the
hill because the survivors were too weak to dig q
grave in the sand. He died June 9th Just ten
days before the rescue and four days before the
death of Private Bender, who the last of the
party to die at Cape Sabine. Greedy says the young
sergeant never gave up hope till the last and was
always cheerful and strong. He died with the
photographs of This wife and mother in his hands
and the last words that he murmured were the
names of these two persons dearest to him of all on
earth.