Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-08-20

The officers of the relief vessel tell
conflicting stories, but the members of
| the crew are little more communica-
tive. Enough has been learned to con-
firm some of the ugly stories afoat. At
| least dozen of the men admit that
Henry was shot for stealing food.
NEW YORK, Aug. I'm regard to the
story that the survivors of the Greedy
expedition had resorted to cannibalism
the Times says the officers of the two
vessels took every precaut1on to keep
| the fact from the sailors. Blankets
were taken to the camp from the Bear,
and in them the officers rolled the
bodies. Not until this was done were
| they confided to the care of sailors for
| transportation to the steam-launch and
| to the ship. These coverings of blankets
were never removed, and when the iron
Baskets we're prepared at ST. Johns they
received the remains without a single
blanket having been disturbed, and the
lids were riveted on the collins. Clean
waste was packed about the bundles in
the caskets to prevent their rolling
about. Everything was done in careful,
painstaking, reverent way, and only to
the officers and few sailors-not more
| than three or four-was it known to
certainty that the bodies were mutilat-
| ed. Some of the men had been little
more than skin and bones when they
died, but the little flesh they had was
gone in places, as on the calves of the
legs, on the hips, thighs, and arms.
Some of this, it is thought, was used as
bait for shrimps. some to sustain the
wasting life of the survivors. There
seems, from the condition of the bodies
that there was no concerted action on
the part of those remaining to sustain
life in this way. But rather, it seems,
that the perishing men went to the
bodies when hunger became unbeara-
BILE and supplied themselves as best
they could.
The bodies were found buried side by
side In shallow graves in the ice. Lieut..
Greedy kept diagram of the place, and
had SO arranged it that if no one was
rescued the diagram would enable
the finders to know where each man
lay. First in the line of graves
was Sergt. Gross, who died on
January 1. He was the stoutest and
apparently the most robust man in the
party. The sailors say that he stole
alcohol and drank it, and that this, it is
thought, fastened his. death. There is
no doubt that Henry was killed. I
have heard that Henry tried to take
more than his share of rations,
and was ccurt-martialed and
shot. We found the headless re-
mains of q man near the other bodies
and we're told it was Henry. The flesh
had been cut from the lower limbs and
there was little more than the bones
and heap of skin left. It was thought
body of the Esquimaux who died on
April was not mutilate3. [ don't be-
ieve that Lieut.. Greedy knew about
any of the bodies having been cut until
they were taken from the ice. It
seemed as if it had been done secretly
and at different times. Some of the
sailors insist that DR.. Octave Pavy, who
is said to have died on June Is, COM
mitted suicide by taking ergot. One of
the crew of the Bear said this was
stated in Lieut.. Greely's report, which
had been left in charge of the COM
mander of the Bear before being for
warded to Washington.
All denials of the story that the bod
les of the dead had been mutilated by
the famished survivors are simply in
dignant evasions. The facts may be
distorted somewhat, but there seems to
be no doubt but that the starving band
was reduced to the horrible extremity
of cannibalism.
PORTSMOUTH, N. r., Aug. 13.-Lieut.
Greedy gives the following account of
the shooting of Chas. B. Henry: About
November l the party began to be
served with one-quarter rations, and
debiitated health soon showed the
effect of this insufficient amount of
food. The men were not before this in
as good condition to withstand Arctic
weather as they had been year before.
About November 1 provisions were
missed from the stores, and it was con-
Guided that they must have been stolen.
Much complaint was made by the men,
and threats against the thief were loud.
January "a the party was rear perish
ing from asphyxia, and several of it's
| members were unconscious. Private
Henry, during this terrible experience,
was seen by one of the Esquimaux to
steal some of the bacon from the stores.
He soon afterward was taken i'll from
overlooking his stomach and vomited
up bacon undigested. An investiga-
ton was had and Henry was proven
guilty, not only of this, but of several
previous thefts. It was terrible state
of affairs. Henry's indignant comrades
demanded his death. Over and over
again Henry promised to reform, but
this did not still the clamor for his life.
Lieut.. Greedy demonstrated with the
men, and all quoted. Taking Henry in
hand, Lieut. Greedy represented to him
the enormity of his ofense and pointed
out to him the necessity for concerted
action in the party. if all would be
saved. Henry was then placed under
guard for several weeks, until the in
creasing feebleness of other members
of the party rendered it necessary for
them to avail themselves of Henry's
personal services. Shortly afterward
he stole liquor from the steward and
became intoxicated. Again his COM