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

near Cape Sabine, and stole some OF
the last sealskin, which was the only
food left. He also took the last pair OF
boots in the stores. Being closely
questioned by Lieut.. Greedy he adj
mitted his guilt. He was again ready
with promises to do better. His fate
was upon him. He was, on the atter-
noon of that day little distance at
the rear of the summer quarters
alone by himself. The written order
for his execution was committed to three
of the party. They were ordered to
shoot him, encountering as little danger
themselves as possible, as Henry was
the strongest of the party. Sadly the
men departed on their terrible errand.
Their comrades lett In camp turned
their eyes to the ocean. In few min
utes the breeze bore to their ears the
sound of two quick pistol shots. All
were silent. Slowly, after a short IA
terval, the men returned. The written
order was handed to Lieut.. Greedy, and
the horrible but necessary execution was
over. Henry was never seen again by
his comrades, and his body was under
stood to be inferred at the foot of north
west icefoe. The order for the execu-
ton of Henry was that afternoon read to
the survivors and all concurred in the
justice and necessity of the act. No re-
port of the manner of his death has ever
been made to Lieut.. Greedy and the sur
vivors tacitly ignored the terrible re-.
membrance.
HENRY'S REMAINS.
Times says that the remains of Private
Charles B. Henry, who was shot at the
Greedy camp on Smiths Sound, June
6, at the time the survivors were re-
duced to the direst extremity for food,
were found by the rescuing party from
an eighth to quarter of mile beyond
the tent of the starving men. There
was scarce anything left but pile of
ghstening bones, stripped of nearly
every trace of flesh except some of the
lower part of the trunk. The head was
missing and could not be fonnd, SO that
it was at first supposed that the remains
were those of DR.. Pavy. The bones
were placed in bag for removal to the
Bear, with the remains of six others of
the Inflated expedition. On board they
were deposited in little box about two
feet long, which was placed aft and
covered with the stars and stripes. A
day or two after the squadron began the
homeward trip the box was removed
from the deck and the officers deter
mined to remove all suspicion
of the terrible scenes of canni-
balism enacted at the camp on Cape
Sabine and prepared the bones
for burial. Sticks of wood were pro-
cured, and to these, fitted to the proper
length, the bones were tied until all
were as nearly in place as it was posi-
BILE to get them. The head was missing,
and block of wood was made to do
duty in its place. Then this framework
in the shape of man was tied to a
plank and wound with cotton cloth as
the other bodies had been. II was then
surreptitiously placed in one of the
alcohol filled tanks with some of the
others. It was this skillfuliy-made
package, resembling a human body,
that was lifted into coffin at St. Johns
and marked Private Charles B.
Henry" It was this bundle of wood
that was brought to New York. claimed
by friends of Private Henry, and buried
at Cypress Hill Cemetery. So well had
the work been done that it is doubtful
if those handling the human-like re-
mains at st. Johns had any suspicion
that there was one of the bundles which
was largely made of wood. That
the bones were SO clearly stripped of
flesh leads to but one conclusion. There
was no game about the camp on Smiths
Sound, excepting few foxes, hares and
ptarmigan. There were no carnivorous
ANIMALS, as the records of the relief ex-
petition show, to disturb the remains
of the dead, neither did they decay.
The flesh that remained on the frames
of the men longest dead had not rotted
or fallen away. Sergt. Gross, the first Of
the party who died, passed away January
IS. He was large man, and when
taken from the shallow grave his body
was found heavier than any of the
others. The flesh was quite firm, and
showed no signs of decay, excepting a
portion of one hand, which was slightly
discolored. Yet of Private Henry, who
died only sixteen days before the relief
party arrived, there was nothing left
puk 81 low uGSu16SS UOu0Ss LILO
head had probably been thrown into
the sea to prevent Identification when
the truth should be known, as it was
sure to be some time, whether rescue
came or not. In this work of the officers
of the Bear it was not possible to re-
move all traces of the bullet by which
Henry met his death, for more was
left of the trunk than any other portion.
Flesh was cut from the bodies of the
other dead as the pangs of hunger grew
too strong fer the survivors. But with
Henry. freshly killed for attempting to
steal an extra share of rations, it was
different. The men cooked and ate the
flesh, and by this means life was sus-
tanned until rescue came.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14.-Following is
Lieut.. Greely's official report of the ex-
ecution of Private Henry:
PoRTsmoUTH, N. H, Aug. 11:-ADJu-
Chief Signal Officer, q. s. A)-sn:
I have the honor to report that on
June 6, 1884, at Camp Clay, near Cape Sabine,
Grinnell Land, it became necessary for me to
order the military execution of Private Chas.
4o.