The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-09-08
Y THE ARCTIC TRAGEDY.
Sergeant fredcricks' story-ltOw the Shoot.
@'H--TT- - inE Of Henry wav Dous. El

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Sergeant Fredcrichs' story-l1ow tho Shoot.
n Ing Of Henry was Dons.
INDIANAPOLIS, ND, September 8.-Sct>
gcant Julius'R X. Frcdericks, Of the Grccly
polar expedition, Is here visiting his
brother. In conversation with some
friends today he said his normal weight
was l52 pounds, but weighed only los
when rescued. ~
Referring to the reports which charge
liimsclfnnd Long with seiist,ness, and IL
determination on their part 10 live, what
ever became OF the rest OF the party, he
snid. Ut is lie from the word 20, sai,l
tredcricks. $50, too; Is the statement
that there wero two factions in tho Greedy
party. ! never saw n party SO united and
harmonious as was the Grcely party. The
only man who ever disobeyed MI order
WIS shot, This was Henry, us you know"
80 far nsI KNOW" he said, '.there Is no
foundation for the charge. 1t might have
been that there was some cannibalism.
but II there wns It resulted in instant
death, for the stomachs OF the men wero
in no condition to take such food. To
speak sg I'd definitely, myself saw no instance
"Did you see Henry shot?' was asked.
81 did. Theft OF food supplies was prov
en- against him in several Instances, and
four or five times he promised to reform.
We demanded his life OF Greedy, but Gree
ly was Observation-Disclosures, rather, too
big.hcarted-and begged him Off. All ,ltt.
time Henry kept in good physical cond-'
tion, coming out in tile spring as sleek us
he was In the winter One day saw him
take food from Il man withoutarms orlcgs,
and from another whowas drawing hislast
breath. upbrnidcd him for his conduct,
but he was indifferent, and afterwards TO
another boasted that he was able to- take
caro- o, himself. The party became n unit
against him, and demanded that Greedy
Should issue II dcatll.warrant or allow it to
proceed without. Greedy finally consent
cd, and the order was secretly issued.
Now, mind you, Henry, was as supple as
ever, and il he had known that an order
for his death had been issued he would
have killed us all, for we were SO weak that
We could not defend ourselves, and could
barely walk with gun. Three guns were
loaded, can't tell who loaded them, two
with balls, tho other with blank cart
ridge. The three were placed on the
ground, and an equal number OF men de-
tailed to take them up for the execution"
"Who were the three men ?" was further
asked. 00I
"That l dislike to say, but Iscan't see,
either, that any harm is done byar reveal
ing it. Br,inerd and Long and myself
were the three. We didn't know who
loaded the gun with blank cartridge.
Nobody knew the man who loadcd the
gun. We were then ordered to proceed
to the execution. We found Henry down
on the coast, and alone, but one hundred
and fifty yards away, in the very act of
collecting sealskins which were designed
for the subsistence OF the entire party.
Henry did not know. that we We're about
to kill him. but lie knew that he had
been warned time and again that he would
be killed ii he persisted in appropriatins
the food OF the party. We walked to
within twenty yards OF him, and tho rank.
ing man said; Henry, we arc now com.
PEELED to carry out our orders The order
to fire was given, and the man dropped
dead. There was no missing him, at that
range, and the aim from cach OF the two
men, whoever they were who carried bull
let's in their guns, was fatal. Henry did
not say q word before or after We shot,
"Whon the sound OF tho releihoat
whistle was heard. .Ircfuscd tn bollevo nv
senses. ! said 1t was the w|istling OF the
wind in the muzzle OF my rifle, and point
cd out to Long that the gun was lying to
windward. But he refused to be satisfied,
and went to the hilltop. believe from
the bottom OF my heart lie meyer would
have returned IL the hoats had not really
been there, for lie was tottering with
Weakness, and it is absurd to think Of
his having game and food lying away in
saiety. .5asl5-g0 n.
"Wc could neither shave nor wear a
long beard. To shave would lnye caused
our iaocs to chap to pieces, Wearing q
beard caused solid sheet al ice to form
over the face. You see the sealskin clothes
were air-tight, and all the vapors from the
body escaped at the neck and frosted upon
touching anything They would soon
catch and so.idify Instantly On q beard. !
never changed 'clothes from August 7,
1883, to June 23, 1884, and all tliis time
never washed: It might be iRtefcsti1g 10
note that we sNIlered rs much from thirst
as from hunger. There was 10 water cx-
cept as we got it from melting snow and
ice, and to do this we had the wood-six
or eiglt arm loads-ofa a whalcbaat 10 nell
water throughput the'entlre winter. We
had NO Other. fires" - =, y
IL az