The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-08-21
The Grady Exnedition.

ttlO oli"lScu Will tdJlnS Illelr cOmraueS.
The New York Times published long ne
count of what purported to be the canni-
balism of the crew, and strongly inti-
mated that some of those who were re-
ported to have died from starvation and
scuryy, were dispatched to furnish food
for those who survived. Upon the strength
of the Times publication the body of 1t.
Kislingsbury was uncoffined, and upon ex-s
animation by experts it was found that
the flesh had beencut from it. Greedy de-
MED any knowledge of the man eating, but
reports that one of the men, Henry, was
shot for thieving.
The Washington Star furnishes the fol-
lowing
Lieutenant Powell, an officer of the Sig
nal Service, who was present at the Greedy
reception at Portsmouth and also at the
funeral of the dead at New Y ork. and who
talked with all the survivors, said in con-
versation with Star reporter to-day 1.-The
journals which were kept by the individual
members OF the party were discontinued
upon leaving Fort Conger at Lady Frank
lin bay. After reaching Camp Clay one
or two diaries were kept-One by Sergeant
Brainerd.' do they make any allusion
to the cannibaliSm among the party %
asked the reporter. mo, / think not.
You see. the men were too far gone to
keep any note OF events when they We're
reduced to such straits as to eat human
flesh. But then there is no doubt OF the
cannlbalism. There was no chance either
of keeping the fact secret too many men
knew it. 1t was only hoped that it could
be kept qniet until Greedy could make an
official report, when matters were more
quiet and the public could reason better
regarding the eXigencieS of the case.
WHO let the Cat out of the bag ~ asked
| the reporter.
''Well. suppose it was Norman. He is
| apt to get on a spree and talk too much
| but the matter would have become known
anyhow, because as | said, too many peo-
| pie knew 1t. The survivors talked about
it when they were rescued in half-crazed
condition. Now, have talked with Greedy
and the rest of the survivors, and with the
officers of the rescuing party, and I'll tell
| you my opinion regarding that story.
There is no doubt about its truth, and
there is no doubt about Greelys honesty
| when he says if there was cannibalism he
did not know it. When these men were
rescued they were not responsible beings.
They had undoubtedly subsisted on human
| flesh for some time. | have no doubt that.
/ driven to despair by hunger, they would
| go out and cut some flesh OIL the bodies o1
| their dead comrades and partake OF 1T.
Greedy was in mighty bad condition. He
was confined to the tent by extreme weak
ness. He was mighty popular with the
majority of the party, and when the men
obtained something to eat 1t was their
natural impulse to share it with their com
I lou. To ~ of
without knowing what he was eating his
mental and bodily strength was too far
gone to know or care. There is no doubt
in my mind but what some of those who
died also partook of human Hesh tell
you it will be a long time before the horrors
of Camp Clay are known thoroughly.
| PITIFUL CONDITION OF THE SURVIVORS
| WHEN FOUND.
The story of the joy OF the survivors
! when they were found is ridiculous. Lieu
tenant ColWell, who was the lirst man TO
reach the tent, told me that when they met
| Long, who. you know, cfme part way to
meet them, he WAS completely played out.
| When asked how many were living, he
gaspingly replied, Seven Where are
| they p asked Cowell. Over there, he
said, family pointing tothe hill. OF course
| they hurried over the hill and found the
| tent. 1t was closed, and either Chief En-
| gineer Lowe or Norman cut it. Colwell
stuck his head in, and Greedy, who was
| but the semblance of man. raised himself
on his hands and knees and gazed in per-
! fectly daZed manner. Colwell didn tknow
| him, and asked him three times who he
was, but he couldn't reply. Brainerd then
said, It's Captain Greely.' ColWell then
gave them all small amount of ptarma-
gan. He was afraid of giving them too
much, and sent for the surgeon to come
ashore. The men then began to curse him
| for not giving them food. Greedy said
| piteously L think after all that | we been
| through you might give me something to
| eat You see those men were i'll ter
rible condition. AS said, they ate human
flesh. and Greedy ate it too; but l don't
believe that he knew it. Little Council
told me the close call he had, y said Lieu
tenant Powell, musingly. You know he
| they found him. Said he: My mind was
perfectly clear when the rescuers arrived,
| but was so near gone that they thought
| l was dead. They felt me and moved me,
and finally decided that it was no use All
this time hadn't been able to tell them
that was alive. They were just about
| to carry out my remains when, realizing
the situation, made superhuman effort,
bound to speak if it killed me, and sue
ceeded in muttering No, damn you, m
not dead yet OF course they then gave
me attention and | was fortunately brought
around all right"
In regard to the condition of Kisling
bury's body, 1t. Greedy in an interview
said:
say that it is news, and horrible news
| to me. All these later disclosures and ter
rible charges come upon me with awful
! suddenpeSS. | can truthfully say that
| have suffered more mental anguish these
| last few days than did in all my sojourn
at the North, when the chances were
| hundred to one against me. | can but re-
| peat that if there was any cannibaliSm,
and there now seems to be no doubt about
| it, the man eating was done in SecreSy, and
| entirely without my knowledge and con-
| trary to my discipline. | can give no
stronger denial. have demanded an in
| vestigation and it will come IN time, but
can say nothing more than have already
| stated. All my papers and Kislingbury's
! diary, LockWoOd'S diary, and, i'll fact, eve
cry scrap of paper relating to the expedi-
| ton, are in charge OF the War Department
at Washington. The crew of the Thetis
can testify that the body of the last man
! that died, Schneider, was not mutilated in
any way, and the fact that we kept Ellison
alive in the hopeless state we were in
ought to convince anybody that we are not
cannibals. Since my return from New
berryport every one Of my men has called
upon me. They came ina body and assur
ell Inc emphaticaly that they knew nothing
| about the condition OF the bodies of their
| fallen comrades, and each solemnly swore
| that he was innocent. Perhaps those who
died last fed upon the bodies of those who
died before but all this is superstition. |
can but answer for myself and for my
orders to the party. Fer days and weeks
| lay on my back unable to move. If, in
my enfeebled condition one or more of
my men fed upon human flesh, it was
| beyond my control and certainly beyond
my knowledge. / know that have been
criticised for not telegraphing the fact of
| the shooting of Henry as soon as | arrived
at st. Johns, but you must remember that
/ was in wretched condition of body and
mind. | was in quandary whether OF
not should be tried for murder, as Henry
was shot on my own responsibility and not
by order of a regular court-martial. "
The beautiful home life of both Mr..
Blaine and Gen. Logan is. the most ex-s
pressive reply THAI can be given to the as