Connecticut western news., 1884-08-20
HORRORS OF THE ARCTIC.
The Acts of CnnnibnIism by the Greedy Sur.
 viv0rs Talked of Freely.
From the New York World.l

viv0rs Talked of Freely.
 From the New York World.l
 It was late in the afternoon when the news from Rochester reached the Arctic fleet. Commander Schley, with Lieuts. Emory and Colyille, were enjoying themselves at reception given by Com modore Fillebrowne; and the Thetis, the Bear and Alert were left in charge of junior officers. The decks were alive with gayly dressed young ladies gossip ing and flirting with the handsome off. cers. The shrill treble of their laughter echoed from the quarter deck, and from the comfortable cabin below came the joyous sounds of convivial merry mak- ing. The forecastle was equally given over to jollifcation, and the bronzed sail ors vied with each other in making their quarters attractive to the ladies. The vessels looked more like pleasure-boats than heavy Arctic ships.
 In moment all this was changed. The awful story of the eaten body spread through the crowd like flash. The laughter grew silent, the sounds of merriment in the cabin died away. The officers turned from their fair compan- ions to listen to the tale and the sailors jaw dropped over the half-told story. There was no need for further conceal ment The worst was known and the officers felt at greater liberty to talk. The visitors spoke ill whispers, and touched with reverent awe the relics of the Arctic heroes. They felt instinct ively that it would be proclamation to remain longer, so one by one they stepped silently over the vessels side.
 Under the awning on the quarterback the junior officer told in low tones the story of the eating of tine bodies as it had been told him. He was indignant that the facts had not been permitted to moulder into forgetfulness locked up in the archives of the War Department, but now that all was known, he held that the survivors were to be honored and not blamed for the lengths they had gone to keep alive.
 Do you think that it was from choice these wretched men brought themselves to feed upon such flesh? ?" he asked. "Can you imagine anything more loath- some to the men themselves than their first descent upon these corpses which had but a few hours before been their living, loving brothers? Do you believe for moment that they loved this fiabby, nauseating foodP It was easier to die than to live upon their brothers flesh, but their duty to their country forbade their dying and, like noble men, they kept the feeble spark of life alive at the cost of everything but life itself. I honor them for it. It is the very acme of heroism. When all the stories of Arctic suffering have been written and the songs of Arctic heroism sung, above them all shall stand the record of these men who ate their comrades that they might live to give to the world the fruits of their three years toll. And if you could but hear the survivors tell of their mad hunger, of the awful suffering that crazed their minds, you would not blame them for this last sad step.
 "Here, on this spot, one of the sur vivors held us through all one night telling, if words can tell, of his first taste of human flesh. He would give years from his life to forget it, but, ht said. that first taste, the sensation o
 having between his teeth the flesh o one who had been once his friend, wal
 with him always. Waking or sleeping
 he seemed to feel his lips pressing th' smooth, flabby meat that must bt choked down somehow if he would live And then the inhuman, savage way O
 getting it Each feeder upon such foot must cut off his own shreds of flesh. N, friend could be found to perform thi
 horrible office. Every man, if he would
 eat, must of necessity be his owl
 butcher. And these cannibaIistic orgies
 these midnight feasts, were secret. Tht little beaten path, worn smooth between
 the graveyard and the wretches' tent told its own tale. But every dweller il
 that tent shut his eyes and refused t
 see. Body after body was stripped c r flesh, but none of those that trod tha f little path dared speak of this. No ma 3 asked question at the too commo e sight of a starving wretch, creeping u
 to the only fire at midnight, carrying i g hls hand strip of flesh. As he thrust t this into the flame on the end of point h ed stick, no one of his companions say @ a word. And when tearing the smokin e flesh with his teeth, he lies down an h another of the wouid-be sleepers rises u and goes silently down that mysteriou s path, knife in hand, it is easy to gues l. his horrid purpose.
 Il "And the after-effects of these ghastl l. feasts were as awful as the descent upo s the mangled corpses. The mere thougl }. of what they had eaten brought c n nausea, and in their weak state tt e stomach refused to retain this huma
 flesh. Is it wonderful that these me 1t will carry that sensation of chewing h. II man flesh forever? T hope and pray a. may forget it when die,' was the on
 prayer the wretched cannibal cou
 truly pray. It was his heaven "a heayens-to forget that awful, sickenir 'a taste,