Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-09-05
The Greely Relics,

A portion Of the relics of the ill
fated Grcely party from the Navy
Department arrived last night and
were placed in the Government ex-
hibit at the Exposition. The relics
will be taken from the boxes to-day
and formed into an exhibit. On the
outside are some water casks, snow
sleigh, some broken spars, pieces of
rope, etc. The sleigh is strong
piece of work, fastened together with
strong leather strips so that it can he
taken apart should necessity demand
it.. These relics will be visited by
thousands of people, for they possess
peculiar interest owing to the hor-
rihle suffering and death of nearly all
Of the party In the frozen north. The
following story Is told by an officer
of the Greely relief expedition of the
death of DR.. Pavy and the disposition
of his remains:
"Poor DR.. Pavv! I cannot rid my
self of his image" began the young
sailor, bringing his chair still closer.
TIe is getting to be nightmare with
me, and if he comes to me in such a
manner, how must it he with those
mad wretches who fell upon him and
dcvoured him? You may think the
shooting of Henry was sad enough,
but infinitely more pathetic was the
death of this poor fellow. To lie there
on his couch and see the hungry eyes
of his stronger comrades gloating
over his wasted form and praying for
his death was enough to drive well
men mad. And so it drove this poor
sick doctor to his death. He died by
his own hand that the starving devils
about him might have one more
meal.
"The very day that Henry was con-
demned to die Surgeon Pavy took his
own life. The two factions, both
clamoring for the death of some one
that the others might live. With all
his strength of character, Lieut.. Gree
ly was forced to yield to the demands
of these mad wretches, and with
heavy heart issued the order that
took Henry from his living comrades
and placed his flesh at the mercy of
the men who but few minutes be-
fore had called him brother. This
faction took the body of the dead man
and kept guard over it in the grave
yard on the hill. They had meat for
several days and they meant TO guard
with jealous watchfulness their
graveyard dining-room. The other
faction down by the sea were with
out even handful of shrlmps. They
knew the graveyard on the hill con-
tanned corpse, and with loud muir
murs of discomfort declared that some
one of their party must suffer Tor the
rest. DR.. Pavy was the weakest of
them all. About his dying couch
they clustered and sat for hours un-
moved, watching each breath and
hoping that his death might not be
long delayed. The mute appeal of
those wild, hungry eyes, pleading for
an early death was too much for him,
and with a last despairing effort he
rushed down to the sea and was
picked up dead. Almost before the
heart had ceased to beat, before the
corpse was cold, those mad men-tOr
they were mad-rGshcd upon the
body and with their sailors sheath
knives dug into the warm flesh
They stripped long shreds of flesh
and skin from off the bones while
yet the muscles quivered with the
life that had just gone out. These
: ghastly, dripping morscls they car
ried TO the little fire and hardly
: waiting till the chunks ofmcat turned
brown, tore them with their teeth,"-
and with a weary sight the Officer
dived down into his cabin.
The records show that the body o
Surgeon Pavy was "Washed away.
lie died on June 6. Three days be
fore Seaman Coop had died, OF
e June II, Sergeant Gardiner wa
S missed and four days later Privat
$ Bender is recorded as dead. Al
s these bodies were reported "washe'
$ away by the sea-" The fact that thes
I men died within convenient marke
S DAYS of each other, and the reporte'
; finding of headless trunk othe
than that of Henry, explains too clear
. ly tho awful meaning hidden in tn
i mysterious explanation, "washe
It way."-Louisville Commercial.