Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-13
CANNIBALISM IN THE ICE.
GREELY'S DEAD HEROES SAID
TO HAVE BEEN DEVOURED.


ested-Cannibalism JustifiabIe Under
Some Circumstances.
w WAsHINGTON, Aug. 12.-The New
York Times says that written documents
now in possession of the Navy Depart
ment at Washington add to the record of
the miserable human suffering already
published in connection with the finding
of the Greely expedition most shocking
stories of inhumanity and cannlbalism.
Then follows a long account of how
the Greedy party, crazed by hunger
and cold, ate the flesh of
their dead comrades, and that one oftheir
number, private Henry, was shot for eat
ing more than his share and his body
eaten.
The circumstantial account of this
alleged cannibalism as published in
the New York Times this morning, was
shown to Admiral Nichols to-day,
and his comment was: FsThere
are no records at the Navy Department
which would give Shadow Of foundation
for such story" He added that be did
not believe that there was any truth IN
it. Secretary Chandler has been absent
from the city for several weeks. but has
of course been constantly in communica-
tiop with the department, and a great
been sent to him, so that Admiral Nichols
statement that there are no documents
bearing upon the matter at the depart
ment is not necessarily conclusive as to
their nOn-eXistence. The story is, however
wholly discredited at the Navy Depart
ment, while at the same time army and
navy officers cOncede the possibility that
the facts may be as stated.
WALKERS sKEPTICIsM.
Commodore Walker. Chief of the Bu-
reau Of Navigation, was of the decided
opinion that the story was made out of
whole cloth. The dispatch of Commander
Schley, that it was imperative to place
the bodies in metallic caskets. be explain
ed as follows: Commander Schley was anx-
ious to bring the bodies back in as good a
state Of preservation as possible. They
were kept in alcohol until they reached
st. John. such a method of transpOrta-
tion was only proper as long as neces-
sary. In these tanks of alcohol bodies
would be knocked about
by the motion Of the vessels at sea and
would be damaged. Hence it was neces-
sarY to place them in metallic caskets at
the earliest opportunity. Besides that,
ne said, the bodies, which were frozen
when found, would decOmpOse rapidly as
soon as they reached a warmer climate.
and it was advisable to care for them be-
fore decomposition should take place.
HAZEN's ADMISSIONS.
Gen. Hazen, Chief Signal Officer, was
interviewed by an Associated Press re-
porter to-day on the subject of the alleged
cannibalism of the Greelv party. He was
at first inclined to deny entirely that there
was any foundation for the stories, but
submitted good naturedly to a cross-eX-
animation, in the course of which the fol-
lowing conversation occurred:
RepOrter-"Did you hear any rumors
while at Portsmouth that the dead men
had been eaten?"
Gen, Hazen-''There were rumors of
that kind af1oat. My official position
would not permit me to give the facts in
the case"
'There are facts, then?0
II can't answer that. | had long in
terview with Lieut.. Greely, but the sub
ject of eating bodies was not referred to.
l can imagine case when cannibalism
would be justifiab'e, and it would be a
case where men are starving"
DO you excuse cannibalism in the
Greely case?7
Under the circumstances, it would be
eXcusable.v
HAS Secretary Chandler received any
report relative to this subiect?7
''Not that l know of. l have received
none."
HENRY's ALLEGED SLAUGHTER.
SIS the report that Private Henry was
shot and afterwards eaten false?'
"There were rumOrs at Portsmouth that
he had been killed, and that the survivors
had eaten his body, but decline to give
any facts in his case that | might know"
''Will the shooting be the subject of an
investigation by the War Department."
mot necessarily. Men are shot every
day in mutinies and no investigation
made. Under some circumstances it
might be proper"
'Will there be any investigation of the
reported eating of bodies -
''An investigation could not be made
either by the War or Navy Department.
That IS a matter that Congress will have
to look into. 1t is probable that Con-
greSSlOnal investigation will be made next
winter; then all the facts will be pre-
sented."
''Why was it necessary to place the re-
mains in metallic cOffins thoroughly bOted
and then to telegraph that they should
not be opened under any circumstance" -
"While the bodies were frozen they
would not decOmpOse. 1t was thought
best tOplace them in the metallic caskets,
so that the gas escaping from TEEN would
not burst the cOftius, and it was thought
that friends would not like to look at
them, and the order was given not to open
the caskets."
Gen. Hazen says that Lieut.. Greely's
report on the entire expedition will pro-
badly be forwarded to him in one month.
sCHLEY's INDIGNANT DENIAL.
NEW YORK, Aug. ia reporter
to-day showed Commander Schley, the
chief officer of the Greely elefexDedition,
the published story of Greely and his COM
radeS' cannibalsm. Commander Schley
said Immediately, and with great indigna-
ton: "There is not a word of truth in that
story. You need not show it to me for
have read it. 1t has been manufactured
out of whole cloth. If I were Lieut..
Greedy should take steps against the
paper that published the outrageous
statement. Now, regarding some of the
specific charges, it is true that l did sug-
gest to Secretary Chandler that the bodies
should be placed in metallic cases. This
/ did because | thought that they would
be better protected in this way. These
caskets were not all b0lted and riveted,
but they were simply closed in the usual
way. II has been said that the bodies
were placed in metallic cases so that the
friends of the dead could not get at them,
and that with the exception of few men
who assisted in removing the bodies, that
nobody on the relief ships saw them.
SEEN BY NEARLY ALL.
''This is false. The bodies lay on the
deck of the Thetis several days, and there
was hardly a sailor on the ships who did
not see and touch them, tor we were
obliged to keep ice on them all the time.
1t is said that | communicated to Secre-
tary Chandler and Gen. Hazen at Ports
mouth, Aug. ,, the facts leading to the con-
clusiOn that these men had eaten up their
companions. This l deny. / made no
such communication to either of these
gentlemen. l don't think that there was
any cannIbalism practiced by Lieut..
Greely or his men. know nothing about
it, nor did l order investigation"
SURGEON AN1Es' STATEMENT.
Mr.. Ames, Surgeon of the Bear, cor
roborated all that Commander Schley said,
and added regarding the story about the
German who is reported, when the sailors
lifted him up, to have said: "Must l be
killed and eaten as Henry WASP" 81 say
that l questioned these men, and they
positively denied that he made any
such remark. / attended that
riOus and did not know what he did
truth in the story. DIR. Green and myself
laid all the bodies out. They were, of
course. nothing but skin and bone, but
with the exception of one of the men,
whose back was broken, they were all
right, that is they did not look as if they
had been mUtilated, or as if flesh had
been eaten off them."
CoLwELL HEARD STRANGE RUMoRs.
Lieut.. ColwelI, first officer of the Bear,
said: 81 wrapped the bodies of the dead
up, and then sailors removed them to the
launch. 1 did not notice any sign of mu-
-