Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-14
THE ARCTIC HORROR.
WAS TRERs AsY cANSIBALfsx'

mnt thst the SURVIVORS Of the Greedy party
resortcd 10 canpihallsm. II says;
Very few OF the crew Of the two reliI
vessels which reached Grecly's dssolate
camp were permitted 10 see The bodies Of
the dead. When their condition was dts
covered md the horrible fact WAS apparent
that csnnibalism had bcea resortsd 20. the
Officers Of the two vessels took every pre-
caution 10 keep the fact from The sailors.
The officers. assisted by only few sailors.
uncovered the bodies and prepared the ro-
mains for removal 10 the ships. The
gravel thrown over them was only few
inches In thickness At any place, while the
heads and feet 81 several were exposed.
The officers carefully shielded the bodies,
and IL was this vet which first aroused
the suspicion % many OF the salt
uss. Blankets were taken TO The camp
from the Bear. and i'm them the oacers
rolled the bodies. Not until this was Gone
were they con6ded 10 The care OF sailors
for trans poitation 60 the steam-launeh and
20 the ship. These coverings OF blankets
we've never removed. and when the IRON
caskets were prepared Al, 81. Johns they
RECEIVED the remains without single
blanket having been disturbed, and the
Hes were Tiycted on the collins. Clean
white waste was packed about the bundles
in The csskots to prevent their rolling
about. Everything was done in careful.
Uuinsiaking, rcycrent way, and only 10 the
Officers and a few sailoTs--not more than
three or four-was 1T known Tor cer-
tsiniy that the bodies were mutilsted.
In handling the remains after they had
bccn prepa.cd by the officers the exceed
Ing li..hineSs 81 some OF them WAS remark
ca ulpon by the sesmen. and doubt was
more Than once expressed II more than
Lsli 4 body was within the covering. This
was noticed in removing the bodies from
their shallow graves in the gravel at the
care, and again when they were placed In
tabks en- the Bear and ThetIs--six 10 one
rnd seven IN the other. IL Is said that the
body oi The Esquimau was nos mniiiAIed
10 any extent. but il was with reluctance
tbqt il was left at Disco. and then only 10y
Tie imperative order of the inspector o!
Western Greenland. At GOdhsven the
Goycrnor wished the body LETT, but
he was prevailed upon 10 leave II
With The Others. At Disco, how
ever. the demand for the remains WAS inl-
nerativc. Some Of the men had been little
more tban skin and bones when they died.
but The little flesh they bad was gone in
rl.ce.. - ON he calves oi the legs, on the
ijps. thigh,, and arms. Some OF this. II Is
thnigbi, WAS used - bait Tor shrimps,
some 10 sustain The Wasting hfe o! tue sur
ViVors. There seems. from the condition
ID the bodies. thst there Was no co"certtd
sriiru on tie part Of those remaining 10
Sustain he in tins way. None OF the limbs
were missing. Blu, rather il seems that
the uerishing men went 10 the bodies when
hunger became unhcarable and supplied
q u,sclyes a. best they could.
Z he disclosure made 10y the uuearthlng
flo bodies # the dead was generally dis
.r,sed rs the crews OF ali tie vessels on
he homcVard trip. Giving due allowance
Tor the Imagination OF the sailors, the hard
facts 81 the few VINO saw the remains and
related what thew saw 10 Others before 81
fence was enjoinsd show that terrible scenes
must have been cnaGtcd by tn finishing
men in The Grcclv camp during The many
long months that famine was with them.
The officers 81 The vessels, who alone can
t,Il iu full detail the condition of the dead
when found. refuse 10 speak at all on the
.Ulitct. There is this much about it,
remarked one Yesterday. " that il cannibsl-
ism was rcScrtrd 10 it can never be proved.
NJ oath. however sacred. could make the
survivors speak. -. say, it can never
lcr-oyed. Proof ty circumStantial evil
dciccg Nes: hui nothing else"
Commander Schloy received a Tim s re-
Iorier in OBI, cabin on the Thetis yesterday
afternoon. IL suppose" he remarked
pleasantly IS he reporter entered, "tbat
YOU have come TO interview mcy'
"Ycs. ST. said The reporter.
Il must decline 10 be interviewed" said
Captain s,hlcy. - don't wish YOU 20
consider NE impolite, but / can say no
thing
IL wished TO ask you.r said the report
er. "ahoW the subject Of the report in the
Times This morning. Can you tell me any
thing about IT,
IL can say nothing" SAID the Captain;
nothing whatever. mean no disrespect
by declining. You DO not. | think. appre-
ciate my refusal from 4 military standpoint.
Ii Is under that that can SAY nothing"
Captain Emery, OF the Bear, was at his
home in Long lslsnd yesterday. Lieutenant
Crawford. in command Of the Bear ss first
Olloer declined TO have anything to say.
Captain Conn. ~ the Alert. also refused 10
talk on The subject. as ddmany other officers
seen. They an seemed to feel that the re-
port Of he expedition having been made 10
the Navy pepartmcnt, they would render
themselves liable 20 court-martisl II any
thing was said. This same feelin. extends
10 the crews, which stand in The same rela-
tive position to the officers Of tho vessels as
The officers TO the department.
1T Is not only THIS said one intelligent
seaman, "but It Is such horrible thing
that J dread TO think OF it. and thanked
God that q time passed the crew quit dis
cussing il constantly. II sickcncd me-"
1T wa common topic, them"
"Ye,, indeed. The few VINO had seen
the bodies had no backwardneSs \, first in
Ill. 1.a1
not seen them knew from the Grst that
something WAS wrong by the way the Of
tccr- ecrcened them from view. That was
from no feeling Of respect to the dead.
however great the respect really WAS"
"Did you sec the bodies! :"
IL did / am not at liberty 10 tell you
anything Of their condition"
w hat was the talk OF others who did
ste thoD:"
That portions Of the flesh had been cut
away from different parts OF the bodies.
S0me were nearly stripped OF flesh-noth-
i0g but bones LETT"
Would no; that have been the case had
TIE bodies been long buried Z"
IL tlink not. In that country flesh does
not decay. There was no putrefactiOn.
The bodies would shriyel and dry up in
tine. / am satisfied a. to what occurred at
that camp, but cannot say anything about
IT,"
Five bodies OF the dead were reported az
washed away. -Four Of these wretched
men died IN June-the month Of the great
ell want and suffering. That they were
muiilated Ike the others, perhaps even
worse is not at ali improbable.
From ali OF the score OF more OF officers
sud scamen seen by the TineS's reporter
on the vessels Of the relief squadron yester-
day, not single denial OF the reported
facts was heard. Officers declined to speak
Of the matter, ~ did few OF the seamen,
willie all were careful OF any statement
they made. some OF the visitors at tue
paIy-yard seemed 10 wonder that the facts
Lad not appeared before, and to have taken
il for granted when the condition Of the
Greely party was first reported that cannl-
lalism had been resorted 10.
II T. more than probable that when all
the details Of the story are known Or. Oc-
fave PAW. the surgeon Of the expedition,
viii lie found TO have shared the same or
/. very similar fate To that OF young Charles
Henry. she deaths Of both men are enter
ed under The same date on the ships jour
nal. Nothing is said about lIenry's being
shot. There IL & blank left beneath the
words "under the following order" and
the names Of the two men are written at
tbe bottom Of the page. The order, which
was written on = separate piece OF paper.