Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-09
THE MAN EATERS TRIAL.
A TRAGEDY THAT SURPRISES
THE ARCTIC SEA HORROR.

The Prisoners Thrilling StoTy ot tho
Sufferings of Himself and Party in the
Colorado Mountains-Killing His Five
Companions, and Living Fifteen Days
On Their Flesh.
The following from the New York SUMS
Denver Cool special Of Aug. gives
fuller account OF the second trial OF
Alfred Packer, better known as the "Man
Eater" which was concluded at Gunnl-
son City last Thursday, than was pre-
scented in the MORNING NEWS dispatch:
The crime which Packer was found
guilty of and for which he has been SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for forty years,
is one of the most horrible on record. In
the early part of the winter of 1878 Packer,
in company with five prOspectors-lsr
Swan, William Bell, George Noon, Frank
Miller and James Impoverished
from Bingham, Utah, for the new mining
district in San Juan county. The winter
was severe and game scarce, and when
the party reached the place where Lake
City now stands they were out OF
provisions and suffering from the
intense cold. Here they went into
camp, and one night Packer muir
dered his companions, and tor hfteen days
lived on the flesh OF the dead. Packer
the early part of 1874, where he repre-
scented that Bell had gone crazy with
hunger and murdered the other four men
while he (Packer) was out hunting for
game. On his return to the camp Bell
attacked him with a Ratchet, and he was
compelled to Kill Bell in self-defeuse.
Packer was arrested, had preliminary
hearing and was confined in the Saguache
JAIL from which he escaped the same year.
In, hat 10 Mt n HptfpT-
man. Wv. t., where he went by the name
OF John SwartZ. At his first trial he was
convicted OF murder and sentenced to be
hanged.
The trial which has just closed was one
OF the most remarkable known. The last
day Packer took the stand and testified in
his own defense. He looked pale. his
cheeks were hollow, and his eyes sunken.
lie stood up while giving his testimony,
which occupied two and half hours. AT
times he became excited and emphasized
his words with gestures, and not lnire-
quently with Oaths, until restrained by
his attorney. No story could be more ex-
citedly interesting and horrible than the
bare recital of how be and his five COM
paniOns' wandered aimlessly about the
mountains without food, raving mad with
hunger, eating their mOccasins, willow
buds, rose buds, and finally devOuring
each other. Then, after the death ofthe re-
mainder of the party, the cold, unfeeling
account OF how he took flesh from the legs
of his companions, boiled 1t in tin cups
and ate it, has never been equaled in the
history of Jurisprudence in America. He
admitted that once or twice his stomach
refused to retain such feast. Finally
his will conquered the animal weakness,
and he prepared the food and ate it with
out trouble.
All these circumstances were listened
to with the closest attention by the court,
jury, lawyers aud spectators. 1t was only
when the cross examination uncovered
the weak points in the narrative and the
witness testified to impossible circum-
stances that the truth OF his story was
questioned, He testified as follows:
"My name is Alfred Packer. l have
been in the mountains for many years.
1 was in Utah in 1873, and / worked in
the mines there until | became loaded.
This is a form OF lead collie peculiar to
the men employed in the vicinity of the
smelters in Utah and Nevada. Then |
came to Salt Lake, and there | worked
awhile IN smelter. was still afflicted,
and in the TAIL of 1873 Joined party at
Bingham Canon for a pros pecting trip
to the san Juan country, in Colorado Ter
ritory. ] travelled with McGfaw, to whom
1 gave $40 for my passage, and | was to
work for the balance Of my fare. | had
S25 LETT. We reached Dry Creek, near
Chief Ouray's camp, in January, 1874.
Here the party separated. Israel Swan,
George Noon, Frank Miller, james Hum
phreys, Shannon Wilson Bell and my
self started from Ouray's camp for the
san Juan. 1t was cold. the snow was deep
and travel difficult. We gave up our boots
and tied blan kets about our feet. We had
TO do it to keep them from freezing. Old
man Swan gave out first. He was old
and in thin flesh. Our bread gave out on
the ninth day. We had only eaten one
meal a day during the last few days, be-
cause it was storming and blowing so
that we could not see few feet before us.
We were keeping up toward the summit
OF the hills, aiming for Los PinOs agency.
Bell first gave up his moccasins, and we
made one meal OF those, boiling them. |
next gave up mine, and then the others
did likewise. Bell had a Ratchet and
Noon had a gun, but l carried the gun
about half the time. | think we must
have been out in the mountains several
weeks after running out of food. The
men were getting desperate, and Bell
seemed to be getting crazy. His eyes
protruded from his head. While
the others complained and talked he re-
NAMED silent. The men cried for salt.
They did not ask for food; it was only
salt, salt. We had been eating willow
aud rose buds for several days, having
found some In the valley near the lake,
where Lake City now stands. We had
run out of matches, and carried fire with
us in coffee pot.
cone day we saw game trail on the
mountains, and it was agreed that l
should go on the trail. as was the strong
est. l took the Winchester rifle and
searched. In the morning L left the men
crazy with hunger. In the evening when
l returned l had found bunch OF rose
bushes and had good dinner from them,
but no game. | felt stronger. AS | ap-
preached the fire / saw Bell bending over
the fire cooking some meat. l spoke to
him, and he Immediately rose and started
for me with Ratchet. / ran back down
the bluff, but | fell, and while
down | shot him through the side
as he approached me. He fell, and
the Ratchet dropped by me. l
snatohed II up and threw 1t at him aud
stru ok him In the head. | went up to the
camp again and found that the rest OF
them were dead, and that the meat Bell
was cooking was flesh from Humphreys
leg. STAYED in camp the rest of that
night. l then made my camp off short
distance, and stayed there for possibly if
teen days. During this time l was crazy
with hunger, and cut the flesh from Bells
leg and boiled IL in a tin cup and ate it. 1t
made me very sick. After this | fire.
quently ate the meat, and several times |
tried to get out of the country. | would
climb up the mountain, but falling TO see