New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-26
PRICE THREE CENTS.
LIVING ON HUMAN FLESH.
STARVATION AND CANNIBALISM AMONG
THE EARNMORE'S SURVIVORS.
FORCED BY A DREADFUL NEcEssITYJrBE MEN
APPARENTLY POISONED BY THE
UNNATURAL FOOD.
tsr TELEGRAPH TO THE IBIBusE.I

tSi TELEGRAPH TO THE IRIBUNEI
paiumore, Oct. 2s.-When the survivors of the
ioSC steamship EarnmOFe arrived in New York early
iasC MONDAY morning, they went to Philadelphia
anu uiu no1 tell the story of their terrible ex-
erNnce Ior publication until they had first re-
ia,cu 10 10 the agents Of the Earn Line in Phia-
u'ipni"' Oari praue, one Of the men who lived
'oi twenty-five days In an open boat tossing
about in mid ocean, told the newspaper rcnorter,
now he and his companions had endured tbe
horror OF starvation, sucking the blood OF a sea.
bat and devouring few fish raw which ,bev
caught over the side of the boat Those who
heard Graue's story thought it rather remark.
able that the eleven men could have sustained
life for three weeks with only a sea-bat and a
rev small fish, and il was q matter of wonder
that they did not all die before the schooner
Mosquito rescued them. Graue did not then tell
the worst of the matter. lie and Seaman Ludwig
Loder came TO Baltimore yesterday When
asked II they had not been tempted to eat the
ucsR OF Their comrades who died Of exhaustion
III the Doat, the two Germans at first shuddered
and did not appear willing TO talk Finally
Loder made the following statement TO a reporter,
which was authenticated by Fireman Graue:
" The only food we he'd the first fifteen davs in
the boat was a 1ying-fsh and few raw small,
seabirds, divided among eleven men, On tbe
sixteenth day out William Davis seaman. caURbs
me by the throat and made dash at nv head
with knife. He cut me on the right check tho
scar from which still remains, as you see He
was told to Kill me by August Plagge, a fireman.
"heh Davis began to cut me some iof my COM
pahlonS caught him; but Others shouted, XIII
him, kill him; we want something to eat. We
are starving 1t seems that Plagge, Davis and
others in one end of the boat had decided that
| ShOCld die. AS I Sunnoca hoino ,,,u..
looked iaviting Pagge was placed on watch
that night, but he was missing next morning
No one saw him 90 overheard On the seven-
teenth day William Robinson. seaman. Law
down TO sleep When it was thought time for
MN TO give up his place in the boat for another
10 stretch out, we called him. He did non
answer, and when he was turned over he w,.s
dead.
consultation was held, and il was decided
that we would have to cat the flesh
Of our dead comrade. The coolr
William Wright was ordered to carve the BODY
Although dying from hunger, the poor fellow a.
first refused, but he could read determination in
the eyes OF the men who sat around, 50 he Welded
Inc ilrSt thing done was to smash the skull and
from the fracture each one sucked the blood FLESH
stripped OIL from the ribs was laid on top of the
"ater-ught compartments and dried. After taxi
''S '"|A poiOo VI tne oouy as W0uld furnish blood
we threw the remainder into the sea.
We felt revived, but slowly, indeed, for wa
were all fast losing minds Little was said.
and all we could find consolation in was to watch
the horizon for SAIL Two days after Robinson
died, the third engineer Thomas Hunt lay down.
| lie could not sit up any longer He was found
| dead; Even In our agonizing condition we hailed
| the death OF the poor man with delight for he.
| 700, Afforded us subsistence without recourse to
murder His body was treated as that of Robinson
| had been "
" In about three days the limbs and feet of all
began to swell, and several have since broken out
in ugly sores. We think this is poison from tbe
| human flesh and blood
Loder then described how they were rescued
by the schooner Mosquito and how Seaman Robert
Johnson fell overheard at the side of that vessel
ana was bravely rescued by coOred man, who
Jumped overheard after him. Loder SAYS that
William Davis who wanted 10 kill him. is in a
hospital in Philadelphia Davis offered him all the
money he had Monday last to say nothing
about it. Loder added that in the boat, after
attempting TO kill him. poor Davis cried and then
kissed him.
Graue Loders companion, was given up by the
hospital physicians at Nassau where the Mosduito
took the rescued men. He hung between life and
death for three days.
Both men are cared for by Mr. and Mrs d A
Buessing, of this city. They say that they were
had been settled with by the steamship agents
As this had been done, they thought they were
released from further secrecy Both men said
that they had no recollection of the taste of human
f1esh so great was their mental anguish at the
time Their only recollection of, taking the food
Is feeling their own blood quicken as it coursed
through their veins.