The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-05-03
cANNIBAls IN CANADA.
Horrible Feasts of the Aborigines
A Night With Maneaters.

A Night With Maneaters.
General Lyman Banks and Joh,
-Hutcheson, two citizens of Seattle
have just returned from a tw
months cruise of the northern coas
of British Columbia, and they tel
some thrilling stories of sights the,
have seen and dangerous adventure
they experienced during their cruise
| The old Hudson Bay Company
trappers all unite in calling tn
! past winter the worst that has beer
known in that part of the country
in the last forty years, and a lea
or two from their log books show
that the cruisers found that fact tt
be only too true.
A Seattle Post-Intelligencer re-
porter happened to meet General
Banks on the street, and at his re-
quest the General recited the story
of his most exciting and interesting
cruise. The story is interesting, and
it is given below in the language OF
General Banks himself. He began
his narration as follows: 1--WE start
ed out full of great expectations
and pleasant anticipations, and we
did not realize for moment what
trials we would have to 60 through,
and l tell you at times it required a
great deal of Western grit and push
to get ahead. Those who are ac-
quainted with the difficulties of
traversing in summer coast forest,
with it's thousands of uprooted trees
and still worse upheaved founda-
tons, can perhaps readily imagine
how much greater a hardship it was
for US to travel over three feet of
snow on a level and occasionally
strike drifts much deeper and a
great deal too much tangle of sal
lal bush for snowshoes. But, to add
to all our difficulties, our half-breed
guide and the two Indian packers
refused to go with us as soon as we
had penetrated a short distance in
land. We had just sighted some
hills which they said we could never
pass over, and they alleged that no
human being had ever succeeded
in the attempt.
'They strongly urged and prayed
us not to proceed any farther, but
We had started out with a determi-
nation to accomplish work and
we were not to be batfled so easily
in the beginning Of our journey.
So we packed up couple of weeks
rations and an ak in our blankets,
and, shouldering our Winchesters,
we pushed on alone. Oh, what a
journey that was! I shall never
forget it as long as l live.
''Where the snow was too soft and
deep we managed to make progress
by crawling on our hands and knees,
and at times We were obliged to lay
down and roll to get out of the
snow. 1t was hard struggling by
day, but the snow made soft bed
at night. We canoed over three
hundred miles of our journey, and
some of it was in very rough waters.
But the most startling experience
we had and the one that would in
terest you most happened one day
just as we were running into cave
to avoid a storm. We got into the
cave all right enough, but imagine
our horror and disgust when we
found ourselves in the midst of the
Nahwitti Indian tribe at their can
nibal orgies. Cannibalism is pro-
hibited by the Dominion Govern
ment, but only monthly visit from
vessels, and the nearest port being
niles away, they carry on the hor-
'ible practice with impunity.
''We watched the heathens dur
ng the day at long range, but un-
Ter assurance of safety we ventured
lfter awhile into their circle at night
md watched them. [ can only de-
scribe the sight this way: There
vas a high fire of logs in the center
# the circle, which was constantly
attended by two men, and occa-
ionally there was an extra hiss
md fash as some uneaten fat was
brown on. The entire tribe en-
ircled the fire, dressed in blankets
# many different hues. There were
laked dancers, and dozen or more
usty savages with clubs in their
lands beating an accompaniment
o their wild songs and dances, and
he whole sight made weird scene
hat is not soon forgotten. Their
east consisted of the bodies of their !
cad. They seldom kill strangers .
o furnish food for these horrible
rgies, as they were all the time
uarreling between themselves and ,
generally had enough dead bodies I
f braves to satisfy their appetites. /,
II had been told in Victoria of
be possibility of this, and warned {
hat when wild with the dance the