Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-01
CHASTITY STORIES REVIVED.

The landing of the Peary party at
Cape Sabine and the finding there of
| several relics OF the Inflated Greedy Are
tic expedition, have revived the CHASTITY
| stories regarding the latter which
gained such wide currency upon the re-
| turn of the survivors to this country.
There are two statements as to what
relics were found. One is that they COLI
sisted simply of a lot of old tin cans,
and similar insignificant articles. The
other is that in addition to these there
was discovered part OF human body.
which, from the manner in which 1t had
been cut. afforded evidence that canni-
balism was one of the horrors of the
closing days of Greedy and his compan-
ions at Cape Sabine camp.
A telegram from Washington says
that when General Greely's attention
was called TO this latter statement he
gave signs of much annoyance, as the
TO the satisfaction of the War Depart
ment at the time it was originally cir
culated 81 do not propose" he is quoted
as saying, further to dignity such
statements as have been made by denials
when the public can find from the re-
ports at the War Department, which 1
made years ago, everything relating to
the expedition, and in which alleged can
nbalism is discussed at some length"
The survivors of the Greedy expedition
and the bodies of those who died at
Cape Sabine camp were brought to this
country in 1894 by the relief expedition
that had been sent out under Command
err Schley. Almost Immediately after
the bodies had been buried it became
noised abroad that when they were
found the fleshy portions of several Of
them had been cut away. and that it
was inferred from this that cannibalism
had been resorted to by the desperate |
survivors, and in his report Commander
Schley confirmed the allegation as 10 |
mutilation in the cases of five of the |
bodice The charge Of cannibalism was |
neither admitted nor denied for the |
nonce by any Of the officers of the |
Greedy venture, but Greedy declared that |
If cannibalism was practiced it did not
come to his knowledge Further than
this, the general public have never had
any very clear and satisfactory light on
the gruesome. subject
However satisfactory TO the War De- |
partment may have been the explana-
tons that were made and aside even
from the reports regarding cannibalism,
the fact remains that the Greedy exped-
ton makes up one Of the most harrow
inS chapters in the history of Arctic ex-
ploratior and research. And not be-
Of the expedition itself, but on account
Of laundering little short Of criminal in
the Slgnal-Servce Bureau at Washing
ton. But for that bundering-but for
The contradictory orders issued to Gar
linz ton by Hazen-nearly all, If not ALL
Of the Greedy party would have been
brought back alive and we'll to the United
States by the Darlington relief expedition
that went out in 1888 This was proved
n the investigation following the at
tempt Of Hazen to make scapegoat Of
Lieutenant Darlington. and which re-
suited in the vindicaton of the latter,
despite the powerful influence that was
behind the former. AS II was, out of
The twenty-five men in Greely's party,
eighteen persisted and the rest were
barely snatched from the jaws of most
horrible death.