Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-04-14
White Cannibals.

of April 6: from tho cen Of Magyar
gee, a writer for the Times, under the
mead of "Seen and Heard in many
places" Margargee says:-
Here is singular query:
Dear Seen and Heard-Duripg q
recent discussion in 6 debating 30
ciety, OF which I sm q member, il
was stated. parenthetically, that can
nibalism has ever been confined to
savage races. I contend that there
is no case on record where white
men ate the fash OF their fellows ex
cept when driven to such dreadful
extremity by The pangs Of overpower
ing hunger; for instance, as was ths
case il the Arctic rsgion among the
survivors of the Da Lrng expedition,
Was I right or wrong? A.F.L.
Philsdeipsia April 3rd, 1887.
Careful reading on the subject re-
ferred to in the above missivs led al
at first to the conclusion that the cor
respondent was right, until in law
yer's Office the narrator. ID collec-
ton of remarkable criminal trials
happened across the most revoliing
tale be has ever read and whi-h
proves that A. T. l.. is wrong.
+K =
History contains no parallel to 'he
horrible cruelties and robbsries that
we're committed bv one Sawnev
Bsane. a ScotchmaS, i'll the reign oi
King James the First, before tina;
mopa,cb cams to the crown OF EGG
land by the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Sawney Besne was born about eight
or nine miles eastward of the city of
Edinburg, in the county OF Fast OF
Lothian, of parents who went he'd
ging and ditching for their daily
bread and who brought up their
children tc the same ocupation. As
he grew up, his disposition to idle
ness not permitting him to follow an
honorable employment. be left his
father and mother end ran into the
country, where, following q most
wicked course Of life and taking up
with a womon as vicious as himself.
they made their abode in rock by
the seaside, on the shores OF Shire
Galloway, where they lived for up
ward of twenty-five years. During
that time they had both children and
grand children, whom they brought
up so wickedIy that they never separ
ated, kept no other company and sup
ported themselves entirely by rob
bing. What was worse, they pever
committed robbery without mur-
der. They never frequented any
market for provisions, but as soon ss
they murdered any man, woman or
child, they did not leave the body
behind, but carried it to their den,
where cutting it up into quarters,
they would pickle them and live up
or human flesh till they got another
prey ef the came kind. But they
had generally more than they could
consume, and in the night time, but
al grea. distance from their san
Culinary mansion, ,h@y threw legs
and arms and some Of thosa they had
killed into the sea, which the tide
frequently cast up at several psfts OF
TIE country, to the great astonish-
ment OF the behol3ers. Persons who
went about their lawful occupations
fell often into the bands of these
merciless canibals and never returned
home again.
This ra,szd a general outcry a.
,nong their friends and relatives, il
so much that the whole country wss
at such great and myster-
ious loss OF people, which frequently
happened in travelling into the west
Of Scotland. Private spies were sent
put into all parts, 10 find out. ii pos
sible how these unexplainable events
For a length OF time
their strictest searches and inquiries
Tere to no purpose However, sever
Al honest travellers were taken upon
suspicion and wrongly hanged upon
Ipon bare circumstances, besides
innocent inn keepers, who
we're also executed for no other rea
son than that persons who hsd bseo
.hus lost were known to have lain III
heir houses and were supposed to
rave been robbed and murdered by
hem ard their bodies privately bur
led in obscure places. To such an
,xtent was this carried tnat several
n-keepers on the western road of
Scotland abandoned their business
or fear of being made like examples
md followed other employments, so
hat travellers were put to many in
for want Of accommo-
iations. However, after several had
,ecn executed and no one made any
on the gallows, but all de-
Jared that the were innocent of the
rimes for which they died, this rig
rous way of proceeding was given
ip.
Sawney Beane, with his wife, chill
ren and grand children, still pur
ued their barbarous actions with
Being somewhat numer
US, they would attack four, five or
tx men tegether if they were Oh foot
IS for horsemen, two were the most |
hey would set on, ard then with |
lch csution that an ambuscads WAS
i'd to secure them, ride which way
le would, provided that one or both
lads their escape from the first as.
lilants. The place was solitary
here these cannibals lived, aad
hen the tide came up, the water
1se nearly two hundred yards into
leir subterranean habitation, which
sached almost nile underground.
Consequently, if they were ever seen
lereabouts by any person, it was not
4. 1 IL ! l.. :, =. !