El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-20

In 1883 Packer was found guilty OF
numbering five men, and later subsist-
ins off their flesh. The crime was
com mitted, says the Los Angeles Times
in Hinsoale county, Colo, in 1874,
while Packer was guiding prospect-
ing party through the San Juan coun-
trV in southwestern Color ado. Packer
escaped after his arrest, and was 81
large for nine years, or until 100.
Packers defense WAS that he snot out
one of his five companions, and MIN In
self-defense. He aomltseo, nov eEe n
having lived three months oil the DO,
dies of the five men. He was found
guilty as charged in the Indictment,
and sentenced to serve eight years on
each of the five counts, or forty-years
in all.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES.
In July, 1874, dog, chasing around
on the lake fork of the Gunnlson river,
found something that suggested 1000
to his canine senses, but 'asteo olHer-
entity. The intelligent animal stuck to
this piece of fiots am, and finally landed
it where it's owner caught site OF IL.
The man saw that 1t WAS rotten piece
of blanket wrapped around something;
Upon opening the package ne 1ouno
the remnant to q human foot. Ihls
was q clew of the lost bodies, but as no
one knew where the dog found the foot,
it could not be followed.
In August of the same year. Photo-
grapher named John A. Randolpn AZ
tached to q Harper's Weekly sketch
ing party, was operating ABOUT the
same locality that was visited by the
dog. In the came canon he came sud
denly upon the bodies OF Packers COM
paniOns.
"They were lying in a gloomy Sc,
cluded spot, directly shaded by tau
trees, at the foot of steep bluff, near
the banks of the Gunnison River" says
Harper's Weekly of October IL, 1874.
MARKS of violence on each body In
Dictated that a most horrible crime had
been committed. The bodies lay with
in few feet of each other, in their
blankets and clothes. There had, ap-
parentiy, been no attempt to conceal
I IV iptepred on the spot and each grave
IL m arked with slab bearing the name
of the occupant"
If one has read Nick Carter's stories
ip his homage, and Rousseau's comics
sions in his maturity, he will see, by
perusai of Packers statement to the
lunacy commission that Investigated
him, that Packers life has some OF the
chief elements of both those popular
tales, ana many bnlnRS oSeloeS' hio
which follows, reads like
the proverbial novel:
THE PRISONER TELLS HIS STORY.
81 WAS born in Harrisburg. Pa, in
lS47." Packer said, when asked to tell
something Of the early life. my peo-
pie are nearly all well off and infuer-
!ial. William Packer, once governor
Of Pennsylvania, was my fathers
IL
.ionaire, is also my uncle. My father
10 as wealthy as either of these. They |
have all discarded me now, even my |
ather and mothe r, who were alive the |
asst time had news from home. May |
De they think l am dead, as was once
ID beshanged, you know. If
ny father is alive he Is over 80 years |
I'D.
81 developed rapidly, as the Penn
ylvanis Dutch nearly always DO, and
It II years of age L thought l was able
o take care of myself. So ran away
rom home and drifted about until L
rot to Chicago. Soon after that the
var broke out. l was then l6 years
I'D, but big, strong and hearty. In
Wyoming, MINI. L enlisted in the Six
eenth regiment of the regular army.
was in seven engagements, and was
discharged for disability, caused by
yphOld FEVER, at Fort ontario, IN.
"From there l went west, and at
Nebraska City, in 1864, 1 got q job to
ollow the coach through to Fort
Bridge as mounted and armed guard.
'or this l got 500 a month. Later
vas employed as a guard of his teams
y Frank Creighton, who was putting
p telegraph poles across the plains.
firing of this work, L came on to Colo
ado, and went to mining. operated
q California Gulch, Breckinridge, and
II through that country. and made
money by taking up
laims, opening Their, and selling out
DR. cash. One winter 1 got job as q
unter for Carmichael, the Union Pa
lfic contractor, and that life fascinat- {
d me for a while. l hunted mainly on
ne North Fork of the Cache la Poudre,
nd mysmarket were Carmichael and {
heyenne, then a village of tents.
THE White Pine excitement occur