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

The others also had beer HACKED to
death on the spot where they sat or re
cIined. The men were evidently toe
dulled by hunger, pain and cold TO re-
sist, even If they had seen the Ratchet
in the air above them. judge from
their position and the disposal of the
blankets that they were either asleep
or stupefied.
while looking at Miller's body l
noticed blood all over his right knee.
Looking closer l saw that big chunk
b ad been cut from the front of his
right thigh, the knife cutting also
through the overslls. Suspecting the
truth, l stepped over to the fire and
picked up that W hich Bell had drop
ped when he saw me. 1t proved to be
the meat from Miller's leg and Bell
had been cooking it when interrupted.
well, i ate of the meat and continu-
ed to do so. How long this condition
lasted l cannot say, but it must have
lasted two or three months, as we bad
left the main camp in January and it
was late in April when l got to the
agency. But necessity forced me to
eat most of the human meat Of my dead
comrades.
Now if 1 did anything wrong in
1T was taking the money of the dead
men. But what good could it have
done them? l was alive and they were
dead. "Why, with what 1 had and
what l got there was hardly S1(0 in
ALL"
Packer told about his subsequ snt
movements. until the agency was
aud his escape later from the
sheriff Of. Hinsdale county, at the
sheriff's suggestion, with great cir
and displayed anxiety
he hi ND H.,
the commission.
after farming for several years in
Color ado, Packer said, 81 went to
Deadwood, S. D., in 1876, where l
igs1n d d some mining and also a good
deal OF courier and scout service for
the army. IT'D tell you my nickname
up there L think you'd recognize it. II
was the bearer of the message up and
down the Yellowstone that Sitting Bull
had broken out In 1883 happened to
be in Cheyenne and was arrested
That is Packers story-there are
thousands who do not believe him. Let
tiers against him and detailing with ex-
plantations the alleged inconsistencies
OF his tale are being daily received by
the Douchful by the paper defending
Packer. They say that his stories
have never jibed and that his asser-
tions as to Bell are mass of lies.
The treasurer of MoDtrose county,
who says he was present when the
bodies were found and was at Packers
trial, writes that he feels certain that
Packer killed four of his companions
with an ak, and that when Bell tried
to escape be shot him. He then robbed
the bodies of money and valuables and
made his way to the Los Pinos agency
and told a pitiful tnle of woe, but his |
story there was not so perfect as the
one he now tells. Packer claimed that |
they were lost and starving; that they |
drew lots which should be sacrificed
first for the sustenance of the others, |
and so one after the other was slain |
along the way, until Bell and Packer |
q lone were left and the last lot falling |
on Bell, he rebelied and
a struggle began and Bell
was dispatched. This writer |
further says that it was shown at Pack |
er's first hearing that the party had |
plenty of ammunition and firearms. |
that the county at that time abounded |
with game, such rs deer, antelope, rab- |
Packer did not dare to affirm on the |
stand. He concludes by saying that |
be lived for years and mined within |
half mile of those graves and that his |
horse would feed outdoors ell winter, |
and there was scar cely ever snow |
enough for sleiehing.
It is proba Die now tina, Gov. Charles |
5. Thomas, or the board of pardons
will pardon him. Gov. Thomas has
been at the penitentiary for several
lays looking into the case.
Capital punishment has long ago
been abolished in Colorado and since
he enactment of that law twenty
even of the thirty persons convicted
# murder have been pardoned.
cans Armour's celebrated Vienna
Sausage, 25 cents.