The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-10
PACKER, THE MAN EATER"
KNOWN IN SALT LAKE

Alfred Packer. the most celebrated
prisoner, has just been pardOned from
the Colorado penitentiary- Packer was
known in Salt Lake in early days, prior
to the great crime alleged against him
In the fall of 1873 he started from Salt
Lake with a prospecting party for the
neighborhood of the Los Pinos agency in
Hinsdale county this state. The party
finally broke UP into three bands, the
third of which composed of six men,
under the leadership Of Packer, started
from GunniSOn, where the division was
accomplished, over the great divide for
their original destination Chlef Ouray,
whom they encountered, tried to dissUade
them from the undertaking
The weather was cold and the noun
tains were deep with snow and ice. Be
sides, the next nearest settlement was
hundred miles away. But they were de-
termined to make the trip. and according
~ packed up what provisions they had
started toward the south.
Toward the end Of February their food
supplies began 10 run low. They had
Travelled then through the Arctic region
for over q month. They were cold, hun
CRY and their clothing was in tatters.
Finally, after enduring great htrdsnipS-
they took the mOCCaSinS from their feet,
cut Them in strips and boiled and ate them
Just to relieve for little while their aw-
ful panss of hunger.
One of the party began to wander in
his mind: the others were weak and pros
trated with cold and starvation
There were no signs Of the place they
sought. but Alfred Packer offered to as
cend a high mountain peak and look for
the agency in the distance. He suffered
terribly on the journey of several days
When he approached the camp on his
return he saw a man bending over the
fire He called, and the man at the fire
dropped something from his hand,
grabbed d Ratchet and rushed at him.
The man was mad. and uttered fear
full cry. Packer shot him with his win
chester to protect his own life.
Packer gathered up his fallen rifle and
with a sinking heart went on, and then he
saw a sight which almost blinded him
Close by the fire lay three men, killed
as they slept their heads split and fur
Their away and lying on his face the
fourth who had evidently invoke and
tried to get away
piece of flesh had been cut from his
thigh He shivered and went back to the
fire, where he croUched a long time, and
then ne saw the piece of flesh the poor
maniac had been roasting ana he GRABBED
it and held it over the fire-then he took
"A bite of IT.
Afterward Packer wrapped the bodies
in blankets. side by side. took some OF the
flesh of the dead men, placed 1t in sack
and started out TO find ctVlllzaton lie
arrived at the agency in the spring.
Packer had been living off the flesh OF
his companions He never denied TINS.
but he was compelled TO do II. as other
men have done under the same CircUm-
stances when crazed ny starvation
This Is the generally accredited story or
the Packer case up To the time ne ar
rived AT the Indian agency with portions
OF human flesh in the bag he carried
across his back.
He was the only witness to the terri
bic affair in the mountains. He always
chung to the statement that his COmpan-
ions were killed by Bell, one Of their
number, who went mad. Packer killed
! Bell to protect his own life Enemies OF
/ Packer charged that he killed all his com
/ paniuns for their money
I This Is not likely, as il was never prov
en- that they had any money, as they were
only poor, hard working prospectOrs-
Packer was not arrested and tried At
that time Later he left the state, and
while absent fought with Custer and
acted as "a government scout
About 1SSS he was brought back lor trial
/ to Colorado and placed on trial for the
murder of his five companions lie mad
/ several trials, and the last one resulted
/ In a verdict of mansiaughter on each
count His sentence was eight years tor
1 each offense, making forty years in all
Before he went to the penitentiary
Packer had served three years in the
( county Jail at GunnisOn. the county in
/ which his trial took place. Ell has served
q bout twenty-five years, including the
/ time which IS deducted from his sentence
/ for good conduct in prison.