Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1911-02-02
HENRY The THIEF.
The Black Heart Of the Greedy
Arctic Expedition.
STORY OF HIS EXECUTION.

suS OCOcr iSSueC oy the CmaCIatoo
Commander and the Way 1t Was
Carried Out-The Rifle Shot That
Put an End to the Traitor.
One of the many tragedies of the
,, Greedy arctic expedition was the exc
cution of Private Henry. who had been
caught time after time stealing food
from the scant store of the starving
party Henry alone was strong and
active. thanks to the stolen food and
to the fact that he did no labor he
could possibly shirk.
Lieutenant Greedy had warned and
warned Henry and had punished him.
but to no avail. and finally. after par
ticularly despicable act Of theft. the
commander. in fear that Henry's
course would cause general raid on
the store of food and thus bring about
the destruction Of the whole party,
condemned Henry to death
The story of the execution. which
makes new page in history. is told
In the American Magazine by Frank
B. Copley. who got his data direct
from the survivors of the expedition
He writes:
"All his lethargy gone. Greedy dis,
missed the man, seized pencil and pa.
per and. with trembling, emaciated
fingers, wrote:
Near Cape Sabine, June 6, 1894
''sergeants Brainard. Long and Frederick:
ntxry}f1 1ukn
Private G. B. Henry yesterday he has
since. as acknowledged to me, tempered
with seal thongs If not other food at the
old camp. This pertinacity and audacity
10 the destruction Of the party If not at
once ended. Private Henry will be shot
today. all care being taken to prevent his
in1urfng any one as his physical strength
Is greater than that Of any two men.
Peeide the manner Of his death by two
IL imperative and absolutely necessary For
any chance Of life. A Y. GREELY."
I'm the official report Of the Lady
Franklin bay expedition it is sim
ply announced that shots were heard
about 2 o'clock. and later the order
was read to the general party The
manner in which the order was ex-
"Sergeants Brainard. Long and Fred
erick could not, as ordered, decide the
manner of death by two ball and one
blank cartridge Greedy had failed
to take into considera ton that at this
time the party had left only one serv-
iceable rifle
THE three sergeants drew lots to
see who would do the shooting. Whe1t
they had done 80 they bound them.
selves with an oath that the identity
of the man thus chosen never should
be revealed
Henry was at the tent on Cemetery
ridge with all the other men when
the time for putting him to death
came What was to take place, of
course. was known only to the three
and the commander. Two
of the sergeants remained in the vi
cinity of the old hut, while the third
went to>the tent to bring Henry down
1.-THE man who went for Henry told
him that he was wanted at the old
camp to help carry up some more of
the supplies that had been left there
nothing, Henry readily ac-
companied the sergeant to the place
chosen for putting him to death.
Nov. Greedy had repeatedly eau.
toned the three sergeants to take no
chances on Henry's getting away, for.
although none at Cape Sabine knew
The mans past history. enough of the
mans black soul had been revealed to
make his comrades feel thaf,no crime
could be put past him.
so Brainard, Long and Frederick,
cautioned by their commander and !!
warned by their own knowledge of the
nan with whom they had to deal, Fad |
decided that Henry should be made to [
;toop to pick up something and that
hen he should be shot from behind. !
At least one of the sergeants had no
more conjunction about killing him |
han he would have had about killing |
| mad dog.
"But one of the other two men
weakened at the last moment. To |
shoot man in cold blood from be- |
hind. to send him into eternity with !
no opportunity to compose his soul,
was too terrible thing for him to
stand 1t was q mistake that nearly |
proved disastrous.
Henry was told face to face that
he was to be put to death in accord
ance with the order of the commander,
and he was advised to kneel and
make his peace with his God. At the
same time the executioner appeared
with his rifle at convenient distance
before the doomed mans eyes.
Henry stood agape. He muttered
something about something not being
right. Near where the third sergeant
stood an ak lay on the ground. Hen
rvs gaze, searching the ground, en-
countered the ak. He sprang for it.
A warning cry was raised. The ser
geant who stood near the ak Jumped
and got his foot on 1t almost as Henry
was upon him. There was cry Of
Quick! Even then there was danger
of the executioner shooting his fellow
sergeant If his aim was the least un-