Year: 1879

There is in this city Mexican by the
name of Francisco Alvares, now residing
on East street, west of the San Pedro, who
has frequently told story about two
runaway negroes, a man and woman,
eating up third member of their party.
Alvares was with train which brought
the two cannibals back to San Antonio.
Many persons have doubted the truth of
the tale told by Alvares, but it is never
theless true, as there are many persons
living who were here at the time, by
whom the facts are remembered. John G.
French, now one of our wealthiest and
most respected citizens, was master Of the
train which found the surviving man and
woman and returned them to this city.
The details of the shocking story are also
preserved in print, and are found pub
lished in the Western Ierar, a San Antonio
paper of that day, under date of March 20,
1851. The following is what the Western
Israas said about it:


Several gentlemen a short distance in
advance of the train which had just ar
rived from Ell Paso encountered party
of runaway negroes at the Limpio Spring
on the other side of the Pecos river.
When discovered there were but two of
the negroes alive, and they were in
state of misery almost impossible to be
described. They had been entirely with





to save themselves from actual starvation,
to kill their companion, which act they
had perpetrated on the morning of the
day on which they were discovered.
They had stripped his bones of every par
ticle of meat which could be obtained,
and after having satisfied their hunger
with this revolving food, were, when cap
tured, in the act of broiling and preparing
the remainder to serve them in their on
ward march toward Mexico. Without
doubt, they would have perished had they
not been discovered at the time they
were, as they were still 200 miles from the
Rio Grande, without any means of killing
game, and in most emaciated condi-
ton. The two that were taken, one
boy, calling himself Henry, and the other
girl, Melinda, were brought in with his
train, and will be confined in San Anto-
nio until some intelligence is received
from their owner or owners. They give
the following account of themselves:
They say that ali three belonged to the
same owner, Charles Owens, who lives
near Holly Springs, in Marshall county,
Mississippi, from whom they escaped
more than year ago, and have been on
their way towards Mexico ever since that
time. the name of the boy who was
killed was Morgan. They were all young
negroes, apparently not more than %
years old. After striking the Ell Paso
road, they derived what sustenance they
could from the hides of oxen which had
died, and been left on the road,
by the several trains which have
heretofore made that trip. Finding that
it was impossible to support life in
that manner, they had conversed several
times upon the question of drawing lots
for their lives, to see upon whom the fate
should fall of being sacrificed to support
the other two. This project, however,
was not assented to. The boy Morgan
then threatened to make sure of the first
opportunity, and kill Henry unawares.
Henry, however, proved to be the more
cautious of the two, and availing himself
of the first opportunity when Morgan was
asleep, he cut his throat, and made use of
the body as above described. We have
heard of instances of misery similar to
the above happening on the ocean, but
this is the first instance within our recol-
lection upon land. where human beings
were compelled to devour each other to
save themselves from death by starva-
tion." San Antonia. Texas. Erpress.