Hide Article Text (OCR)
Murdering His Companions and Feeding Upon Their Flesh—The Horrible Story Told by the Remorseless Wretch In His Own Defense. Alfred Packer, better known as “the Man-Eater,” was recently tried at Gun nison, Col., and found guilty of man slaughter on five counts as charged in the indictment. Judge Harrison sen tenced the prisoner to forty years in the penitentiary, or eight years for each man it is supposed he murdered. The crime Packer is charged with is one of the most horrible on record, and it is probable more excitement was created over his acts of cannibalism at the time of their discovery than over any other crime committed in America during the last half century. During the early part of the winter of 1373 Packer, in company with five prospect ors—Israel Swan, Wilson Bell, George Noon, Frank Miller, and James Hum phreys—started from Bingham, Utah, to a new mining district in the San Juan country. The winter was se vere and game scarce, and when the party reached the place where Lake City now stands they were out of pro visions, suffering with cold, and crying for salt. Here they went into camp, and one night Packer murdered his companions, and for fifteen days lived off the Hesk of the dead men. In the early part of 1874 Packer made his way to los Pinos Agency, where he stated that Bell had gone crazy with hunger and murdered the four other men while he (Packer) was out hunting for game, and on his return to camp Well attacked him with a hatchet, and he was com pelled to kill him in self-defense. Packer was arrested, had a preliminary hearing, and was confined in Saguache jail, when he escaped the same year, and was a fugitive until 1883, when he was recaptured at Fort Fetterman, Wyoming, going under the name of John Schwartz. His attempt to prove at the trial that he killed only Bell failed. He stoutly maintains his inno cence into the other four, and seems reconciled to his fate, although he claims it is unjust. As told by the defendant, no story could be more excitedly interesting and horrible than the bare recital of how he and his five companions wandered aimlessly about the mountains without food, raving mad with hunger, eating their moccasins, willow buds, rosebuda, and finally devouring each other. Then, after the death of the remainder of the party, the cold, unfeeling account of how he took flesh from the legs of his companions, boiled it in tin cups and tie it, has never been equaled in the history of jurisprudence in America. He admitted that once or twice his stomach refused to retain such a feast. Finally his will conquered the animal weakness, and he prepared the food and ate it without trouble. All these circumstances were listened to wih the closest attention by the crowd’assem bled. It was only when the cross-ex amination uncovered the weak points in the narrative that the witness testi fied to the impossible circumstances which he recounted that the truth of the novel recital was questioned. Then it was that the story of starvation was doubted. He testified as follows: “My nae is Alfred Packer I have been in the mountains for many years, Swan ig Utah in 187%, and worked in the mines there til 1be. com landed. (‘This is a form of loud colic pe culing ti tha men employed in the vicinity of the muelters in Utah and Nevada. Then I came to Salt Lake, and there I worked a while in smelter. Twas still attached, and on the fall of MiS [ yuine, a party at Bingham Canyon for 2 prospecting trip to the San Juan country, in Col orado ‘territory, T traveled with AMlurew, to whom [ever4 for my pisauge, and I wan to work for the bulunew of my fare. Tf bad see left. We reached Dry Creek, near Chief Gurry 3 camp, in January, 874. Here the party wapmrated, Israel Swan, George Noon, rik feiller, James Humphreys, Shannen Wilson, Bell and myself started from Garry's camp for the San Suan. It was old, the snow drep, and travel difivult. We gave up our Houts widh tied Dlankets about our faut. We had to do it to keep them from freezing, Ola man Swan gave out fret, He was vid and in the tesh. Our tread gave out on the ninth day. We had only eaten one fant a day during the Iaat few days, Losnuse it won storming and blowing so thie we would not see a few fuet before us. We were keeping up toward the summit of the hills, ail ing for the Low Pines Agency, Bell first gave up his wuccuuing, and we made one meal of those, boiling then Amext gave an ining, and then the others did so, Bell had a hatchet, Nuon had a gun, but I carried the gun about half the time, “I think we must have been out in the moun tains several weeks after running a lot of food. 'The men were getting desparate, and Bell seemed to be getting crazy. His eyed protruded from his hand. Wile the otters complained and talked, herensaivendt dilent. ‘Tie mien gried for galt. They did not wk for food; it was only walt, pelt. We had been eating willow and yysobuds for several days, having found some in the villey meat the lake, wiers Lake City now atunds. We aad yun out of mutchea, was eneried fire with us in a Gulleo-pot. One day we saw 4 fate trade upon thy mountains, and t wins agree about Leitoull po on the trail, no DL wis tue stromuest. [took the Winchester rifle nd sudrehed, in the morning L left the menu ¢recy With bigger. Tn the evening when [ returned T had found a bunch of rode beaches and had good dinner from them, but no game, T felt stronger, Ad Fap protected the tire I saw Belk bending over the blaze cooking some meat. I spoke to bin, and immediately he rose and started fprang with a hotchot. L ran back down the bluff, but I fell any while down fahot hin through the side as the approachidl me. He fell and the hotchot dropped by me. It huntched it up and threw it at nim and atrude bins on the head, I went up to the camp aga and founid that the rest of them were dud iid cunt tie neat Vell wis cooking was Hew frow Hum phrey's log. So stwid in camy the rest of that night, “It then tinde my camp off a short distatce, and wtavedl there for possibly ffteen dius, daur ing Dade tinger watt crazed with baiger, and out the tesh from Helis feet aid boiled to im a tin cup and ate it if made me very used. My stunmeh was enpty ad weak, aint To vomited very violently that night. After this Trequent ly iit the moat, wid several chs I tried to put out of the country. I would clast up the mautn tain, Dat, failing to see guy hope, would re turn to camp and again cut the flesh from the hands of the dead men and ont it, Twos went forty miles from Los Pings Agency, wad taut not know the exact distance. ‘This was alums ig Apik. Returning to those parts of the nar rative which he omitted, Packer said: Cam asquidnted, of robbing the dead, You, I wil rob the dead when left the fesh from the Dedies, preparing to start over the range in sevenk of civilization To thon too. from Swan's pocket, wyhe-bill from Voll, nil $10, from Miller. Here is where I did wrong. T robbed the dead, but I knew the money would do m my dead comrades no wood, and I, being yes alive, thought the money might help to save my life. Us willing to take thy blumay of robe bing, the dead, for it was wrong.
Newspaper Details
Bedford Lawrence Mail
Bedford, Indiana, US
Thu, Aug 19, 1886
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 11 Aug 2026
Other Publications Near Bedford, Indiana
Bedford Daily Mail
Bedford Democrat
Bedford Weekly Mail
Bedford Mail
Bedford Lawrence Mail
