STARVED TO MADNESS.

Manawatu Herald, 3 January 1899, Page 3

STARVED TO MADNESS.

A tale of horrible suffering, ending in ft tragic suicide, comes from Vancouver. A young Englishman named G. E. Richardson and two other adventurers, allured by the stories of wealth to be found in the icebound regions of Alaska, started from Ashoroft to Glenora, in the Klondyke district. Misled by an advertisement, they only took provisions for a journey of 840 mile?, whereas they had to traverse 1400 miles. Before they could reach their destination their food gave out. Then they shot their horses, and finally they became separated. Richardson struggled over 80 jniles of soggy moss, which was the scene of a thousand horrors. Emevg ing at last from the morass, he struck the " Poisonous Plains," so palled because of a weed fatal to .animals. The stench here was awful from the carcases of hundreds .■ of horses, the victims of eating the plant. Still dragging himself on he came to a tree on which was printed, " Eat here and turn back. Beyond i& the Slough of Despond." He ate, but such a meal ! A A handful of roots and a mouthful of rotten horse. When on the point of ; death he was found by a party of * Indians, who conducted him to the camp of two prospector?, where, frenzied by the sight of food, he L rushed at their fire, seized some y half-cooked pieces of bacon, which \ were being fried there, slid on the j floor, and ate the food ravenously. The prospectors rose to resent this theft, but when they saw the emaci ated wreck of what had once been a f man, and heard him sob out the story of his sufferings, pity took the ■ place of resentment. Next day Eichardson wandered from the camp to an Indian burying ground, where he blew out his brains.