GHASTLY DETAILS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 221, 24 September 1887, Page 4

GHASTLY DETAILS.

Some additional and more ghastly facts liave recently been communicated to the Chicago Press, relating to this ill-fated expedition, by Captain Norman, a Newfoundlander, and ice-master in two United States Polar exploration parties, on board tho Neptune and Proteus. According to a despatch from Chicago, on the 14th of August, Norman is a man about 45 years of age, of fine physique, and bears the marks of great exposure U, wind and weather in his countenance. Captain Norman was ice-master of the Proteus when ib bore Greely and his party to Lady Franklin Bay in 1881, and beheld tho same position in tho Neptune, under the command of A. M. Bcebe, the following year, when provisions! wove cached at Cape Sabine. He did not accompany the Proteus and Yantic in 1883, when the former foundered, owing to the jealou&y of the American Consul at St. John's. He was a member of the final relief expedition, however, and acted as ice-master of the Thetis, w Inch was tho flag-ship of the small squadion. To him belongs the honour of being the iirst to discover the starvingsufferers, and in fact he remained in their tent with them alone for nearly an hour befoio the others of the expedition reached the spot. Captain Norman is roluct'int to talk about thetxpedition, buthois expected toknow as much of tho history of it as any one not a member of it. Last night the captain thawed out under the influence- of a bottle oi claret and related seveial circumstances which have never been published hitheito. " Yes," said he, as he lighted a fiesh cigar and leaned back in his chair, " 1 was the tirst num m-ido the tent where the surrivors were found. When we reached Capo Sabin I was detailed to take charge of the steam launch and uo to the place where we had stored two years' provisions. 1 had a rubber pouch tilled with whisky slung over my shoulder and a lot of biscuit. When the boat landed I jumped ashore and started on a run. I knew the lay of tho land, and so was able to get to the cache befoie any of my companions. About a mile away, across a level plain of ice, I could see a small hill, and alone etarLcd for it, and when I had co\ercd half the distance 1 saw some black object ci aw ling along the lough snow. Ac fiist i thought ib whs some animal, but approaching nearer 1 recognised Seigeanc Long. His face was covered with blood, his clothe^ we.ro literally tied on him, his beard was thick and matted, and his hair hung down below his should era. " ' Is it you, Norman ?' said he in a voice so thick I could scarcely understand him. 'Thank God!' He told mo Lieutenant Greely and six others weie alive and in a tent a little fuither on. I gave him a drink of whisky and some biscuit and he staited on to the lunch. When 1 got near enough to the tent to be heaid 1 called out, ' Cheer up, Greely ; we're here with tv o ships to save you >' The back of the tent had been blown down, and I had to cut my way in. The pool fellow- were 1) ing on the giound in their sleeping bags, just able to move. I pave them each" a diink of whi->ky and a li^cuit. They acted at iir?t as if they w ere in a dream and could nob believe the evidence of their senses. One man just on the point of delirium looked up and asked me if 1 knew his name. I knew his face perfectly well, and n.mie, too, but 1 could not recall it. '1 knew it,' naid he. 'It's all a dream !' and he began to sob. Just then his name flashed across my mind. ' Your name ? Why, of course, I know it. It's Connell, and your woith a whole ciew of sick men,' It took them all some time to appreciate the truth. " You see all the otheis, just before their death, became delhious, and rtould talk to friends just a-> if they were present. Tho&o whom I found were deeply impressed with this circumstance, and were afraid that they were getting in the same condition. Sergeant Ellison was lying near the centre of the tent. His hands and feet had been frozen the winter before and had dropped oft", not amputated, but actually dropped off. I gave him a big drink of whisky, and threw a cracker into hi& mouth, which he managed to eat by pressing it between his lips with the stumps of his arms. After a while Lieutenant Col well and two men, carrying- bags of bread and pemmican, came up. I introduced Col well to Greely, and said he was a member of the Garlington expedition, which had failed to rescue him the year previous." At this Greely began to curse and rave. He swore at the navy, and said there \\ as not a decent man in it, and that he wished it had been the army that had come to his rescue. Piebby soon a couple of surgeons came, and with these some men with stretchers, and the poor fellows weie taken on boai d the Thetis. "How about the stories of cannibalism, published after the Greely party had returned ?" asked the correspondent. " Cannibalism was not the worst tiling that happened during- the expedition, by a long shot," responded Captain Norman after a moment's hesitation. " There were just three bodies out of the thirteen we found which had not been mutilated. Private Henry's head and arms had entirely disappeared. His bones were picked as clean as a child picks a chicken bone ; his vital organs had been removed, and, in fact, there was scarcely anything left. There was a well-trodden path leading from what was left of his body to the tent. You could see where thick strips of flesh had been cut from Lieutenant Kislingbury's thighs, just as a butcher cuts a steak. The others woie horribly mutilated, but there is no use of going into particulars. " When I told Commander Schley the condition in which some of the bodies were found, he told me to keep the matter as quiet as possible and not let the men know anything about it. The bodies were taken aboard the ship and placed in alcohol. A wooden ball was placed on Henry's neck and two wooden sticks were made to represent his arms. Their clothes were wrapped around them to conceal the deception, and in this way he was buried on Governor's Island. An attempt was mado to observe the utmost secrecy of tho matter, and when Portsmouth was reached, no one was allowed to see the bodies, and the survivors themselves were taken ashore to the Navy-yard and surrounded by a cordon of sentinels so that no one could approach them without permission. I think ib was this attempted secrecy that made people think something was wrong and which caused a portion of the truth to leak out." " What did you mean by saying that cannibalism was nob the worst thing about the expedition ?" inquired one of the gentlemen present. " What became of Dr. Pavey ? How did Lieutenant Kislingbury die? Why ,was Private Henry shot ? Ail these tilings will come out in duo time. I believe Dr. Pavey was killed, and I never could get a satisfactory explanation of Kislingbury's death. If Henry was shot for stealing, <why was it he was the 'only man so punished ? They all stole from the store of provisions. Lioutenant Kislingbury was under arrest from tho

day he landed In Lady Ifaanklin Bay until lie died. Dr, Pavey was also uner arrosfc the jrr eater partfc of the time. Iri fact, Sdieiitcaant C4aieety was ©ot on speaking terms with any of his commissioned officers. Oa the night of rescue a private diary of oue of itho men was found. I saw it and read a few .pages of it, which gave a vory different, version of the expedition from that given in the published reports. That diary disappeared the next day, and I don't know what has become of it. I have had letters from Greely .and Brainard in regard to it, asking me if I knew where it was or who had it. I don't chink it has been destroyed, and I believe it will be brought to light one of the.se days, and if it ever is you may look out for a sensation."