CANNIBALISM.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2343, 10 July 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

CANNIBALISM.

You remember the Mignonette tragedy, and how people at first scoffed at the reported cannibalism, saying vwas unnatural, impossible and so on, Well, the oase of the Mignonette survivors, and of the Greeley Expedition man-eaters has found a parallel. By a late copy of the New York Herald, I see that four men belonging to. an American fishing schooner were abandoned in the Arctic sea by their comrades oh the schooner, which the four had left on a fishing expedition, Days of hunger and thirst followed, when one of thee men died. One of tha "survivors thus concluded the ghastly story : —" On Friday, after James M'Donald died. Angus M'Donald said he was starving and thirsty, and that he must have something to eat and drink, he was going to drink Jim's blood. He had no sooner uttered the words thandie seized his knife and cut off Jim's arm, sucking some of the blood and eating some of 'the flesh. Then, looking at me with his mouth smeared and a piece of flesh in- his hand, he asked me if I would have some, remarking at the time that the blood tasted like cream, I tasted it, and at once spat it out, saying, if I was to die within an hour I would neither eat the flesh nor drink tho blood. In the afternoon Angus again turned to me and said:—'• lam going to cut Jim's

throat to get some more bloud." I begged hifli not to do so, saying : For God's saki, whatever else you do don's cut his throat Do what you like, but don't do that," In the morning we found that he had cut the dead man's throat, and, not finding any blood there, had also out pieces of flesh put of his left thigh. His hunger mid thirst not being then appeased Angus cut another piece out of Jim's right thigh and during Saturday ate several pieces. M'Eachern attempted to eat some but oould not. The taste of it made him siok." The story is horrible enough in all conscience, I quote it merely to show that the sense of self preservation is superior to any feelings of disgust, and those who scouted the Greeley and Mignonette yarns asuntrue and impossible, will have to admit that such things, horrible and incredible as they may seem to be, are possible, and occur, Of the four men, two .were saved, The sfcory is well authenticate.—The Yeoman.