SAGUACHE CHRONICLE

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1883

After Nine Years a Fugitive From Justice, the Capture

is Effected of the Human Ghoul who Murdered and

Grew Corpulent on the Flesh of His Comrades.

Description of the Most Revolting Crime of the Century.

Together with a Brief Recital of the Fearful Hardships

Endured by a Party of Prospectors in the Early San

Juan Days.

The cannibal, Packer, who escaped from the custody of Sheriff Wall, of Saguache, nine years ago, and who has been a fugitive from justice during this time, was recognized a short time ago by a French Peddler, who was one of the party of prospectors of which Packer was a member in 1873, and on is information was rearrested. He was brought to Denver last Friday and taken to Lake City, Hinsdale county, the first of this week.

Packer’s heinous crime of murdering his five companions, robbing them of their money and subsisting off their flesh, while making his way across the mountains of the San Juan in ‘74, is still fresh in the memories of many of our old citizens, and calls forth reminiscences romantic of the trip of a band of prospectors, who left Salt Lake City in the winter of 1873-4, bound for the land of golden promise--the San Juan. Among the party were Joe McIntosh, the genial Joe who left Saguache only a few months ago, George Tracy, “Old Sport” of Saguache, Bill Miller, Bob McGrew, John McIntyre, “Frenchy” Swan, Swan, Miller, Bell, Noon, Mike Burk, Dave Shelton, Dr. Cooper, Jim Montgomery, Lutsenheizer and Packer. There were twenty-two men in the party when the left Salt Lake, but very few of them are now living in this part of the country . A Chronicle representative had an interview with George Tracy, from whom he got the above names of those who were with the party. He said that Packer joined the party about 25 miles from Salt Lake. That he inquired where they were going, and after learning that their destination was the San Juan, wished to go with them. He did not have a dollar, but as he claimed to be well acquainted with the San Juan country and the route there, the party concluded to take him along. He was not well liked by the party, being lazy and quarrelsome. He seemed to have a particular spite at Miller, with whom he was continually quarreling. The party endured severe hardships on account of the deep snow, and the impossibility of following a trail, having nothing but a compass to guide them. They were reduced to the extremity of living on horse feed quite a while before reaching the Ute camp in Uncompahgre valley. When they arrived at this camp they were well received and treated by Chief Ouray. He wished them to remain with him until spring, offering to share with them all that he had. But after remaining a short time the party were anxious to push forward to the objective point. Those who had horses and wagons, however, were forced to remain with the Indians on account of the impossibility of progressing with them through the great depth of snow that then covered the earth. Those who had not the encumbrance of horses and wagons concluded to go on. There were eleven of the party thus free to travel. Packer was in favor of reaching Los Pinos agency, which was the first point to be reached, from whence it would be an easy matter to cross the mountains to the San Juan Eldorado, by going “across country” while the majority, with Ouray on their side, thought it best to follow the Gunnison river, which would bring them to the agency by a circuitrous but less dangerous route. Packer claimed to be well acquainted with the country, and succeeded in securing five men to accompany him across the hills. These men were named Miller, Bell, Humphreys, Swan and George Noon. The two parties left about the same time, five men following Gunnison, and Packer and his followers making for Los Pinos across country.

Packer’s Arrival At The Agency

In the winter of 1873-4 General Adams, brother of our fellow townsman, Louis Schwanbeck, was Indian agent at the Los Pinos agency-now Cochetopa post office-about 40 miles from Saguache. The Ute reservation included the whole San Juan country, which was not thrown open to settlers, according to a treaty between General Adams and the Utes, until the summer of 1874. Hinsdale county had not yet been created, and Lake City was not yet thought of.

One cold morning in March, during the progress of a fierce wind storm, the employees of Los Pinos agency, as they were seated around the breakfast table, were startled by the appearance of a man at the door, who asked for shelter and food. He was invited to step in and take a seat at the table. He was given food, but was forced to keep from eating because he could not retain nothing upon his stomach. The circumstance was hardly noticed, although its importance was afterward see, and the man explained that the derangement of his digestive organs was caused by protracted and enforced starvation. He did not have the appearance of having suffered from want of food. His face was bloated and he was apparently very healthy. His countenance was far from prepossessing, but no attention was paid to that at the time. He gave his name as Alferd Packer, and claimed to be a nephew of Asa Packer, of Pennsylvania. He said that he was one of the party of prospectors on their way to the newly discovered San Juan mines. When not more than fifty miles for Los Pinos, he said, he had been taken ill, and while in that condition he had been deserted by his companions, who left him no provisions but gave him a Winchester rifle with which to kill game if he discovered any. He regained his health and started for Los Pinos where he arrived after several days of weary tramping, his only food being roots and a rabbits which he had killed. His story was believed and he was taken in and kindly cared for. After remaining at the agency a few days to recuperate he went to Saguache, which was then the nearest point to the agency and the most advanced of all the frontier towns.

THE PARTY OF FIVE

did not fare well from the beginning. They suffered from cold, storms beset them, and they lost their way. The provisions gave out, and they were in a fair way to starve to death when they were providentially saved by a number of cowboys, who found them wandering aimlessly about. These boys belonged to a cattle ranch belonging to the government, which was situated where the city of Gunnison now stands. The five men secured food and shelter there, and there they remained until early in April. The snow had disappeared from the valley and was melting off the mountains, and two of the men concluded it safe to begin the journey anew, the remainder of the party to follow in a few days. Well equipped with provisions, the men started out, and after a hard struggle the two prospectors reached the agency, more dead than alive. A few days afterward the remainder of the men arrived safe and sound, they having been favored with very prosperous weather.

The incident of Packer’s arrival at the agency, and his story, was then related to the men. All of them discredited it. They were of the opinion that had he been sick, the men would not have deserted him. They at once were suspect.

FOUL PLAY

and communicated their suspicions to General Adams. They said that the Winchester carried by Packer belonged to another man, and a pipe belonging to another of the party was also identified. General Adams at once mounted an officer and sent him to Saguache for Packer. The officer returned with his man and brought the information that Packer had spent several hundred dollars during his six weeks’ residence in Saguache, besides buying horses, etc. This information was communicated to the five men and convinced them that Packer was a murderer and robber, for it was known to them that he had but a small amount of money when he left Salt Lake. Packer told identically the same story to the men which he had told upon his first entry into the agency. He appeared to be greatly surprised that the men had not been heard from, and seemed to be concerned as to

THEIR PROBABLE FATE.

There was no proof against him, however, and he explained his possession of so much money by saying it had been paid to him by a man in Saguache. It was determined to test this statement and to keep him at the agency until something definite could be ascertained. A courier was at once dispatched to Saguache, and he returned with the positive assurance that he had never been paid one penny by anyone, but that he had arrived in town with plenty of loot. This was strong circumstantial evidence, but hardly enough to convict. A council of five men and officers of the agency, to settle the matter, was called. While it was in progress proceedings were interrupted by the entry of two very much excited Indians. The scene that followed was highly dramatic, sensational, and decidedly sickening as to detail. The Indians bore in their hands strips of flesh, which they termed

“WHITE MAN’S MEAT.”

They had been out hunting, they said, and had found the flesh not far from the agency, on a hill. It was in good condition, the white skin, which firmly adhered, convincing all present that it had been cut from a human being, apparently from the thigh. The strips were quite long and thin. When Packer caught sight of the flesh his face became livid, his breath came short, quick, and suddenly all strength left him, and with a low moan he sank to the floor. He weakened, and after begging for mercy promised to make a full confession. Liquors were applied, and he was revived sufficiently to speak fluently. The followed a

HORRIBLE RECITAL,

which was afterward found to be true as to the death of Packer’s companions, but untrue as to detail and causes. The five men were appalled by what they heard, and all except Packer were horrified beyond expression. Packer soon gained his composure, and coolly told his awful story. His confession was taken down in writing by Mr. Herman Lauter, which here is given:

THE CONFESSION.

When the six men left Ouray’s camp they carried what they supposed to be provisions enough for the long and arduous journey before them; but they were mistaken. Almost before they knew it their food had disappeared, and nothing was left but the few rabbits which they might kill with their rifles. These were hard to find, and in a day or two they found themselves on the point of starvation. Roots were dug out of the frozen ground, and on these they subsisted for some days. But roots as a mean of sustenance were found not to be very nutritious. Soon there came into the eyes a look of longing, restlessness and determination which has been described in sea stories, when men were offered up in sacrifice to save the lives of others. They looked at each other and thought of how their lives might be saved by the flesh and blood of others. One day Packer went out to gather dry wood for the fire, and when he returned he found that in his absence the first life had been sacrificed. Lying upon the ground, dead, was the oldest man in the party, Mr. Swan. His skull was fractured and his death had been instantaneous. Around him were congregated the four men remaining, besides himself, who were engaged in cutting up the body. Large pieces and strips were cut from the calves of the legs, thighs and breasts. Swan’s money amounting to several thousand dollars, was divided among the men. In two days the party was again out of food, and it was decided by three of the survivors that Miller, a young man, well built and stout, should be the next to go. Packer confessed that Miller was chosen because of the great amount of soft flesh he carried. Miller was killed with a hatchet while stooping for a stick of wood. His body was dissected and the best parts eaten. Humphreys and Noon followed in the same way, leaving only Packer and Bell. In his confession Packer described fully the feelings of the men towards each other-the distrust and fears entertained and the tendency of the men to wander off alone fearful of meeting with their death at the hands of their companions. Meanwhile the men had been traveling slowly. When Packer and Bell found themselves alone a solemn compact was entered into between them, each one pledging himself by the living God not to kill the other, but to live as best they could, even if they starved to death. Each one had a rifle, Packer having appropriated Swan’s and it was thought enough game could be killed to furnish two men. But the compact was speedily broken. After living several days on roots, they reached a huge lake, which was skirted on one side by an extensive grove of hemlock trees. One day while camped in this grove, Bell arose, seized his rifle and exclaimed, “I can’t stand this any longer, one of us must make food for the other right here.” He clubbed his gun and endeavored to strike Packer. The latter always on the alert, parried the blow and the rifle was broken by striking a tree. Packer then struck Bell with a hatchet and killed him. He was alone, and had no fear of death except by starvation. Cutting up the body of his companion, he ate as much as he could then packed away considerable of the flesh about him for future use. He resumed his tramp, the sole survivor of a party of six, and in time from the top of a hill, he espied the buildings of the Los Pinos agency close at hand. He threw away the human flesh he still had and arrived at the agency safe and sound. He acknowledged that he had grown quite fond of human flesh, and coolly said that he found the breasts of men the sweetest meat he had ever tasted.

Such was Packer’s story, coolly and carelessly related. At the conclusion of the horrifying tale a consultation was held, and it decided to send out an expedition in search of Bell’s dead body. The men who had listened to the confession did not believe it and they wanted it proved or disproved. They said that Bell would have sacrificed himself rather than take the life of a friend or companion. The Indians who were consulted said that a lake such as Packer described existed about fifty miles away across the hills. Packer consented to guide the expedition, which was at once formed. This search party consisted of the five Utah men, two of the agency employees, and three or four Indians, all under the care of Mr. H F. Lauter, now of Denver, and who was then clerk of the agency. The party was out about two weeks. Packer made an excellent guide until the Lake Fork of Gunnison was reached, when he grew confused, and said he was unable to proceed further. The party was therefore forced to return without having accomplished anything. During this trip Packer made and attempt to

MURDER MR. LAUTER,

whose prisoner he was, with a large knife which he had succeeded in concealing in his clothing. He was detected in the act and promptly placed under arrest. Up to this time General Adams had great sympathy for the man, but the assault on Lauter revealed his true nature, and he placed him in irons, made especially for him. In this condition he was sent to the Sheriff at Saguache, this town, being then the nearest point of civilization. Here the home-made irons were replaced with the patent hobbles and “bracelets,” which he readily unlocked and made his escape.

DISCREPANCIES

On being brought to Denver last week, he voluntarily made another confession to General Adams, who went to see him, and there is no similarity at all between the two confessions. In the latter confession he claims that the whole party had but $70; it was thousands before. In the last one he claims to have eaten all the human flesh, in the other he threw part away when he neared the agency. In his last statement they were all killed by Miller, who became crazy; in the other the exterminated one another by lot.

THINGS AGAINST HIM

The bodies were finally found in June by a photographer named Reynolds from Peoria, Illinois, in the employ of the Harper Brothers, while sketching along Lake San Cristobal near the present town of Lake City. He came across the remains of the five men lying in a grove of hemlocks. The spot was the same described by Packer as the place where Bell met his death. Four of the bodies were laying together in a row, and the fifth was laying away a short distance with the head completely severed. There were traces of a struggle about Miller, showing that the man had fought hard for his life. An examination showed that all five had been assassinated. Holes made by rifle balls were found in the heads of Bell, Swan, Humphreys, and Noon. Miller was clubbed to death, the instrument used being a rifle, which was found nearby, broken in two. The four men lying together were undoubtedly asleep at the time. Blankets were found wrapped about two of them. The blankets were removed for the other two for obvious reasons. All had been killed for their money. Valuable articles and money which the men were known to possess had disappeared. An inspection of the bodies showed that Packer had actually been guilty of the revolting crime.

CANNIBALISM.

Miller was badly mutilated and the breasts of two other men were cut away, leaving the ribs bare. Two men-those with blankets around them--were untouched. About one hundred yards from where the bodies were found, and just outside the grove, a brush cabin was discovered. A beaten path led from the cabin to the spot where the bodies were found. In the cabin were found blankets and other things belonging to the dead men.

The indications were that the crime had been committed before the provision of the party had been used up. After the murders Packer lived for some time in the rude cabin, and when the provisions had given out he fed upon the bodies of his victims.

The discovery of the bodies created great excitement. An inquest was held and Packer charged with the murder. When the proper officers came to Saguache to serve a warrant upon him, it was learned that only a few days before he had broken jail and made his escape. Sheriff Wall had gone to Del Norte the day before the escape, and had left the prisoner in the charge of a young fellow named Grimes. Packer was given a key made of a knife blade, with which he affected his release. It is generally thought that Grimes was bribed to do this.

It is undecided yet where this trial will take place, but inasmuch as he made his escape from Saguache, he will probably be returned there. The gibbet will surely be his portion.