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Dark Arctic Secrets

The Evening Critic, Monday, September 1, 1884, p. 1, col. 3

DARK ARCTIC SECRETS.

Did the Franklin Exploring Expedition Resort to Cannibalism?

The Cincinnati Evening Post quotes John D. Caldwell, of that city, as saying that Captain Hall was authority for a report of cannibalism among the Sir John Franklin party of Arctic explorers, and goes on to say that this has never been made public out of consideration for the relatives of Captain McClintock, the man who was selected by lot, shot and eaten by his starving companions.

A CRITIC reporter made some inquiry among the local Arctic authorities as to the probable truth of the reports of cannibalism among the Franklin party and to what extent the story has heretofore been made public.

"The stories of cannibalism," said one of the best-known Arctic explorers in Washington, "have been the subject of official comments in the reports of the search for Franklin and his men and the discovery of the bodies. The reports were circulated soon after the time of their occurrence, but were suppressed for several reasons, and so much reticence and delicacy was shown that many were at a loss whether to credit the stories or not. They became known, however, in two ways. One was that the actual evidence of cannibalism, the amputation of limbs and sawing and stripping of bones was officially reported by the discoverers of the remains, and even the slight reference to the subject in those reports aroused

A Whirlwind of Indignation.

"Besides this the reports have come from more than one source of descriptions given by Eskimos to subsequent explorers of scenes of acts of cannibalism by members of Sir John Franklin's party. The desire to keep these horrible stories quiet has to a certain extent destroyed the evidence, and the real facts will probably never be established. In justice to the memory of Franklin, it should be remembered that the indications rather pointed to the fact that he prevented cannibalism among his men, and that it was not indulged in during his life."

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The Evening Critic (Washington, D.C.), "Dark Arctic Secrets," Monday, September 1, 1884, p. 1, col. 3. Source: newspapers.com image 1039180376.

'An Old Cannibal Story', Rediscovered After 142 Years

A wave of newspaper articles from 1884 preserves what Charles Francis Hall learned about Franklin's men. Nothing like it appears in any other source. Some mysteries thin over time. Not Franklin. Since late July 1845, when whalers last saw Sir John Franklin and his 129 men anchored to

An Old Cannibal Story

Winnipeg Daily Sun, Friday, September 5, 1884, p. 1, col. 7 AN OLD CANNIBAL STORY. A MEMBER OF THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION KILLED FOR FOOD. BUFFALO, Sept. 1.—A morning paper here prints the following despatch from Cincinnati about an interview with John D. Caldwell, an old and respected citizen, in

He Was Eaten

Cincinnati Evening Post, Thursday, September 4, 1884, p. 2, col. 2 HE WAS EATEN. Not Capt. McClintock, of the Franklin Relief Party, BUT AN OFFICER OF FRANKLIN'S OWN EXPEDITION. John D. Caldwell Reiterates His Statement as True, Save that in Haste He Recalled the Wrong Name—Capt Hall

An Absurd Arctic Story

Washington Post, Tuesday, September 2, 1884, p. 2, col. 5. An Absurd Arctic Story. A morning paper published yesterday under a New York date an alleged interview with a Mr. Coldwell¹, of Cincinnati, in which the latter states that Capt. Hall, of the Polaris, told him Capt. John McClintock,² of

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'An Old Cannibal Story', Rediscovered After 142 Years

An Old Cannibal Story

He Was Eaten

An Absurd Arctic Story