When writing
Hidden History of Denver, I simply had to include Alfred Packer, the notorious cannibal. As I researched the man, and read his account (written in his own hand) of that fateful trip, one thing stood out -- his voice! It would be his downfall, lead to his capture, and eventual trial. Following is a short extract from my book.
On March 11, 1883, by sheer luck, Jean
“Frenchy” Cabazon, a peddler by trade, and one of the original twenty-one man
group that left Utah eight year earlier, walked into a roadhouse in Wyoming to
sell his wares. Despite the noise, his ears pricked up with interest when he
heard a familiar voice, and recognized it as belonging to Alfred Packer, the
notorious cannibal. The local sheriff was called, and he approached the man
they all knew as John Swartze. Packer admitted his real identity, and was
arrested without incident. Sheriff Clair Smith of Hinsdale Country, Colorado escorted
Packer to Denver, arriving on March 16th.
The newspapers ran the story calling Packer “the
ghoul of the San Juan’s.” That night, in the presence of Sheriffs Campbell and
Smith, U.S. Marshall Simon W. Cantril and General Adams, Packer penned what
became known as his “second confession.”
“I Alfred
Packer, desire to make a true and voluntary statement in regard to the
occurrences in the winter of 1873-1874. I wish to make it to General Adams
because I have made one once before about the same matter.”
In his confession, Packer describes clearly
how he returned from the top of the mountain after scouting the area. On his
return, he found that Wilson Bell had killed all three of his companions, and
that he was in fact devouring a piece of meat he had cut from the leg of Frank
Miller. A segment of Packer’s confession follows:
“I came
within a rod of the fire. When the man saw me, he got up with his hatchet
towards me when I shot him sideways through the belly. He fell on his face, the
hatchet fell forward. I grabbed it and hit him in the top of the head. I camped
that night at the fire, sat up all night. The next morning I followed my tracks
up the mountain but I could not make it, the snow was too deep and I came
back…I tried to get away every day but could not so I lived off the flesh of
these men, the bigger part of 60 days. At the last camp just before I reached
the agency, I ate the last pieces of human meat. This meat I cooked at the camp
before I started out and put it into a bag and carried the bag with me. I could
not eat but a little at a time.”
Other people note that Alfred Packer had a very distinctive voice. One man said, "Packer's voice was unusual. It was high pitched, with a nasal whine that grated on your ears....."
Hidden History of Denver -- published by The History Press. ISBN 978-1-60949-350-9.
