The Packer case was the first, and
possibly the only incident of cannibalism tried in the U.S. court system.
He was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in 1842 and migrated west in
1862. There is some confusion about the spelling of his first name. His
tombstone reads "Alferd" and some say he spelled it this way.
In the winter of 1873 he was hired as a guide in
Salt Lake City by 20 men for a prospecting trip into the San Juan mountains of
Colorado.
He claimed to have driven an ore wagon in some of the mining camps of
Colorado and that he could lead them to the valuable ore they were looking for.
In truth, he knew very little about this region.
In January 1874 the group stopped over at the village of Chief Ouray and were
warned not to try crossing the mountains until spring. Packer and five of the
group decided to continue on into the mountains.
During early spring the rest of the group traveled across the mountains and
inquired about the Packer party. A search team was then sent out to look for the
missing men.
Two months earlier, Packer had appeared at the Los Pinos Indian Agency
looking fit and well fed. His primary interest was in obtaining some whiskey,
not food, and he had a large roll of money to pay for it.
He first said that he had been left behind by the others due to a leg injury.
His story was to change several times...later being that one of the men went berserk
and killed the others and that he had shot the man in self-defense.
An Indian guide found strips of human flesh on the trail and Packer was
questioned. In August of 1894 the camp of the five missing men was found near
Slumgullion Pass, 2 miles from Lake City.
Packer was jailed in Saguache and later escaped to Wyoming, and for 9 years
lived under an assumed name until his capture. Packer was returned to Lake City
in 1883 to stand trial.
The verdict was guilty, with death by hanging. The legend was that Judge
Melville B. Gerry, on pronouncing sentencing said..."...There
was siven Dimmycrats in Hinsdale County! But you, yah voracious, main-eatin son
of a bitch, yah et five of them, therefor I sentence ye T' be hanged by the neck
until y're dead, dead, dead!". This was probably not the exact
statement made by the judge as he was a well educated man, but makes for good
story-telling.
Later the sentence was reduced to manslaughter and he was given 40 years to
be served at the prison in Canon City.
See http://www.archives.state.co.us/packer.html for additional information on Mr. Packer.
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the plaque.