Alferd Packer
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Alferd Packer (January 21, 1842 – April 23, 1907) [#endnote_myref-24] is popularly known as one of only two Americans ever imprisoned for cannibalism, alongside Albert Fish. First tried for murder, Packer was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter.[#endnote_myref-25]
Packer's life
Packer was born (as Alfred G. Packer) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He served in the American Civil War, on the Union side presumably in an Iowa regiment, but was mustered out due to epilepsy.
In November, 1873, Packer was with a party of 21 who left Provo, Utah, bound for the Colorado gold country in Breckenridge. On 1874-01-21, he met with Chief Ouray (known as the White Man's Friend) near Montrose, Colorado. Chief Ouray recommended they postpone their expedition until spring, as they were likely to encounter dangerous winter weather in the mountains.
In spite of Ouray's advice, a party of six that included Packer left for Gunnison, Colorado on February 9. The other five men were Shannon Wilson Bell, James Humphrey, Frank Miller, George Noon and Israel Swan.
At an unknown date, the party got hopelessly lost, ran out of provisions, and became snowbound in the Rocky Mountains. Packer allegedly went scouting and came back to discover Bell roasting human meat. According to Packer, Bell rushed him with a hatchet; Packer shot and killed him.
On April 16, 1874, Packer arrived alone at Los Pinos Indian Agency near Gunnison. He spent some time in a Saguache, Colorado bar, meeting several of his previous party. He initially claimed self-defense, but his story did not pass in court. During the trial, the judge is widely reputed to have said:
- "Damn you, Alferd Packer! There were seven Dimmycrats in Hinsdale County and you ate five of them!"
- "Packer, you depraved Republican son of a bitch! There were only five Democrats in Hinsdale County and you ate them all!"
Packer signed a confession on August 5, 1874. He was jailed in Saguache, but escaped soon after, vanishing for several years.
On March 11, 1883, Packer was discovered in Cheyenne, Wyoming living under the alias of "John Schwartze." On March 16, he signed another confession. On April 6, a trial began in Lake City, Colorado, Hindsdale County. On April 13, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Packer managed to temporarily avoid punishment again: in October 1885, the sentence was reversed by the Colorado Supreme Court as being based on an ex post facto law. However, on June 8, 1886, Packer was sentenced to 40 years at a trial in Gunnison.
On June 19, 1899, Packer's sentence was upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. However, he was paroled on February 8, 1901 and moved to Deer Creek, in Jefferson County, Colorado. He is widely rumored to have become a vegetarian before his death, reputedly of "Senility - trouble & worry" at the age of 64. He was buried in Littleton, Colorado and was formally pardoned of his crimes on March 5, 1981.
Not guilty?
Recent evidence suggests that Packer was a cannibal, but not a murderer. On July 17, 1989, 115 years after Packer consumed his companions, an exhumation of the five bodies was undertaken by James E. Starrs, then Professor of Law specializing in forensic science at George Washington University. Following an exhaustive search for the precise location of the remains at Cannibal Plateau in Lake City, Colorado, Starrs and his colleague Walter H. Birkby concluded "I don't think there will ever be any way to scientifically demonstrate cannibalism. Cannibalism per se is the ingestion of human flesh. So you'd have to have a picture of the guy actually eating."[#endnote_myref-23]
Through some unexplained process, Packer's head, dissected and carefully preserved, has come to be in the possession of Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where it is on permanent display.
Popular culture
Packer is a legend in popular culture. He has been quoted as having said, in jest, "the breasts of man...are the sweetest meat I ever tasted." In 1968, students at the University of Colorado at Boulder named their new cafeteria grill the Alfred G. Packer Memorial Grill with the slogan "Have a friend for lunch!" Even today students can enjoy the meat-filled "El Canibal" underneath a giant wall map outlining his travels through Colorado. In 1982 the university dedicated a statue to Packer, and graduate Trey Parker, creator of South Park, made a student film, Cannibal! The Musical, based loosely on his life in 1993. Also, in 1982, Jim Roberson madeThe Legend of Alfred Packer, a film that, surprisingly, took many more liberties with the story than Parker's did, including having Bell fall on a knife, exonerating Packer of any wrongdoing.
Folksinger Phil Ochs composed a song about his life, included on "The Broadside Tapes 1". The singer C.W. McCall also wrote (with Chip Davis) and sang a song about Packer called "Comin' Back for More." Cannibal Corpse's 1990 album, Eaten Back To Life is dedicated to Packer with the inscription "This Album is dedicated to the memory of Alfred Packer, The First American Cannibal (R.I.P.)"
A 1999 movie, Ravenous, was loosely based on aspects of the Alferd Packer story, which screenwriter Ted Griffin says he first encountered when reading The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.
Notes and references
↑ The spelling of Alferd/Alfred Packer's name has been the source of much confusion over the years. Official documents give his name as Alfred Packer, although he may (according to one story) have adopted the name Alferd after it was wrongly tattooed on to one of his arms. Packer sometimes signed his name as "Alferd", sometimes as "Alfred", and is referred to by both names. In many documents, he is referred to simply as A. Packer or Al Packer. ↑ Nash, Robert Jay (1994). Alferd Packer. In [Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen & Outlaws]. Da Capo Press. pp. 250-251. ISBN 030680591X. Google Print. Retrieved 2005-04-13. ↑ Grove, Lloyd (1989). Just How Many Democrats Did Al Packer Eat? GWU Professor Digs Into the Legend. The Washington Post.Resources
- Mazzulla, Fred and Jo (1968). Al Packer: A Colorado Cannibal. Denver.
- Gantt, Paul H (1952). The Case of Alfred Packer, The Man-Eater. Denver: University of Denver Press.
- Kushner, Ervan F (1980). Alferd G. Packer, Cannibal! Victim? Frederick, Co.: Platte 'N Press.
External links
- Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration (2003). [The Alfred Packer Collection at the Colorado State Archives]. Retrieved 2005-04-13.
- Internet Movie Database (2005). [Alferd Packer: The Musical]. Retrieved 2005-04-13.
- MuseumTrail.org (2002). [The Story of Alferd E. Packer]. Retrieved 2005-04-13.
- Ochs, Phil. [The Ballad Of Alferd Packer]. Retrieved 2005-04-13.
- Quillen, Ed (1989). http://www.custerguide.com/quillen/eqcols/19897268.htm
- University of Colorado at Boulder Memorial Center (2005). [The Alferd Packer Grill]. Retrieved 2005-04-13.
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