Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/119

 and was

amono; the  first  to  communicate  the  fact  to  him. When asked by  the  outraged  father  why  he  did  not  eat  the hides and  bullock,  he  coolly  replied  that  he  preferred human flesh  as  being  more  palatable  and  containing more nutriment."

Fellen and  his  party,  the  last  to  visit  the  place  for purposes of  relief,  did  not  reach  the  camp  until  the 1 7th of  April. As narrated  by  Bryant,  they  found Kiesburo; "reclinino;  on  the  floor  of  the  cabin,  smokinsj his  pipe.  Near  his  head  a  fire  was  blazing,  upon which  was  a  camp-kettle  filled  with  human  flesh.  His feet  were  resting  upon  skulls  and  dislocated  limbs  de- nuded of  their  flesh.  A  bucket  partly  filled  with blood  was  near,  and  pieces  of  human  flesh,  fresh  and bloody,  were  strewn  around.  The  appearance  of Kiesburg;  was  hatro-ard  and  revoltino;.  His  beard  was of  great  length ;  his  finger-nails  had  grown  out  until they  resembled  the  claws  of  beasts.  He  was  ragged and  filthy,  and  the  expression  of  his  countenance  was ferocious.  He  stated  that  the  Donners  were  both dead."

Accused of  having  murdered  Mrs  Donner  for  her money, he  denied  it,  until  Fellen  put  a  rope  round his neck  and  threatened  to  hang  him,  when  he  pro- duced some of  the  valuables  of  the  Donners,  and  five hundred dollars  in  money. Fellen, in  his  journal, under date  of  April  20th,  says  of  Kiesburg,  the  last of the  emigrants  to  leave  this  place  of  abomination, "they hurried  him  away,  but  before  leaving  he  gath- ered together  the  bones,  and  heaped  them  all  in  a box  he  used  for  the  purpose,  blessed  them  and  the cabin,  and  said,  *I  hope  God  will  forgive  me  for  what I  have  done ;  I  couldn't  help  it,  and  I  hope  I  may  get to  heaven  yet.  We  asked  Kiesburg  why  he  did  not use  the  meat  of  the  bullock  and  horse  instead  of  hu- man flesh.  He  replied  he  had  not  seen  them.  We tlien  told  him  we  knew  better,  and  asked  him  why the  meat  in  the  chair  had  not  been  consumed.  He said,  '0,  its  too  drv  eatlnor;  the  liver  and  lig