History Horrors

October 1765 - Crew members of the American boat The Peggy resorted to turning their African slave into a meal.

The Peggy set across the Atlantic, carrying wine and brandy in its hold, when a storm hit and dragged on for several weeks. It battered the ship so badly it left it stranded on the sea with broken masts and ripped sails…and a desperate crew.

Food was already in short supply before the disasterous weather struck. Now all they could look forward to was some heavy drinking to forget their troubles. When they sobered up the hunger struck hard. The ship’s cat was the first to go, then a couple of caged pigeons…

Then there was only one thing left to eat.

All of the crew members decided to draw lots and wouldn’t you know it, my friends. The winning lot (or losing lot, if you will) was drawn by the only African slave on board. Hmm, could the lottery have been fixed?

Slavery was bad enough but now this poor black man stared into the eyes of hungry white men imagining him in their bellies. He was promptly shot and cooked for the evening meal. The rest of his remains–the leftovers–were pickled.

When the slave was taken off the menu, a new lottery was conducted. This time, because it was done among the all white crew members, it couldn’t be rigged. The Peggy’s most popular sailor drew the losing lot. He was to be eaten after a 12 hour reprieve to get his things in order.

Luckily, for this white man, a rescue ship appeared on the horizon in time to save him from the stewpot.

Source: Nathan Constantine, A History of Cannibalism, Arcturus Publishing - 2006