- published: 08 May 2012
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Alfred G. "Alfred" Packer (January 21, 1842 – April 23, 1907) was an American prospector who was accused of cannibalism during the winter of 1873-1874. First tried for murder, Packer was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. A biopic of his life, The Legend of Alfred Packer, was made in 1980.
He was born as Alfred Griner Packer in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, one of three children of James Packer and his wife Esther Griner. By the early 1850s, James Packer had moved his family to Lagrange County, Indiana, where he worked as a cabinet maker.
Alfred Packer served in the Union Army in the American Civil War, enlisting on April 22, 1862 at Winona, Minnesota in Company F, 16th U. S. Infantry Regiment, giving his occupation as a shoemaker. However, he was discharged for epilepsy eight months later at Fort Ontario, New York. He returned west and enlisted in Company L, 8th Iowa Cavalry Regiment at Ottumwa, Iowa on June 25, 1863, but was discharged at Cleveland, Tennessee on April 22, 1864 for the same reason. He finally decided to try his luck at prospecting for precious metals.
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