Cannibalism amongst penitentiary escapees from Sarah Island in nineteenth century Van Diemen's Land

Author(s)
Byard, Roger W
Maxwell-Stewart, Hamish
Publication Date
2018-09
Abstract
Alexander Pearce was an Irish convict incarcerated on Sarah Island on the west coast of Van Diemen’s Land (modern day Tasmania, Australia) in 1822, following his transportation to the colony from the United Kingdom for seven years in 1819. On two occasions he escaped from the island, in September 1822 and again in November 1823, and was only able to survive the harsh conditions by killing and consuming his fellow escapees. Given that Pearce utilized the only sustenance that was at hand (i.e. his five companions), and that there was a temporal separation between the two episodes, this may represent a separate category of anthropophagy, that of serial opportunistic cannibalism.
Citation
Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, 14(3), p. 410-415
ISSN
1556-2891
1547-769X
Pubmed ID
29188443
Link
Language
en
Publisher
Springer
Title
Cannibalism amongst penitentiary escapees from Sarah Island in nineteenth century Van Diemen's Land
Type of document
Journal Article
Entity Type
Publication

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