1. “Liver-Eating” Johnson was a mountain man of the American West, believed to have killed and cannibalized 300 Crow Indians over the course of 25 years
John “Liver-Eating” Johnson (born John Jeremiah Garrison Johnston) was a mountain man of the American West and the subject of several legends and stories in folk culture. Frequently described in historical accounts as a giant of a man, Johnson is believed to have been 1.9 meters tall and weighing roughly 120 kilograms. Fighting during the Mexican-American War (1846-48), Johnson deserted after being court-martialed for striking an officer and turned to gold mining in the Montana Territory. In or around 1847, it is commonly held that his wife, a member of the Flathead Indian tribe, was murdered by a Crow Indian, spurring Johnson to embark upon a crusade of vengeance against the indigenous tribe.
Throughout the course of this vendetta, historian Andrew Southerland estimated that Johnson “killed and scalped more than 300 Crow Indians and then devoured their livers”. The theft and consumption of a deceased brave’s liver was a particular insult to the Crow people, for whom the organ was regarded as necessary for life to continue in the afterlife. One particular legend reports an incident in which Johnson was captured by neighboring Blackfoot warriors, hoping to sell him to the Crows. Despite stripping and binding Johnson, he broke free, murdering his guard and cutting off his leg. Escaping into the woods, he survived by eating the leg of the unfortunate Blackfoot until he reached safety more than 200 miles away. Eventually, after 25 years of war, Johnson made peace with the Crow, serving in later life as a deputy sheriff in Coulson, Montana, and as Town Marshal in Red Lodge, Montana. He died in 1900, never having faced any charges for his actions.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
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“German ‘Cannibal’ Tells of Regret”, BBC News (November 23, 2003)
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