March 5

Alferd Packer died on April 23, 1907 after having served roughly 40 years as punishment for cannibalism. His death however, in no way posed an obstacle to the esteemed Mr. Packer being pardoned on the 5th in 1981 in spite of his death 74 years prior. It is unfortunately an urban legend that the Department of Agriculture’s cafeteria in Washington, D.C, was for a time named the Alferd Packer Cafeteria. However, for a short period in 1968, students at the University of Colorado successfully renamed their cafeteria the ‘Alferd G. Packer Memorial Cafeteria’ whose slogan was ‘Have a friend for lunch’. I have been unable to discover any evidence, either in school or court records, or for that matter any newspapers, that would indicate that controlled substances were involved in the naming of University of Colorado’s cafeteria; though considering the year I think you would be on safe ground to assume that such was the case.

It has been long been bandied about that at his sentencing the judge said "Packer, you depraved Republican son of a bitch! There were only five Democrats in Hinsdale County and you ate them all!" As nice as it would be if he had said that, what he actually said was slightly more prosaic: "Close your ears to the blandishments of hope. Listen not to the flattering promises of life, but prepare for the dread certainty of death."[