The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-08-07
cusrER's DEATH STRUGGLE. ,



He Once Escaped, But Returned to Die.
From the Detroit News Aug.2l
The following letter has been receiv-
ed by MI. James Mannion, of Al Spen-
Ger street, this city, fIom his SON James
who wa an eyewitness of the Custer
massacre. 1t is the only account of
that terrible affair yet written by a
witness of it, and details many Incl
dents not yet given to the public:
MOUTH OF POWDER RIVER,
BIG HORN AND YELLOWSTONE
EXPEDITION, July 8, 1876.
DEAR FATHER:-We left camp on
the 18th of last month, and started for
the Big Horn River, $50 miles north OF
here. We were four days on the march
thither, where we Joined Terry and Gus
ter. Striking the Little Big Horn, we
followed a well marked trail along its
banks, and on Saturday morning, June
"a, we came in sight of an Indian vii
lage with about 1900 tents, and a fight
ing force Of 5000 warriors. Major
manded the left flank and Custer the
LIkuL< III III LkAA TWIN
charging into the Indian village, fight
ing on foot, having tied the horses in
q grovea short way of. While the
fight was going on, General Custer reach
ed the other side Of the village, and at
tackled it. General Custer and his five
companies took position On a ridge in
the center of the Indian village, cut of
from access to water, and there fought
desperately all day long, a conspicuous
mark for the savage marksmen all
around them.
cUsTER's DEATH STRUGGLE.
At last when half his command had
been killed, he called on those that re-
manned to follow him, and dashed bold
ly through the red devils. 1t was run
ming the gauntlet of at least 1900 rifles
for the whole distance. His men did
not follow him, and when he got through
he found himself alone with a single
Crow Indian, one Of his scouts. He
would not leave his men to perish alone,
recognized that such q movement would
be fatal, grabbed his horse and implored
him not to go back.
ULSTER ONLY LAUGHED,
and putting the reins of his horse be-
tween his teeth, with a revolver in each
hand, he gave a wild cheer and dashed
back through the hell of smoke and fly
ing bullets. AS if by a miracle he
reached the remnant of his command,
which was now reduced to forty lei
Calling on these survivors again to fol-
low him, which the example and sue
cess of his former charge disposed them
to do, he led them from their place of
peril over the path of his solitary
charge.
That was the last seen of them until
the battle was over, when the whole
party, with Custer in their midst, were
found stark and dead within a circular
rampant formed by their horses bodies.
They had evidently at the last moment
made up their minds to sell their lives
dearly, shot their horses, and then rails
ing them AS breastworks, fought on with
the vigor of despair until the last man
was dead. What they suffered and
what they did within the fatal circle
will ever remain locked in mystery. OF
vall Clusters men only the Grow scout
above mentioned and a sergeant of Com
pany I escaped.
From the description in the papers
you cannot imagine the horror of the
scene after the battle. I went over it
with the artist as the dead lay in heaps
where they fell, and l shall ever remem-
Der it. General Custer was found with
all his clothes upon him, but his two
brothers were terribly mutilated. When
the fight was in progress the Indian
squaws would rush in among the wound
ed soldiers and beat out their brains
with clubs.