, 1876-09-08
CastoF's Rolk.
wHAr MS FArHER AND FnIExDs sAT o.
rHE DEAD HEno.

This is pleasant inland town. Of pef-
haIs six or seven thousand inhabitants.
l saw sitting on the ample porch thai
extends around the houna . venerable
looking man. whom ! readily took for
the father of the nations fallen hero.
Mr. T. II. Custer. found be had
been reading the full and connected -
count Of the struggle on the Little Big
Horn river. He half shook his head
and said. :. You already know all that
We know
81 think that you could relate a great
many things that people would bo glad
TO know. Was he fond Of military AZ.
fairs. parades, and the like. when he
was q boyf"
"Oh, yes, very much 70. used 10
be out my myself at the militia train
ings we had in those days, and always
took him along. He enjoyed Il very
much, and seemed always to be greatly
tIken with those things."
"You were, yourself, in some mill
tary command?"
=" 1 was a Captain, and - but il
wouldn't be worth while to say anything
about that. He had an eye for those
things VIXEN he was a boy"
.. Have you any sons left except Mr..
Brice Custer, of ColumbusT' "a we'll
known railroad conductor).
" I have one other son, who resides
on o farm near here"
WAS your son here after his recent
visit to Washington" inquired.
he stopped here from the morning
train until evening only"
How did he appear to feel?'
" He seemed to be in as good spirits
as ever"
Ibid he seem to anticipate any
trouble in the approaching war on the
plains?"
'None at all. / remember he told me
that Bloody Knife had sent him word
that he was gcing to take his scalp-and
he laughed as he said it."
In the little hall of the little cottage
where 1 have spent ths morning is q col
lection of trophies brought home from
the Indian wars, which, if they could
be placed in a case in the Government
pavilion at the Centennial exhibition,
would outrank in interest at this time
almost everything else in that already
vastly interesting place. There is what
I suppose might be called the full-dress
outfit and accoutrements Of an Indian
chief. The principal garment, q buck
skin shirt, most elaborately ornamented
with plating of straw and rushes, and
hung about with hnery, such as attracts
the savage; eagle feathers, various col
ored ribbons, and, more suggestive still,
q score or more Of little locks of long
black hair, too soft to be that of foe
wrought and variously ornamented
buckskins, which, with the shirt and
moccasins, make asuit complete. There
is O famous looking chieftain's head
dress, rich with quills of the eagle.
There are two stout hickory bows, and
buckskin quivers full Of cruel-looking
little arrows. Then Q whip, made Of
q heavy braided leather thong, attached
to wooden handle, in which are half
dozen or more brass nails-a nail driven
for every scalp taken by the owner, 80
it is said. A circular shield Of tough
hide of some animal completes this in
teresting collection Of trophies. Then
there is collection of fossils from the
Black Hills, small in number but rich
in variety and suggestiveness. A much
larger collection was sent by the Gen
eral to the Michigan University.
On my return to the depot I met in
the person of one of the employees OF
the railroad, a agentleman who has known
Gen. Custer from boyhood.
I" remember his coming here very
well" he said, for am three or four
years older than he, and have known
him very well ever since"
Was he very dashing boy9" I in
quired.
son the contrary, he was unusually
quiet-one of the still sort, I should
think" e
"But a fayorite, thought"
=" A favorite with everybody. We
lived in the same neighborhood, and
never knew him to do anything to Of
fend the feelings Of anyone. I only
knew him as Armstrong, and he knew
me as Frank After he came back
from the war ] sometimes would call
him General, then he would look at me
and say, you know what my name if
He was gentleman always"
"Then he did not show so much dash
when you first knew him?"
"When he was O boy? No, think
he was the steadiest boy knew"
"And his wife; when did he first
meet herr"
"When he was here at school, before
he went to West Point. After he came
home from the war they were married.
A nice woman she is, too; none of your
stuck-up affairs, but real lady, whom
everybody likes.-Cor. CincihRGti Com
naerciQl.
"DoxALD, said Scotch dame, look
ing from the Catechism to her son,