The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-07-28
CUSTER'S FOLK.
What His Father and Friends Say of the
Dead Hero.


What His Father and Friends Say of the
Dead Hero
Monroe (AIich.) Cor. Cincinnati Commercially
This is a pleasant inland town, of per-
haps six or seven thousand inhabitants.
I saw sitting on the ample porch that
extends around the house Q venerable
looking man, whom I readily took for
the father of the nations fallen heroes,
Mr.. r.. FL. Custer. Hound he had been
reading the full and connected account
of that terrible struggle on the Little
Big Horn river. He half shook his
head and said, !" You already know all
that we know. VA t ~
81 think that you could relate a great
many things that people would be glad
to know. Was he fond of military af-
fairs, parades, and the like, when he was
a boya"
sob, yes, very much SO. used to
be out myself at the militia trainings we
had in those days, and always took him
along. He enjoyed it very mucn, and
seemed always to be greatly taken with
those things"
{" You were, yourself, in some military
command 2"
81 was a Captain, and-but it wouldn't
be worth while to say anything about
that. He had an eye for those things
when he was hoy"
Have you any sons left except Mr..
Brice Custer, of Columbus?" CA we'll
known railroad conductor.)
81 have one other son, who resides
on farm near here"
"Was your son here after his recent
visit to Washington 2" 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"
"Did 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 going to take his scalp
and he laughed as he said it"
In the little hall of the little cottage
where l have spent the morning is
collection of trophies brought home
from the Indian wars, which, If they
could be placed.in q case in the Govern
ment pavilion at the Centennial exhibit
ton, would outrank in interest at this
time almost everything else in that
already vastly interesting place. There
is what suppose might be called the
full outfit and accoutrements of
an Indian chief. The principal garment,
a buckskin shirt, most deliberately orna-
mented with plating of straws and
rushes, and hung about with finery, such
as attracts the savage eagle feathers,
various colored ribbons, and, more sug-
gestive still, score or more of Little
locks of long black hair, too soft to be
that of foe scalped in battle. There
are the highly wrought and variously or
namented buckskins, which, with the
shirt and moccasins, make a suit COM
plete. There is famous looking chief
tain's head-dress, rich with quilts of the
eagle. There are two stout hickory
bows, and buckskin quivers full of cruel
looking little arrows. Then q whip,
made of heavy braided leather thong,
attached to wooden handle, in which
are half hundred or more brass nails
nail driven for every scalp taken by the
owner, so it is said. A circular shield OF
tough hide of some animal completes
this interesting collection of trophies.
| Then there is collection of fossils from
the Black Hills, small in number but rich
in variety aud suggestiveness. A much
larger collection was sent by the General
to Michigan University.
On my return to the depot met in
the person of one of the employees of
the railroad gentleman who has known
Gen. Custer from boyhood.
&C remember his coming here very
WE'LL" he said, "for am three or four
years older than he. and have known
him very well every since"
"Was he wild, dashing boy?" 1
inquired.
"On the contrary, he was unusually
quiet-one OF the still sort, l should
think.
"But favorite, though 2
GA favorite with everybody. We
lived in the same neighborhood, and L
never knew HIM to do anything to offend
the feelings of any one. / only knew
him as Armstrong and he knew me rs
Frank. After he came back from the
war / sometimes would call him Gen
sral, then he would look at me and say,
you know what my name is He was
O gentleman always"
"Then he did not show so much dash
when you first knew him "
"When he was boy2 No, think he
was the steadiest boy L knew"
"And his wife when did he first
meet her }"
"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 a real lady, whom
everybody likes"