The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-02-23
Custer and His Friends.

reached the British Possessions were
unanimous in saying that they dreaded
the sabre more than anything, and this
is easily understood when their super
stition as to hand weapons is considered.
1t seems certain that they would never
have reverenced Clusters body as they
did had he not struck down their best
men in that grim hand-to-hand fight,
wherein. among all the brave and
strong, he was the bravest and best
swordsman of all, the other officers hay
ing had but little teaching in the use of
the sabre. Be that as it may, it is
known that he must have died under
circumstances of peculiar heroism to
win such respect, and that he was only
killed by the bravest Indian of the
whole Northwest, q man whose unfinch-
ing fortitude had enabled him to hang
in the air for four hours in the Sun
Dance.
So fell Custer, the brave cavalier, the
Christian soldier, surrounded by foes,
loved. Who fell with him?
There by his side lay his brother Tom,
the brave Col. Custer, the double of the
General, who had enlisted as private
soldier at sixteen, was an officer at nine
teen. who wore what no other officer in
the army could boast of, two medals,
each for a flag taken from an enemy in
battle. Brave and gentle, courteous
and tender, model officer of calvary,
God be with gallant Tom Custer till the
last day. He died like all the Clusters,
with his face to the sky and his feet to
the foe.
Not far, close together, lay two more
of the same family, poor young Boston
Custer and little Autie Reed, Clusters
nephew, son of that good, gentle Chris
tian woman. who had saved Custer him
self from reckless career, whose pray
ers had helped to make him the Christ
ian knight he became. Brave boys.
nearly boys both; no sworn soldier of
the State could die more nobly than
they, who would not abandon brother
and kindsman. They could do little for
him, but they could die with him.
Autie was fresh from school few weeks
before, and wild to see the plains with
"Uncle Autie." To take him along it
was necessary to give him some official
employment, and Custer, knowing that
the rough, hard life would make man
of the boy had him and another school
mate appointed herders, to help drive
the great herd of cattle with the col
umn. Rough as the lot was, the lad
never complained. He was seeing wild
life, which was all he wanted, and had
obtained leave to go on this scout with
the General. Boston Clusters official
position was that of forage master to
the Seventh Calvary, which he had
held some time. He had been for
years of consumptive tendency, and
his only chance for life was the open air
existence of the plains. How far bet
ter for him the wild, heroic death he
died, under the blue sky, fighting like
true Custer, to the slow, lingering,
failing end of a consumptive, which was
his certain portion had he lived.
So closes the lives of the three Gus
tiers and their young nephew, fallen on
that stricken field. 1t is time to turn
to the comrades that fell with them.
There is something remarkable in the
power which Custer apparently pos
sessed of attracting to his side and init
mate companionship the noblest and
best of the men with whom the army
brought him in contact; and the facts OF
his death bring out this power in a con-
spicuous manner. 1t is clear that when
he made the division of the regiment
into battalions in the morning, Custer
knew that heavy work was coming, and
intended to take the heaviest work into
his own hands. as he always did. Into
his own battalion he seems to have gath
cred all of his own familiar friends, in
GLIDING his three brothers, as knowing
he could depend on them to the death.
may say to-day, without fear of contra
diction, that Custer and Clusters friends
were the flower of the Seventh Calvary.
The battalion that fell with Custer held
them nearly ALL Life of Gen. Custer.
OPIUM AND THE CHINESE OFFICIALS
The Chinese officials at Marking have
been endeavoring to suppress the OPT
UNI dens. Not long ago Toa-t'ai with
detachment of soldiers was ont ut a
late hour on tour of inspection, and
halted in front of an opium den kept by
Hupeh man. When the soldiers
broke open the door the keeper asserted
that, although he was smoker himself,
he was violating no law. No other per-
sons were found, but they had ample
time to escape by back door. The
keeper was so insolent that the soldiers
were compelled to beat him three times,
and he died the next day. The Hupeh
magistrate promptly entered COM
plant against the Mandarin, but the
Che-hsien went to inspect the body.
and declared that the wounds on the