Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-01-19
CUSTER'S MARK.
A Little story shat She nan with tba
RaAF Told After As Had Passed

A%Ar Told After Hs Had Passed
the Hat. la 9Ni
New York suR.l
1t was a horrible scar. Com
mencing at the roots of the hair,
just over the left temple, it ran
down across the face to the right
hand corner of the mouth. The
flesh had closed together in a great
ridge, and the nose seemed to have
been shortened half an inch by the
process of healing. The man with
the scar sang two or three songs,
and then passed his cap around for
pennies.
did a blow of an Injun's toms-
hawk do that?" he repeated. mo,
sir; | got that cut down in Old
Virginia, durin' the war, bout the
time it looked as if jeff Davis was
the biggest patriot in the country
"You were in the caValry?'
"You bet / wasl j smashed up
so many horses that | was owing
the Confederate government $780,
coo when it collapsed. Ii she
hadn't collapsed I'd been forced into
bankruptcy"
He chuckled, and raised his hat
so as to reveal the scar in all its
hideousness, and continued;
81 don't believe a tomahawk
could leaves scar like this. 1t takes
a good sharp sabre to spoil a mans
face so that he daren't look in the
glass Or have his photograph taken.
A Yank slashed me, of course, but
who do you suppose it was? You
couldn't guess to save your neck,
and so III tell-it was Custer, that
long-haired, daredevil Yankee gem
eraI who used to ride around with
blood in his eyes and an extra sabre
in his teeth. lie thought he'd done
for me when he gave me this lick,
but he didn't know our family"
"How was it,"
1t was down at Trayillian Sta
ton. He was raiding around with
a lot of cavalry, and our folks got
him in a box. Somehow we got
around him on all sides, and we
had cavalry, infantry and artillery.
We were two to one, had him fairly
cooped, and by all decent rules
Of warfare he ought to have hung
out the white flag, handed over his
saber, and politely said:J Boys,
you've got the grapevine twist on
Inc and l eaye.' We expected it;
but, blast him! he didn't do any
such thing. No, sir. He massed
his troopers, gave 'em to understand
that it was hell or home, and the
whole tapOodle Of 'em come for us
on a gallop, bands playing, flags
flying and troopers yelling like wild
Injuns. Our batteries played on
'em from a dozen hills; our infantry
fusiladed 'em good and strong, and
our troopers got the word to charge.
"Durn MY buttons, but wasn'tit
a hot fghtl We were all mixed up,
bullets flying, sabers hacking, men
yelling, horses neighing, everybody
shouting, and it was a devils
dance all around, / heard a Yauk
shouting orders, as if he was some
big gun or other, and ! worked up
to him, gave my old saher a twist
and a cut, and off went his head!"
He looked up with wicked
twinkle in his eyes, and added
"In q hornl | rose in my STIR
rups and struck at him with force
enough to cut clean down to the
saddle, but Ire parried the blow,
leaned over, / saw flash, aud the
next thing | knew | had been in
the hospital for two weeks, and
the surgeons were trying to look
into my boots through this saber
cut across my face. ] was q whole
year getting over it, and then |
looked go handsome that | was
turned over to tie home guards fol
the rest of the war. Sometimes |
feel like suicide, and again | don't
care. didn't bear 40 grudge
against Custer for tho slash, but
he might just as we'll have put his
cheese knife through me as to have
given me this *, his mark to lug
around, And that's what ails this
old reb, and that's how | feel"