, 1879-01-24
Maj. RENO.
Conclusion Of the Testimony Of
Lieut.. Varnum.
Anistantsurgeon Porter Begins to
Tell His Story.


Which n Heavily AQAtust Reno In
o.A..s p.t...
There WAS the usual largs audience
10 attendance on tho Reno Court OF
Inquiry when the investigation Was re"
sumcd yesterday morning, with decld-
edly increasing tendency "A the morning wore
%. After Lieut.. Varnum had listened to the
reading Of h|a ureytous davis Testimony, anu
msde a fev nnlmnortsn. rnrrcrt,ons therein,
a's' oipeFt, MA]' heno'a Coa"se'' ses ou' "po1'
THa cROssKxAAiKATloN,
first asking that Witness as to tic exact location
Of the sktrmtsh.luu an The map, Lieut., Var.
49,, .,,,,',a .,.. ha dti,r,. ,,a,sor. ~. .., y,
a"il 'epieu t''"s w a"a oe'as' NV, vi. 'ap ~
be absolutely correcs, ont, On the assumption
that IL represented the open space Ia the timber
correctly, the point on the skrtniah-line whero
~" ."s ns" "s ~. usess 49,. .oe .n.,,s,r @ ~.
tFo Of that open sp.ees According 10 this
the sktfmiah'I'na Woulo oo perpendicular u
the open space, and nearer the Indian
Village than ii il repressn.cd on the man. II
Ts.,.. ~. ,,,t,, ~ lin .L,,nt.i,. .t,na tho,
"aa 1to'' s!'.s po'a. w ."s ~ ,' 1n"s
witness 81" Tue eFay'ho'se co,umt' beng
asked to NJ the po'nt wheFe Custcrs cot1mh
was when he caught tl'at glimpse oi II, LIE W.T.
t.
,,or of thc sktrmtth.linn nro1onped. and ahout a
ou.rtnr M mtle hc,ow tho mint whrro Rcno
auastel VI n,te ps'o" Wv poa' n.e'o nn.H' ''s"o
struck 1'ie osuas altef n's le''eal' 1ne % Column
was moving, he thought, at troll, Clusters
fast-wslktup horse leading the rest and keeping
them Ia trot. During the fight witness did
- ~. H.. ~. ,,aH .s., t,,n u ,,r.v.
i'ot te.. menu tAA1 wv A"1 sseu Wv NJ. e'
horse column on tEe oproste s'Ae' Inc laes
that Reno used guu In the fight III the timber
,~a. no,htnu In he wondered al, "A none Of the
oiilcers wet,t Into tint Gght with sabfcs.
being asked as 10 tho probable tf1nc required
for tht u rrny horse - column to pass from the
mint IN tic blu[Is to tho lnwer f0rl "b," Wit
ness REPLIED that, assuming his distatsccs md
the column's ratio Of speed as correct. II must
have thken ~ inc helEhuot.ou ol I'M ty-MsS " s
minutes. While TUG oanks MGIo steep ~ ~,
and crossing VS. noa xe,F pIes1", ,II & yes g, H.
OPPOSITE nonK a9ont a. "a! 9as'y' y.,
Mr.. Gllbcrt-beiofc tlic Indians con'menecd
70 leave Neno, hu column nouer L'ent." "Col.
Gqster would 4 haso @ naa tl"e 10 seaca t'e 1o'o
"B, woMla II NOT!
Lieut.. safnnn-l ta'uk Ihose A1e Aoout tHe
relative posllsons' ,.....
CONTINUING, Witness ea'! tustts va mlovlnE
down on INC fgnt oank, anu msVnt .a naVe seen
fienO8 men 1of tune. ~ Tue t'Me Istuos
command were dlesnouhteu custer Must nave
becn IN poslt1on 10
BEE WHAT THEY WIRE DorNu.
As fnr as ho knew, there WAS no communtca-
C,tt,cr. ho Thought, must have reached Tic ford
"D.N IL ho attempted to cross ut ali, will, tlc
belief Tint Reno yas not charging, but standing
fhcrc al l,ay before these Indians, lie thought
i,,,stsr wo,ild hnye beer, watching tic pr0ycrd-
inws Ut Tic arlt from tl,r point on The bun. Ii
Chatter saw Keuo's men from this poInt,-and
witness Ind no doubt OF it,-tfat nluut have
been the last Information Custer cot conrern-
tng Reoo's command. II there had been any
eyfdenrcs of dctcrmluc1 effort TO cross ut
RH~if thrro had beeu mucf, Of q fIrht,-thcre
vn,,1d hayo been jcad bpt.tes anl hurscs
ieft thcrc. whcrcua Inc bodies wero
found some distance oil. IN answer
n q nnr.tfnn AZ to whether fl,e Indians were
rot s,icicnt tn cono With both conmun(a scna-
rateIv. witncss said he wouiGn'i like to take
lialf lie ini,iau warriors and light them with
Rrrots rnm,nnuI. TInurhtcr.i lie did not
nnt,cc .nv av;d"ncca m thu part uf Custer's
,Mi,,tnn o{ an attcmpted return from HBH to
the ipint on tic biuira. Reno was iCnurant Of
fient rcns and hfcDouraIl'e orders, dlilprt know
thnv wero tnnInp ltI,. ami had to rety, vi
cot,rse. on his own Judgment as to leaving Tor