Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-12-16
CUSTER'S MISTAKE.
Buffalo Bill Tells about tho Indian Mas
sacre Of 1875, and Cowboy
Camp Life.


Buffalo Bill Tells about tho Indian Mas
sacre of 1876, and Cowboy
Camp Life.
Buffalo Bill brushed his long hair
back out of his face last week, and fix
ing his big sombrero tightly on his
head, told, as he sat on cot in his
tent. about the death of General Gus
ter at the hands of the Siouxs, under
Sitting Bull, on the Little Big Horn
river, in 1876.
II would like the public to know
about the 1876 fight he began, "es-
pecially now that Sitting Bull is here.
don't want to take the Indians part;
just want to tell you the simple his
tory of the whole trouble, which has
never been published as it really orig
mated, and 1 reckon l ought to know
something about it, for / killed the first
Indian that was killed in the fight,
when l had the duel with Yellowhand,
Sioux chief, on July II, 1876. When
l killed him sang out, First scalp for
Custer
I'm 1868 Generals Harvey, Terry and
Anger made treaty with the Sioux,
giving them all the lands west of the
Missouri river, north of the North
Platte, east of the grand divide of the
Big Horn Mountains and south of the
Yellowstone river. The treaty was to
last for thirty years, but in 1874 Cen
eral Custer made an expedition into the
Black Hills with the Seventh Cavalry
and discovered gold-that is discovered
gold in paying quantities, and so re-
ported in his official statement. Then
the miners commenced to flock into the
hills, contrary to any law or agree
ment having been made with the In
dams. thus breaking the treaty of 1868.
The government, knowing that this
was violating the treaty. sent out troops
to arrest and drive out all the miners
found in the Black Hills country.
1.-The troops arrested several parties,
inclu ling Gordon's party, destroying
the miners property and imprisoning
quite number of the invaders, but this
did not check others from going into
the Hills. and they went in in such
large numbers in 1876 that the gov
eminent found it impossible to keep
them out. An Indian doesn't care
about soldiers invading his country, be-
cause he knows they won't stay, but he
knows the miners come to stay. Con-
sequently the miners came in contact
with the Indians. There was a little
skirmish between the Indians and
miners and miner was killed, and
then the cry was raised: Another
Indian war! The Sioux are on the
warpath.' That's what started the
Indian war of 1876. The first fight
that occurred was in the winter of 1875
rs with Chief Crazy Horse and his
band, who were camped on the Powder
river. This whole village was de-
stroyed, and in the following spring
three expeditions were organized to
fight the Sioux. General Terry COM
manded the Dakota troops of the De-
partment of the Platte and General
Gibbons was in command of the troops
of the Department of Montana. Gen.
eral Custer was under command of
General Terry at the mouth of the
Powder river, where it empties into
the Yellowstone.
General Custer first struck Sitting
Bulls trail there, and General Terry
ordered Custer to take his regiment,
the Seventh Cavalry, and follow up
the trail, and use his own discretion in
regard to his movements, but to COM
municate with Terry as often as posi-
bic. Custer followed this trail by
forced marching up the Rosebud river
and across to the Little Big Horn for
three days. Then he found Sitting
Bull in camp with 5000 Sioux, Of
which number 1000 were warriors.
General Custer only bad 800 men with
him, and he thought he was attacking
q village, and he found he was attack
ing big city. He was wonderfully
brave man. Sitting Bull sat in his tent
and directed the fight. The Siouxs had
to tight to save their women and chill
dren. 1t was human nature to do this.
Custer made great mistake in not
knowing the size of Sitting Bulls
army. That's the simple story" and
Buffalo Bill got up and paced about
the. tent, excited by what he had been
telling.
Speaking of the Indians, he said:
General Sheridan gave me credit
for doing a great deaf Of good work in
1876. but I felt I was doing wrong to
fight the Indians. I've lived in the In
dian country for thirty years and I've
never known a treaty to be kept by the
whites yet. The Indians have been
driven from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
They are badly treated. I've been
present At most every treaty that was
ever made for the past i've years. I
was chief of scouts for the United
States army for fifteen years and I've
been in more Indian battles than any
man living and I. know all about the
Indians. II they were given land and
allowed to keep it they'd be quiet and
peaceable and become civilized. There