Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-10
THE DAY rnAr OUsTnE FELL.
Sitting Bun aud Soldier Exchange
"Reminiscences of the Fight.
~. VII
From The -Nel0 York san.

Boston, Aug. S.--The real facts about
the death of Gen. Custer were brought
out day or two agoin an interview here
between Sitting Bull and Sergt ohm Ryan,
of Newton, who fought under Gen. Rene
in the last battle between Clusters regi-
ment and the Indians. When sergt. Ryan
was introduced to the chief, Sitting Bull
showed no disposition to talk, but pres
emily Ryan drew from his pocket blood
spattered cavalry guldon and asked
Sitting Bull whether he had ever seen a
flag like that before. The Indian showed
a sudden awakening Oftnterest.
'Yes," he said.
"When was itY" asked sergt. RYAN,
'Wheu we had the figbt and killed Gus
ter's men," said Sitting Bull through the
interpreter, "we got number OF them.
Where did you get itW
son the second day of the fight" an
swared Ryan, ~ saw an Indian riding up
and down in front of our lines displaying
this flag. Another man and myself, who
had long-range rifles, fired at him repeat
edIy, and finally dropped him off his horse.
When night came l erawled out and
brought this dag in.
"When we struck your trail" Sergt.
Ryan continued, land just before the
fight, we found four lodges with dead In
diaus In them"
"Who were they?'
s'They were Sioux Shawnee scouts"
replied Sitting Bull, skilled by men of
Gen. Crooks command on the Rosebud
on June II. On the first days fight do
you recollect an Indian, mounted on
black horse, who was armed with a
'camp-stick' an Indian lance and was
cheering and urging on his menp
''That was when you were trying TO
break our skirmish line," said Ryan. The
chief was 200 or 300 yards away, and l
fred on him a number OF times.
Sitting Bull (with much merriment)
said: "That was l. Soon after that |
went to the scene of the fight with Custer.
and WAS not in the battle after that day.
| remember when two of your pack mules
charged down to the water from your
camp on the bluff. They were loaded
with ammunition, and we used that am
munition, as well as what we got from
Custer, in the second days light. When
| went to take charge Of the battle at the
other end ofthe valley, where Custer made
his attack, left Crazy Horsein command
Of my young men who were fighting you
and Reno"
"Wss the fight going on when you got
thereW asked Ryan.
son, yes; we bad them surrounded"
''It has been said that Rain-in-the- Face
asserted that he killed Custer. Did hePr
"No. There Is no truth in it, SO many
were firing at Custer at the same time
that no one could tell whether he hit him
or not"
''You are telling the truth there" said
Ryan. "I was in command OF the detail
that buried Custer after Gen. Terry came
up. There we're number of bullets in
CusteE's body. and he and Newspaper
man named Kelly were the only ones
whose bodies had not been mutilated.
Who was it that crushed the head of Capt.
Tom Custer, and what became of the
prisoners ?''
''I don't know about that" answered
Sitting Bull. "The young men and squaws
had to do with that. There were 1000
warriors, and there were in camp from
5000 to 1900 women and children, and the
camp was four or five miles long, all in
the valley of the Little Big Horn"
''H0w many men did you hayer'
"Six hundred all told, of whom POT were
killed with Custer"
The two men exchanged many campaign
"reminiscences. Ryan was in Custer's
regiment on the plains for len years, and
often sKirmished with Sitting Bull and his
tribe when they were on the war path.