Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-19
CUSTER AS A HORsEMAy.
- rev extracts from the New Book
by Casters widow,

never Clred OF watching the start for
me hunt. The General was a figure that
would have fixed attention anywhere.
ne mad marked individuality of appear
ance, and a certain unstudied careless
ness IN the wearing of his costume, that
gave picturesque effect, not the least
out OF place on the frontier. He wore
troop-boots. reaching to his knees. buck
skin breeches fringed on the side, a darl,
navy-blue shirt with broad collar. a red
necktie, whose ends floated over his
shoulders, exactly as they did when he
and his entire division of cavalry had
worn them during the war. On the
broad felt hat, that was almost a som,
brero, was fastened slight mark OF his
rank. He was at this time thirty-five
years OF age, weighed 10 pounds, and
was nearly six feet in height. His ewes
were clear, blue, and deeply set, his hair
short, wavy, and golden in tint. His
moustache was long and tawny in color:
his complexion was forid, except where
his forehead was shaded by his hat. for
the sun always burned his skin ruth
lessly. He was the most agile, active
man ever knew, and SO very strong,
and in such perfect physical condition
that he rarely knew even an hours in
disposition.
Horse and man seemed one when the
General Vaulted into the saddle. His
body was so lightly poised and SO full of
swinging, undulating motion, it almost
seemed that the wind moved him as it
blew over the plain. Yet every nerve
was alert, and like finely-tempered steel,
for the muscles and sinews that seemed
so pliable were equal TO the curling of
the most fiery animal. | do not think
that he sat on his horse with more than
the other officers, for they rode superbly,
but it was accounted by others almost an
impossibility to dislodge the General
from the saddle, no matter how vicious
the horse might prove. He threw his
feet out OF the stirrups the moment the
animal began to show his inclination for
war, and with his knees dug into the side
of the plunging brute he fought and al
ways conquered. With his own horses
he needed neither spur nor whip. They
were such friends of his, and his voice
seemed so attuned to their natures, they
knew as we'll by its infections as by the
slight pressure of the bride on their
necks what he wanted.
By the merest inclination on the Gen
erals part they either sped on the wings
of the wind or adapted their spirited steps
to the slow movement of the march 1t
was delight to see them together, they
were SO in unison, and when he talked to
them, as though they had been human
beings, their intelligent eyes seemed to
reply.
As an example of his horsemanship, he
had way of escaping from the stagna
- 4 i 40
dangerous to do so, by riding short dis
lance in advance of the column over
divide, throwing himself on one side of
his horse, SO as to be entirely out OF sight
from the other direction, giving a signal
that the animal understood, and tearing
off at the best speed that could be made.
The horse entered into the frolic with all
the zest of his master, and after the race
the animals beautiful distended nostrils
glOwed blood-red as he tossed his head
and danced with delight. In hunting,
the General rode either Vic or Dandy.
The dogs were so fond of the latter that
they seemed to have little talks with
him. The Generals favorite dog
Butcher, would leap up to him in the sad
die and jump fairly over the horse in
starting. The spirited horses, mounted
by officers who sat them so we'll the
sound of the horn used for the purpose Of
calling the dogs; their answering bay;
the glad voices and "honp-la" to the
hounds as they partly galloped down the
valley, are impressions ineffaceable from
my memory. They often started deer
within sound OF the bugle at the post; in
j few hours their shouts outside would
call me to the window, and there, dropp-
| ing across the back OF one of the order
lies horses would be a magnificent black
tailed deer We had a saddle of venison
hanging in the wood-house almost con-
stantly during the winter The officers
and even the soldiers tables had this
rarity to vary the monotony OF the newt
! able beef.