Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-07-01
THECUSTER MASSACRE.
Standing on the Battle Field. the Lead
er of the Attacking Sioux Corrects
Historical Errors.
A Flood OF Light on the Conduct OF
Reno-how Clusters Men Fought
Brayely Till the Last Fell.
GALL DESCRIBES THE MASSACRE.


CUSTER BATTLEFIELD Mont. Special Tele
gram, June 25.--The tenth anniversary OF
the dark and bloody tragedy which viii be q
gloomy page in American history was To-
day appropriately celebrated by few sur
yiyors Of that dreadful June day. Early in
the day the great Sioux chief Gall, went
over the entire field and described in an in
teligcnt and straightforward manner the
exact manner in which the Custer command
was destroyed. Curley, the Grow scout who
was in reality the only survivor of al who
marched into the valley of the Little Big
Horn with Custer, was also present, but Gail
turned his back on Curley and said @he ran
away too soon in the fight Gall is a power
ful, ne-looking specimen of the red race, for
ty- six years old and weighs over 200 pounds
He first appeared reticent and was inclined
| to net sullen, but when he stood on the spot
which saw the last night of Custer on earth
his dark eyes lighted with fire, he became
earnestly communicative and he told all be
knew without restraint His digniied coun-
tenance spoke truthfulness, and there is lit
tie doubt that the true history of that dread
full day is at last made known.
AS GALL TOLD IT.
Calls narrative was as follows:
We saw the soldiers early in the morning
crossing the divide. When Reno and Custer
separated, we watched them until they came
down into the valley. cry was raised that the
white men soldiers wcre coming, and orders were
given for the village to move Immediately. Reno
swept down so rapidly ON the upper end that the
Indians were forced to fight. Sitting Bull aad l
were at the point where Reno attacked Sitting
Bull was big medicine man. The women and
children were hastily moved down stream where
the Cheyennes were camped. The Sioux at
tackled Reno and the Cheyennes Custer, and
then all became mixed mp The women and
children caught the horses for the bucks to
mount Then the bucks mounted and charged
back on Reno. checked him and drove him into
the timber. The soldiers tied their horses 10
trees and came out and fought on foot As soon
as Reno was beaten and driven back across the
river, the whole force turned upon Custer and
fought him until they destroyed him. Custer
did not reach the river, but was met about half
a mile up a ravine, now called Reno creek. They
fought the soldiers and beat them back step by
STEP
UNTIL ALL WERE KILLED.
Zone of Reno's officers confirms this by saying
After we were driven back to the hill where the
stand was made, there was an interval of over
an hour that we had no fighting. This gave us
an opportunity to shelter our horse5 in a rayire
and partially intrench ourselves. 1t prob
ably during this interval of quiet on Reno's
part that the Indians massed on Custer and an
initiated him. The Indians ran out OF asnmu-
milton and then used arrows. They fired from
behind their horses. The soldiers got shells
stuck in their guns and had to throw them
away: they then fought with little guns tpis-
tolls. The Indians were in coulees behind and
In front OF Custer as he moved up the ridge to
take position, and were just as many the
grass The first two companies, Keogh's and
~
They never broke, but retired step by step until
forced back to the ridge upon which all finally
persisted. They we're shot down in line where
they stood. Keogh's company rallied by COM
pany and were all killed in a bunch. This
statement seems borne out by facts, as thirty
eight bodies of Keogh's troops were found piled
in heap.l The warriors directed a special fire
against the trooper who held the horses while
the others fought; as soon as a holder was killed.
by waving blankets and great shouting the
horses were stampeded which mace it impossi-
be for the soldiers to escape afterward. The
soldiers
FOUGHT DESPERATELY AND HARD
and never surrendered. They fought standing.
They fought in line along the ridge As fast as
the men fell the horses were herded and driven
toward the squaws aud old men, who gathered
them up When Reno attempted TO find Custer
by throwing out a skirlnish line Custer and all
reached high point overlooking Clusters field,
the Indians were gslloping around and over the
wounded, dying and dead. popping bullets and
arrows into them. When Reno made his attack
at the upper end, he killed my two squaws and
three children, which mlde my heart bad
then fought with the Ratchet (which means. of
course, mntilating the soldiers.l The soldiers
ran ont of ammunition early in the day. Their
supplies of cartridges were in the saddle pockets
of their stampeded horses. The Indians then
ran up TO the soldiers and butchered them with
h8tchets. A lot of horses ran away aud jumped
into the river, but were caught by
on Reno creek. and several Indians fell over and
died. Only forty-three Indians were killed alto-
gether. but n great many wounded ones came
across the river and died in the bushes. Some
soldiers got away and ran down ravine crossed
the river, came back again and were killed. We
had 0galallas. Mineconjous, Brule. Teton inca
papa Sioux, Cheyennes, AIrapahoes and Gros
Ventres. When the big dust came in the air
down the river meaning Terry and Gibbonl we
struck our lodges and went up a creek toward
the White Rain mountains The Big Horn ranges
days, and then went over to the Wyoming
mountains.
This ended Calls narrative. IL brings out
many new facts and corrects some others.
1t has been populariy supposed that Custer
entered the river. but such was not the case.
as the bodies found on the Little Horn were
those of n few stampeded soldiers There
were no ceremonies or exercises gone
through with--simply an attempt, which was
successful. to correct history.