The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1886-07-03
Anniversary of the Custer Massacre.

|
The tenth anniv ersary of the Custer
massacre was celebrated on the battle
field on Saturday last. The following
officers and men who survived the bat
tie, and Chief Gall who led the Indians,
were present Brevet Colonel F. w.
Benteen, Ninth Cavalry Major 7. NJ.
McDougall, B troop, Seventh Cavalry !;
Capt. E. S. Godfrey, d troop, Seventh
Cavalry; Capt. W. E. Edgerly, e troop,
Seventh Cavalry; all of Benteen's COM
mand; DR.. H. r. Parker. surgeon with
Reno; Corporal Curtis Hall, trumpeter;
G. B. Penwell, with Benteen: Curley
Crow, scout with Custer, and White
Lavon, scout with Reno. AS was an
nounced, Chief Gall, who is described as
a fine-looking Indian, forty-six years old
and weighing over two hundred pounds,
gave description Of the battle substan-
TALLY as follows The Indian village
extended up and down the Little Big
Horn for a very long distance. Sitting
Bull and myself were camped at the up
per end, near the point first attacked by
Reno. Scouts discovered the soldiers in
the morning crossing the end Of Wolf
mountains and approaching the village.
They saw them divide, one part going
towards the upper end Of the village
and part to the lower. We drove our
horses to the lower end of the camp and
| signalled for all our men to come. All
left the lodges and went into the brush
along the river. RenO'S soldiers first
struck the camp and were repulsed by
the Indians and driven to the hills.
Clusters force was then met near a dry
ravlne, some distance from the river,
which was never reached by him. When
the attack was made some soldiers dis
mounted, fighting on foot, while the
whole command retreated up the hill,
closely followed by the Indians. The
warriors were like grass, surrounding
the troops on all sides. Men, women
and boys all fought. Many soldiers
could not use their guns because the
shells became fast in them. AS the
troops retreated up the hill they dis
mounted, leaving one man here and
there to hold the horses while the others
fought. We picked the holders off and
when the horses stampeded drove them
down the river by swinging our blan-
kets. They were caught by the Chey-
ennes near the mouth of the Little Big
Horn. Some horses swan the river and
were caught by women and children in
camp. A few soldiers escaped from the
field and crossed the river, where they
were killed. Eleven Indians were killed
on Reno creek and four at the foot of
the bluffs at the Custer battle ground.
Some wounded warriors crossed the
river and died near camp. The battle
began about noon and the last man was
killed about sunset. The troops fought
strong. Two companies of soldiers who
on the hill and endeavOred
to drive back the Indians were all killed
together. Some Of the Cheyennes were
in the battle fighting with the Sioux.
Indians were in all the ravines sur
the battle ridge, and the SOL
diers had no chance to escape. The last
men fell at the extreme end of the ridge
towards the Yellowstone. l do not
know where Custer fell or who killed
him. There were too many men in the
battle and too much excitement. The
soldiers sometimes left their horses and
ran in all directions, being shot down in
fight. Sometimes they made breast
works Of dead horses. After the fight
with Reno had found the dead bodies
If my wife and two children in my
,eepee near the timber. My heart was
Dad and l fought the Custer soldiers
with the hatchet, cutting them great
leal. / did not take gun from the
lead soldiers. Clusters men were killed
some time before the soldiers from Re-
los hill came towards the battle field.
Next day after the battle / saw dust
Using down the Big Horn and l moved
amp up Lodge Pole creek to the Big
Horn mountains. There l stayed four
lays, then went north. The Indians
oss was forty-two or forty-three on the
)attle ground. There were many
wounded, and on the retreat they died
asst. We carried our dead with us and
'uried them in trees along the trail.
Saving Fine Gold
p. L. Bruce, machinist residing in
tx Mile canyon, Nevada, has received
patent for an invention to save fine
old in gravel and sulphurets iu tailings
y electricity. Mention was made IN
he Virginia City, Nevada, Chronicle
everal months ago Of Bruce being en-
aged in experimenting at the Eureka
ill with that method Of separating
ulphurets from the sand in tailings.
he inventor claims that the expert
lents proved highly satisfactory. The
rocess is very simple. The tailings are
IN over polished copper plates heavily
harged with electricity, which attracts
nd holds the metallic substances, dis
them from the sand. Two
'ell-known mining men have become
in the invention, one of them
foreman and the other a timekeeper