Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-07-01
rnE ousrRR MAssAonn.
The sioux Chief saul DescTIbes she
whole Aayff,t arfafr


CUSTER BAT1LEFIELp, MoNr., June 2G.--
The celebration Of the tenth anniversary OF
| the Custer massacre by n few OF It's stlrvi.
vors took place yesterday. The great Sioux
| Chief tinul went over the field and de-
scrlbed the manner In which Oustar's com
manh was destroyed. Gnul is flne look
| Ing Indian 40 y0ilts old Weighing over 20O
| pounds. He WAS retiopnt at first hit
llnally told his story with dignity and emo.
tiOn. He said; "We saw soldiers early i'm
the morning crossing the divide. Whom
| Hcno and Custer separated we wat ,hed
them until they came down lnto tho valley.
The cry was raised that the white soldiers
were coming and orders were given for the
Vlllnge 70 move. Reno swept down so
rapidly upon the upper end thnt tile
Indians were forced to fight. Sitting Bull
and were ut tho point where Reno at
tucked. Sitting Bull wns the big medicine
| man, The women and children wore hastily
moved down the stream where
me Cheyennes We're oncamped The
sioux attacked Reno and the
CheyenneH Custer, and then NIL became
mixed up. The women and children caught
| horses for tho bucks 10 mount, and the
bucks mounted and charged back on Reno
checked him aud drove him into the timber,
The soldiers tied their horses to trees, came
out and fought on foot. As soon as Reno
WINS beaten and driven back across tho
lANNiI lilu WHOM lDTcb Lufllhtl on kuSLef md
fought him until they destroyed him. Gus
tor did not reach the river, but was met
nbouI half mile up the Tnvine now calOd
Renofcreek. They fought the soldiers and
beat gem back stop by step until NIL were
Ono of Reno's officers confirmed this,
saying; at WIS probably during the in
tervai of quiet on Rono's part that the In
lilns massed on Custer and apnlhilated
him"
uaul continued: "Tho Indlaus ran out
OF ammunition and then used arrows. Tbay
llred from behind their horses. The soldiers
got their shells stuck In the guns and had
TO throw them away. Then they fought
with little guns (pistOs). The Indians were
In couples bohind and in front Of Custer as
he moved up the rilgeand were as many rs
tho grass on tho plains. First two COM
panles (keogh's and Calhoun's) dsmOunted
and fought on foot. They mover broke hut
retired step by step until forced back
TO the ridge upon which all finally died.
They were shot down in line where they
stood. Kcogh's company rallied and were
all killed In bunch. CThis statement
serms borne out by facts as 3S bodies Of
kcogh's troopers Were found piled in II
hclp) The warriors directed u special fire
against the troopers who held the horses,
and IA soon as holder was killed by wav-
ing blankets and great shouting thu horses
wcre stampeded, which made It impossible
Tor The soldiers to escape. The soldiers
fought desperately and hard and never sur
rendered They fought standing along IN
line on the right. As fast as the men fell the
horses were herded and driven toward the
sgnaws and old men, who gathered them
NJ. When Reno attempted to flnl Custer
by throwing out skirmi-h line, Custer and
all who were with him were dead. When
the skirmlshers ronched high point over
looking Clusters field the Indians were gal
loplne around and over the wounded. dying
and dead, popping bullets and arrows into
thim. When Reno made his attack at the
upper end he killed my two squaws and
ihree children, which made my heart
bad, then fought with hatchet
tmeaning mutilated the soldiers. The
IN the day. Their supplies of cart
ridges were In tho saddle pockets Of their
stampeded horses. When their ammunition
was gone, tho Indians killed the soldiers
with hntchets. A lot OF horses ran away
and jumped Into the river but were cHught
by sqnaws, Only "A indians were killed
altogether but Il great many wounhed ones
came across the river and died In the
bushes. We had Ogallalas Mineeon-
lous, Brules, Tetons, UnGaphIas,
Sioux, Cheyennes, Arnpahoes aud Gros
Vcntres. When the big dust came
in the air down the river (meaning Terry
and Gibbon) we struck our lodges and
went up creek toward the White Monn-
iains. The big Horn ranges were covered
with snow. We waited there four days nnd
then went over to tho Wolf Mount0lns." 1t
has been pnpularly supposed that Custer
entered tho river, but snch was not the case.
No coremQnles O. e4ercls0s .%ece cong
ttvifb x-agfardnN