Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-04
AIRED TERROR IN PETIlcoA1s.
Mrs. Spotted-Horn- IS ull's Part in the Ter
rible Custer Massacre.

Mr.. E. P. McFadden, one of Pitts
burgs Representatives among that peo-
pie, furnishes some queer specimens of
the unwritten history of Indian out
breaks in the Northwest that is pecu-
larly interesting and authentic, COM
ing as it does from participants in
those horrible massacres. On the
Standing Rock Agency, living next
door to him, is Mrs. Spotted-Horn-
Bull,'' the wife of a Dakota chieftain
who bears that unique title
Mr.. McFadden has frequently con-
yersed' with Mrs. Spotted-Horn-Bull
about the Custer massacre. The cop
per-colored Amazon was a prominent
actor on the field of blood. Her trib-
ute to the merits of her better half is
not at all fattering. She brands him
as having been a most arrant coward.
While the fight, which reflected great
credit on Gen. Clusters daring and
bravery but little on his Generalship,
was going on Spotted-Horn-Bull was
in command of his tribe. He weaken
ed before the bullets of the whites, and
Mrs. Spotted-Horn rushed to the res
cue. She melted the band by her
speech and deeds to feats of Indian
daring equaled by no other tribe in the
fight. She was foremost in the COM
bat, and with her own hands scalped
and mutilated the bodies of dozens of
United States soldiers.
She describes the conduct of Custer
as being wonderfully brave, such as to
command the respect of the red men,
and, strange to relate, while they
practiced their horrible methods of
warfare on the soldiers, the bodies of
the General and his brother, Capt. Tom
Custer, were left untouched. Custer
fought to the last, and is supposed to
have been the last man killed. The
squaw tells of seeing his body lying on
top of group of soldiers. It was the
last to fall and lay right across that of
''little chief" as a Sergeant in the
army is called.
Mrs. Spotted-Horn-Bull is now a
quiet withered old squaw, whose refor-
nation seems to have been accomplish
ed. She stays close to the trading post
at Standing Rock, and seldom speaks
of the scenes of bloodshed in which she
was an actor, unless drawn out in con-
tidence. She evidently knows who
killed Gen. Custer, but firmly refuses
to give the aSsassin's name.
1T is a source of wonder to the
whites,'' says Mr.. McFadden, ''that the
bodies of Gen. Custer and his brother
Tom were not mutilated in the massa-
ere. 1t was we'll known that the
treacherous Chief, Rain-in-the-F Face, had
sworn that he would eat Tom Clusters
heart. The way he came to make that
threat was this:
''Rain-in- the-Face had committed
some depreciation in Nebraska for
which he was wanted by the United
States officers -horsestealing, | think
it was. He took refuge at Standing
Rock and Gen. Custer sent a Sergeant
with q detail from Fort Lincoln to
bring him in. The Sergeant was COM
PEELED to return without his prisoner.
Tom, 90 to Standing Rock and bring
back Rain-in-the-Face or leave your
own body there The Captain, who
never refused to obey orders, started
on his errand with a detail of cavalry.
''It so happened that the day he
reached Standing rock was the day on
which rations were issued at the agen-
cy. There were fully 5000 Indians at
the place. Capt. Custer placed his de-
tails so as to surround the trading
post He dismounted, and, with a re-
volver in one hand and sword in the
other, entered the building. When he
got inside he asked: Where is Rain
in-the-Face?' Silence fell on the room,
which was crowded with friends of the
Chief. The Captain then told the in
terpreter to point out 'Rain-in-the-
Face. This was done, and stepping
up to him the intrepid cavalry officer
placed the muzzle of his revolver at
the Indians head and said:
Observation-Disclosures, [ want you. If
you make an attempt to escape I'll
shoot you. If your friends interfere 1
will blow your brains out. have but
one life to lose and if they shoot mo
you will die also
'Rain-in-the-Face said he would SUBJ
NIT, but on going out at the door he
said: st is your turn now, but Some
day will eat your heart. Pittsburg
Commercial Gazette.