St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-08
WHISPERS.

iIdl every ONCE III Willie 10 see, DuL not
many of them have had the pleasure en-
joyed some time since by the Whisperer
OF hearing him tell the story of his par
tlclpation in the fight with the Indians
during which CUSTER and all his troops
were killed. L am reminded of the talk
by the recently revived accusation that
MAJ. KENO, who nov holds clerkship
III the war department, might have gone
to CUSTER'S relief and saved him. That
the accusation is wholly false
will later appear. The fight hap
pened twelve years ago next
June, but SO long has the doctor been on
the frontier that to him, and to good
many Oid-timers, too, it seems like yes
terday. DIR. PORTER was then a con-
tract surgeon with RENo's command.
1t was early in June that they started
from Fort Lincoln TO suppress some re-
fractOry Sioux. As they drew near the
Big Horn valley the troops divided,
CUSTER and RENO going across cOun-
try to the Little Big Horn, while TERRY
and his command went up the valley of
the Big Horn, the idea being to strike
the Indians, who were known to be ell
camped in the neighborhOOd of the
junction of the two rivers, simuta-
neOuSly. TERRY had positively in
structed CUSTER not to attack until he
was near at hand.
When near the Indian encampment
CUSTER divided his forces, leaving Mai.
BENTEEN in the rear with the baggage
wagons, and statiOning RENO with his
force, to which DIR. PORTER was at
tached, in deep swale just across the
Little Big Horn river, about two miles
from where the Indian tepees could be
seen. Up to this time not an Indian
had made his appearance, though, as it
afterward appeared, they were. well adj
YlSed OF the approach of the troops.
CUSTER then made dash with his
handful of men down deep ard wide
cOulee, at the mouth of which was the
Indian village, hoping to crush it by the
fury of his onset and gain all the glory
OF the victory, which he thought sure,
for himself. In a moment the
hillsides were fairly alive with
Indians, who were, as the Sioux chief
Gaul said, like the grass" The sequel
every one knows. Not man escaped.
In the meanwhile RENo's command had
just comfortably stationed itself when
the Indians surrounded it. appearing as
II by magic. When they heard the fir
ing made by the thousands attacking
CUSTER some of them drew off, but left
sufficient number, as they thought. to
finish RENO. Closer and closer they
pressed until RENO and his officers, en-
tirely ignorant of the fate that had be-
fallen CUSTER, decided that their only
hope of escape lay in a furlOrn dash
across the river to the high hills Oppo-
site, distant some hundreds of yards
and where they could hope to make
stand.
Finally all was ready, and in one mass
they dashed out of the swale across the
open and made for the river. Many
were shot down before they reached the
other side, and still others fell before
the slope was climbed, but finally the
top was reached. When the start was
made DR.. PORTER was bending over
wounded soldier, attending his hurt. He
looked around, to find the command
leaving. The wounded man begged
him not to leave him to the tender
lnercleS OF the savageS, and the doctor
was not the man to resist the appeal.
Putting the soldier on his horse, he
mounted, too, and also made dash for
it. An Indian gave chase, taking an &C.
caSiOnal flying shot at the doctor with
his revolver, and was soon at his stir
rup. Then, holding his wounded COM
panlon with one arm, letting go of his
bride and drawing his revolver with
the other hand, the doctor half turned
in his saddle, and as the Indian raised
his pistol to give the physician his coup
de grace. the latter, as careleSSly as
though he were administering a pill,
sent leaden pill through the heart of
his savage antagonist. A moment later
he was across the river, up the hill and
safe with his man. But the safety was
only for the time being. In an instant,
almOSt,it seemed as though half the red
skins in the West were Swarming
around that little hill, keeping at a
wholesome distance from the white
mems rifles, it is true, but at the same
time pouring III an annoying fire on the
hilltop.
The situation was decidedly critical.
Half the command were grieyOusly
wounded, and the Indians outnumbered
the able-bodied men a hundred to one.
If only breaStwOrkS could be thrown up
they might hold the hill until TERRY'S
arrival. An idea occurred to some one.
They had their horses yet. In twink
ling the poor brutes were killed and
ranged along the top of the hill for
breastwOrks. Thus they managed to
keep the Indians at bay all day long. all
the night and the next day,
until, alarmed by the approach
of TERRY. they Withdrew. All this
time DIR. PORTER was busy with the
wounded. though, as he said, he fully
believed that any moment the Indians
would be on top of them and that would
be the last of them. Still, he thought
he might as well put in his last moments
doing something to relieve the suffer
ingS of the wounded men, and so busily
was he engaged in ministering to their
wants that, while conscious of what he
regarded as their impending doom. it
did not greatly disturb him. He admit
ted, however, that it occurred to him
several times, when the bullets fell par
ticularly thick and fast, that he would
give every cent he had i'll the world and
his possessions then amounted to some
thing like 5000, to be on the cars with
a round trip ticket TO the Centennial i'll
his pocket.
TERRY, however, finally relieved the
besieged, and then for the first time
RENO and his remnant of troops learned
of the full extent of the calamity that
had befallen CUSTER and his men.
TERRY had brought with him small
steamer. DR.. PORTER transferred his
fifty-Odd wounded to it, and the captain
being ordered to crowd on all steam the
run was made down the Big Horn to the
Yellowstone, down the Yellowstone to
the Missouri, and down the Missouri to
Bismarck in the phenomenal time of
forty-eight hours. And what is equally
remarkable, Dir. PORTER didn't lose Il
single one of his wounded on the trip.
A pretty exciting experience for a
doctor, don't you think?
THE WHIsPERER.
She Wanted Notices.
A gentleman whose wife had instruct