The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-07-25
THE DEATH OF CUSTER.
A Thrilling Account OF tho Last CiinrEo o
tho Gallant Commander.

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A Thrilling Account OF tho Last CharEo OF
tho Gallant Commander.
Capt. Charles King m Harptr's haga:iHe.
Never realizing, as ! believe, tho fear.
full odds against him, believing that he
would find the village''on tho run" and
that between himself and Reno he could
"double them up" in short order, Custer
had jauntiiy trotted down to hts death.
1t WAS n long five.mile ride from where
ho sighted the northern end OF the vii.
lage to where he struck itscentre around
that bold point Of hlulT, mud from the
start 10 the moment his guidons whir!ed
In view, and his troopers came gallop'
ing 'itont into limo" down near the
ford, he never fairly cav the great VII.
lnge-never dreamed Of its depth and
extent. Rounding the bluff, no sud
denly found himself iuce TO face with
thousands OF the boIdest and most
skilliul warriors OF the prairies. lio had
hoped to charge ut once into tue heart
OF tho village, to hear tho cheers OF
Reno's Dlen from tho south. Instead
he was greeted with a perfect fury OF
flame and kissing lead from The dense
thiCket OF willow and cottonwood, q fire
that had to be answered at once. Quickly
he disinountcd his men and threw them
forward on the run, each fourth man
holding, cavalry fashion, the horses OF
the other three. The line seems to have
swept in parallel very nearly with the
general course Of the stream, but to no
purpose. The foe were ten TO one in
their front. Boys and squaws were
shooting from the willows ooh, We
had plenty Of guns!" said our s~tory.tell.
crs) and worse than that, hundreds OF
young warriors had mounted their pc.
MES and swarmed across the stream be-
low him, hundreds more were following
and c~ircling all about him. And then
it WIS that Custer, the hero Of
a hundred daring charges, sceIns
to have realized that he must
cut his way out. Mount" rang the
lrumpets, and, leaving many a poor fel.
low on the ground, the troopers ran for
their horses. Instantly, from lodge and
willow, 0gallas aud Bruleu sprang to
horse, and rushed to the ford in mad
pursuit. MAKE for the hcightB!" must
have been tue order, for the first rush
was eastward; then more to the left, as
they found their progress barred. Then,
as they reached higher ground, Ill they
could see, far rs they could see, cir.
cling, swooping, yelling like demons,
and all the time keeping uptheir furious
fire, were thousands Of the mounted
Sioux. Hemmed in, cut Of, dropping
fast from their saddles, Clusters men
say that retreat was impossible. They
sprangt to theground, "tulned their horses
loose" said the Indians, and by that
time half their number had fallen. A
skirnish line was thrown out down the
slope, and there they dropped at five
yards interval; there their comrades
found them two days after. Every in
slant the foe rode closer and gained in
numbers; every instant some poor fellow
bit the dust. At last, on a mound that
stood at the northern ord of u little
ridge, Custer, with Cook, Yates, and
gallant Brother Tom," and Some dozen
soldiers, all that were left by this time,
gathered in the last rally. They sold
their lives dearly, brave fellows that
they were; but they were as q dozen to
the leaves OF the forest at the end Of
twenty minutes, and in less than twenty
fiye-all Bas over.