, 1890-09-04
CUSTER'S LAST FIGHT.
How Lieut.. Sturgis' Watch
Was Recovered.
A MYSTERY OF The BATTLE
A Gentleman Now in Spokane
Tells an Interesting Story to
Mr.. J. r. Reavis.

Tho presence hero of Mrs. General
| Custer has called from Mr. B. q.
Kenway, formerly Of Winnipeg, but
now one of the supervising archi-
tects of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road, who also happens to be In
town, an interesting story connected
with the massacre of General Custer
and his brave comrades at the battle
of the Little Big Horn, June %,
1876.
In 1880 Mr.. Konway was Mt the
town of Portage Ia Prairie, about
sixty miles west Of Winnipeg, and
happening one day to be In the
store Of the Hudson Bay Company
at that place, he saw three Sioux
indians come in to make some pur-
chases. One of them offered to sell
Mr.. IL. f. Gigot, the factor of the
Hudson Bay Company ut Portage
10 Prairie, silver watch. Mr..
Gigot's curiosity being aroused he
asked the Indian where he had OBJ
tanned the watch. He said he
had taken 1t from the body
of q man killed in the fight
with Custer four years before.
Mr.. Gigot discredited the story, but
purchased the watch, giving SO for
II, and found upon examination
that IL was from a Liverpool maker.
That evening he wrote to the Liver
pool maker and asked him II he
kept record of those who purchased
watches from him, and giving him
the number Of the watch he had
bought from the Indian, asked him
IL he could discover who had pur-
chased it originally. The Liverpool
maker luckily kept just such
record as Mr.. Gigot had inquired
about and replied that he had sold
hat particular watch and ladies'
gold watch at the same time to
General Sturgis of the United States.
Mr.. Gigot then wrote to the war de-
partment ut Washington city and
made inquiry for the address OF Cen
eral Sturgis, relating ut tue sumo
time tho facts about the watch. He
finally received u letter from Gem
eral SturgIs, to whom Mr.. Gigot's
letter had been referred by the war
department, in which he said the
watch had undoubtedly belonged to
his son, Lieutenant Sturgis, who
had been killed in the Custer mas
sucre, but whose body had never
been found, and OF whom
not n relic had been recovered. The
letter was n long and very pathetic
one, containing many expressions OF
gratitude to Mr.. Gigot for his
thoughtfulness and care In his en-
deav0r to find the rightful owner Of
the watch. The watch was Of course
sent to General Sturgis aud IL kept
by his family as precious memento
OF the brave young man who lost
his life on that fateful 18th day of
June and of whom no other word
has ever came.
Lieutenant Sturgis, better known
as 'Jack" Sturgis, was splendid
young soldier. He was the pride of
his father and the beloved compan-
ion of the Seventh regiment officers.
Captain Charles King has an admir-
ably written article in the August
number of Harper's magazine on
"Custer's Last Battle" in which he
speaks of young Sturgis. Here In
the extract:
"Keogh, Calhoun, Crittenden
had died along the skirmlsh lines;
Smith, Porter and Kelley We're
found with their men; so were the
surgeons, Lord and DeWolf; so, too,
were Boston Custer and the Herald
correspondent; but two bodies were
never recognized among the slain
those of Lieutenants Harrington
and Jack Sturgis. Down q lit
tie cooley some thirty men had
made rush for their lives; the
Sioux had simply thronged the
banks, shooting them as they ram
One trooper, an officer, said the
Sioux, managed to break through
their circle, the only white man
who did, and galloped madly east
ward. Five warriors followed in pur-
suit-Ogalallas, two Uncapapas and q
Brule, all well mounted. Fear lent
him wings, and his splendid horse
gained OH all but one Uncapapa,
who hung to the chase. At last,
when even this one was ready to
draw rein and let him go, the hunt
ed cavalryman glanced over his
shoulder, fancied himself nearly
overtaken, and, placing the muzzle
of his revolver TO his ear, pulled the
trigger, and sent his own bullet
through his brain. His skeleton
WAS pointed out to the officers Of the
Fifth cavalry one year later by one
of the pursuers, and so 1t was dis
covered for the first time. Was 1t
Harrington? Was 1t Sturgis?"
The answer to these questions
will probably never be known,
though 1t could have been given
by the wretch who took the watch
from the body of Lieutenant Stur-
gis and sold Ii to Mr.. Gigot, of Por-
tage la Prairie.
1t may be added In conclusion,
that General Sturgis died about
three years ago. The ladies' watch
that he purchased from the Liver
pool maker Mt the same time ho
purchased the one for his son was
for his daughter, Ella, a very beau
tiful aud accomplished young
woman, who at one time thought OF
going on the stage, but who finally,
cut of Difference To the wishes OF her
family, who occupied high social
position in st. Louis, abandoned
The idea. JOHN X. REAvIs.
The Review Appreciated.
Newark, Ohio, Republican,