The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-08-27
a cHILD's FoREkNoWLEDoE.
An Incident Relating to the Great Custer
Massacre.

A CHllD'S FOREkNOWLEDGE.
An Incident Relating to the Great Custer
Massacre.
Among the many curious instances OF
seeming second sight may be placed the
following incident of that saddest trag.
edy OF modern days-the death of Gus
ter and his gallant followers
The love existing between Capt.
Blank and his blue-eyed, golden-curled
boy, little Buster, /" the pet and darling
of the whole garrison, was something
to be remembered. Wherever the tall
soldierly figure of the young father was
to be seen unless ON duty, that of the
child was sure to be close beside, some
times riding on his fathers shoulder,
sometimes clinging to his hand, always
lifting to his eyes full of passionate
love and content.
When the dreaded day came that was
to separate those fearless men from the
women and children who so loved them,
Buster could hardly be torn from his
father, and my husband told me that
long after, the child's shrek of utter
misery, unchildlike in its intensity, rang
in his ears. For some days after the
command had marched across the low
purple hills, out of the reach of loving
eyes, Buster dropped and pinned; but he
was child, and the old childish gaiety
came back to his eyes, and his laugh,
which rang out as happily as ever, al
most jarring upon his young mothers
ear.
One warm June day at Fort Lincoln
Mrs. Blank sat sewing in her tiny par
lor, her baby creeping about the floor
at her feet, while she chatted with two
or three more lonely wives, perhaps of
the beloved ones far off across the
plains and their possible return. Sud-
denly Buster rushed in through the
open door. eyes sparkling, hair flying.
Mamma" he shouted, my papa's
s'ooting his 'volver! heard him!''
Ibid you, darling?' his young mother
said, STOPPING to kiss the little flushed,
eager face. "How very nice! / wish he
could come home and SCOT it. Don't
you?"
:'He's s'ooting Injuns;" the child went
on; land he'll SCOT 'em all, and zen he'll
tome home"
"rm sure hope he WILL" sighed Mrs.
Blank. run out and play, Buster, and
don't go in the SUM-"
"How Buster does talk about his
some one remarked. 81 often
meet him running along with some one,
and, child or man, soldier or officer,
you can always catch the words my
papa If you listen to him"
Then the talk wandered on, always
in minor key, for there had been quite
an interval of time since the last letters,
and there was always unacknowledged
anxiety, though all felt unbounded
faith in the powers of the gallant
Seventh.
Presently the sound of child's bitter
crying brought them all to their feet,
and Buster ran into his mothers arms
at the door, sobbing wildly:
Mamma" he sobbed, 1.-The Injuns
hes dot my papa. He's dot no more
scots in his 'volver; he's s'ooted it all.
Oh, want my papa, and the bad In.
juns dot him!'
Mrs. Blank knelt down on the floor
beside her boy, drawing him close tc
her heart, Hush, Buster" she said,
very gently, but firmly, ''you must moi
be such silly little boy: the Injuns can
not get your papa Gen. Custer is there,
he will take care of papa and all the
men. Do you think f Troop would let
the injuns get papa? See you are max.
ing us all feel very bad, and papa would
say that you were not his brave little
lad Now stop crying and go anG
play: you could not hear papa's 'volvei
20 far away"
YES" the child exclaimed, earnestly,
Il tan hear my papa's 'volver, and
know he's s'ooted it al1!' But army dis
,ipline prevailed, and the bow choked
back his sobs, Nesting in his mothers
lrms and resting there, strangely quiet,
or the rest of the long summer day.
That evening, when the children were
both sleeping, and the daily bulletin to
Ter absent husband had been written,
Mrs. Blank sat for some moments in
ilent thought, then drawing sheet of
,aper to her, wrote down the date, June
IS, and poured out to her only brother
he aching of her heart and the sense
ess anxiety caused by the child's fool
sh words, the memory of which still
TIRED him in his sleep, for he sobbed
md tossed all night.
On the 9Th of July, when the whole
rmy writhed and cried out in agony at
he news that had come to us, we, to
whom Mr.. B. had shown his sisters let
er, knew that on the Goth of June
apt. Blank had dearly sold his life, and
lad been found pierced with many
Wounds, his empty revolver clasped in
lis stiffened hand. And far way, in his
uiet home, his baby boy had seemed to
now it.-Harper's Weekly.
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