Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-08-16
HIS LAST BuGLE CALI.

IL WAS buI year OF two before
Custer and his ulen OF Tie seventh
United Syates cavalry We're massacred
by the Sioux Indians. and that was
III 1916
Custer was down u the Washita, in
the Nation and The hlowaS and Co
manches were causing trouble. With
them We're, Of course, some Cheyennes
and Arapahoes-shey never could keep
out Of troubIe-and a lot Of doughboys
Infantry, with some other cavalry
besides Clusters own. a heap Of scouts
and 50 forth-all there chasing those
fellows. who were harder 10 catch
and corral than 50 many prairie dogs,
When the regiment was organized.
after the rebellion, Schuylkill Jones
was the first sergeant OF the old troop,
and he married before the end Of the
war, whom / don't know. and neither
did ne, for she had been wife 10 so
many men previously that her original
name and pedigree We're lost in the
passing OF the ages.
But she bore him a son, and while
dressing young priyate's wounds,
in the course OF an attack on train
which her husbands troops escorted,
was shot dead.
For her sake the troop buried her
mournfally, and without any method
1T procedure decided 10 adopt her son
the pet.
The boy one day drew his father
away to look al his mothers grave in
the lonely cemetery on the bluffs. and
there the Old soldier had nj, and was
found by the doctor and ambulance
men lying dead on the wife's grave
BilIy's father and Billy's mother
having died without thinking it neces-
sary 10 notify anybody OF any rela-
tiyes they may have had, Billy was
left with what pay was due his
father and the debt to the sutler
which his father owed. which was
rather rough on the four-y ear-old, for
the debt considerably exceeded the
pay
When he was old enough 10 hold the
bugle 10 his lips he made a noise
which his partial stepfather said was
mighty near Ike taps and he took
10 the bugle after that as he might
TO Sucking bottle.
When he was tsn years old he could
blow all the calls and ride Tip 70
water while leading two others. which
was more than any recruit could do.
When he was ID and had had decent
education at the post schools, our dear
old captain rest be to his soul held a
consultation with the colonel and ad-
jutant, and Billy was called in at the
end of Il and asked If he would like
TO enlist
1t required special order from
the headquarters at Washington. but
Billy got his hearts desire.
Well. we loved him as the best Of
buglers, but We loved him for more
than that
When | was down with the malarial
fever at Fort s., and although | was
reckoned a surly fellow enough. little
Billy brought me grapes, and he must
have paid through the nose for them.
the poor little angel. And I guess
other fellows had some sort Of the
same experience He used to sing, too,
and the boys would be cleaning up
for Sunday morning inspection. and
Billy would chirp up something jolly.
and we'd yell a chorus and then he'd
sing quietly some homelike song. and
we'd forget the snow on the prairie
and the trouble 10 get wood and the
half ration, and the boys wouldn't
join in that chorus bat just keep on
wiping the rust from the earbines.
ard some Of them might be dropping
something on the barrel that would
turn to rust very scon
Well well. Custer was there, and
that meant fun and fighting more Of
the last than the frst-and down We
went in the chill Of late autumn
afternoon, just our old group. under
the captain. Is do something.
/ don't rccollect now WHAT ii was
maybe to break up small village
maybe to b~,ng In chief Anyhow
. the captain didn't seem from his man
ner 70 think i was going to be very
serious. whatever II was. and Billy
kept chirruping away As he rode 81
hind the captain. as jolly as If we
We're going to break up the whole
Sioux nation.
We took up trot after getting ont
of the post and. made for the Cana
dian river and We kept up trot FOR
long tyne, saving when he halted
every hour four o1 FIVE minutes to
tighten girths and breathe the horses
"a good practice.
Whether the Guide blundeied or the
captain, az some may say. vas az
stinate aud stuck to his opinion. il u
needless tn argue here the "hig
chiefs would attend 10 that after
ward; but Instead ii keeping To the
trail and going TIE ordinary way
down u the ford VI branehed off am