The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-26
MRS. CUSTER's LECTURE.
An Interesting Portrayal Of Life Mt
an Army Post.

Mrs. Elizabeth Custer, wife of the late
General Custer, who Was killel by the In
dams during the battle OF the Little Big
Horn July %. 1876. was the guest of the
ntemporary Club at the Propylaeum last
night. Mrs. Custer. who Is prominently
known in social and literary life in the
East, gave a delightful talk on life in the
garrison twenty years ago. She is a bright,
charming woman of attractive personality.
She did not discuss the tragedy of her life,
but talked interestingly of the frontier
army as she found it, when, as a new-made
bride, she went with her husband to join
the famous Seventh Regiment. She said,
at the beginning of her lecture, that she
would discuss the gay, rather than the
grave, and would tell her audience only of
the pleasant things that make the existence
of the wife of the army officer bearable. )
Mrs. Custer is a very good story-teller,
and throughout her lecture abounded with
sparkling satire. She is devoted to the
army and is fond of recounting incidents
hat came to her notice while with the
gallant Seventh. Many years Of her mar
ried life were spent with her husband in
the garrison. To put it in her own Ian
guage, 1.-The army officer is the best hus-
band the good Lord ever made" He is a
gallant knight, a manly nan and a de-
voted Save to his wife, who is his queen.
In fact, Mrs. Custer says, a woman reigns
supreme in the garrison. The men strive
TO make her believe she is Indispensable
to their happiness, and that satisfies her.
Mrs. Custer spoke OF the h~ardshipS and
~privations endured by the wives of the
army officers VINO accompanied their neSe
lords to the frontier. But Notwithstanding
this life of se,f-denial, the women were
happy. and none cared to exchange this
glorious free existence for the surroundings
OF their petted sisters or civilization. Mrs.
Custer said the officers of the garrison a.
ways looked forward with glad anticipa-
ton to the visits of the pretty girls, who
a winter with friends. When q wife of a
commanding officer went East to renew
her acquaintance with her family, the part
ing admonition was invariably this: Don't
fail to bring a girl back with YOU"
Mrs. Custer talked of social life at the
frontier post. They had their parties and
their balls, but these events lacked many
Of the small details that are necessary to
the inhabitants of the fashionable civilized
world. The only piano OF which the Sew
enth Regiment could boast belonged to the
fort where Mrs. Custer and her husband
lived. The instrument was looked upon as
something that could never be rep-aced
and during the cold winter nights il would
be blanketed like a race horse. Mrs. Custer
referred to Captain King, the author of a
great many army stories. She is an in
tense adrnirer OF the army author and says
his portrayals of garrison life ara faithful.
Captain King, she says, is the embodiment
of soldierly grace and enthusiasm. He has
long since retired from the army on ac-
count of disabilities incurred during a des-
perate fight with Indians. He was desper-
ately wounded, and Ii is said that the sur
geon who attended him picked twenty
seven pieces of bone from his shattered
arm. Mrs. Custer says that army officers
never talk about their own injuries, but
Captain Kings wife is a true representative
Of her race, and she tells of her husbands
wounds on all occasions. Mrs. Custer came
East after her husbands death, and now
lives a retired life in New York city.