The Anaconda standard., 1896-03-15
GUEST OF ANACONDA
John +. Finerty's Career as Soldier,
Politician and Journalist.
CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE
He Enlisted I'm the Union Army-vis-
tied Canada With FenIan Friends
Adventures With Hostile
Indians In the West.

Congressman John +. Finerty, who
will speak at Evans opera house to-
morrow night:
John Frederick commonly called
John F) Finerty was born in Galway.
Ireland, some 49 years ago. His father,
NJ. j. Finerty, was leader of public
opinion in the west of Ireland, and in
Irish politics belonged to the Young
Ireland" school, or that section of the
patriot party which professed the prin-
cfples of Thomas Davis, John Mitchell,
Smith O'Brien and Thomas Francis
Meagher. He became editor of the Gal
way Vindicator in 1910 and died in Feb
ruary. 184S, on the day that Louis Phil
fppe was hurled by the Partisan revolu
tion from the throne of France. He
was buried in sorrow at the same time
that his compatriots were highly ex-
cited over what seemed the near pros
pect of a revolution in Ireland in imi-
tation of that in France. and some 9TH
ers that were then attempted. Amid
such excitements and scenes NJ. ].
Finerty was laid to his final rest, and
the infancy of his son, destined to wide
consideration, was nourished.
John f. Finerty arrived in the United
States in the spring of 1864. AS drill is
prohibited to civilians in Ireland and
as the youth desired military knowl-
edge, one of the first acts was to enroll
himself in a New York militia regiment
and when the organization volunteered
for the United States service later in
the year Finerty accompanied 1t and
served until it's abandonment. He had
an opportunity Of seeing much of the
siege operations around Petersburg,
and the military strength of the repub-
lie at the time made an impression on
his Imagination that can never be ef
faced. II first saw Columbia" said he
recently to a friend, with her sleeves
rolled UP for battle and her eyes blaz-
ing with the fires of courage, and, l
confess. I never thought her so hand
some"
At the conclusion of the civil war he
came to Chicago to reside permanently.
The Fenian movement was then at
its height, and he became an active or
ganizer of the same, particularly the
military section of II. When the Cana
dian invasion occurred, in 1866 he was
made lieutenant and aid-de-camp by
the late Brigadier General William F.
Lynch, ex-colonel of the Fifty-eighth
Illinois volunteers. The early interfer-
ence of the United States government
nipped that movement in the bud, after
the Fenian soldiery under General John
O'Neil had gained a couple of advant-
ages over the Canadian volunteers at
Ridgeway and Fort Erie.
For some few years after 1870 Finerty
devoted himself to the routine duties of
Chicago daily journalism. The great
fire came and left him penniless and
without employment, but he soon found
work on the Post and the Tribune, and
continued with the latter paper almost
without interruption until the fall of
1875, when he resigned to accept the
nomination of the clerkship of the su-
perior court on the peoples ticket.
Immediately afterward Mr.. Finerty
became connected with the Chicago
Times and then. 1t may be said, his
journalistic career in its broadest sense
really began. In May, 1876, he Joined
General George Cooks Big Horn and
Yellowstone expedition against the
Sioux and Cheyenne Indians and other
kindred tribes. He was present at the
affair of Tongue river, Montana, on
June 9 of that year. and fought at the
Rosebud. where every man had to de-
fend himself as best he could, on June
H. eight days before Custer met his
doom a short 20 miles from the scene Of
conflict. July IA, 1876, he crossed the
Big Horn range from east to west, ac-
companied for the most part by Colonel
Ansen Mills of the Third United States
cavalry. They had gone out with a
hunting party, but continued to miss
their comrades and kept on until they
looked down on the waters of the Big
Horn river. flowing through the mag
nificent Wind river valley. In this trip
rowly escaped running into a hunting
party of the hostile Sioux, as they dis
covered after the peace came.
On July 6, z. and 9. 1876 Mr.. Finerty,
representing the Chicago Times, accom-
panied the renowned "Sibley Scout"
along the base of the Big Horn range
and had terrible encounter with the
Sioux and Cheyenne indians on the
headwaters of the Little Big Horn
river The Sioux chief, White Ante
lope, and other Indian warriors, were
killed in the engagement. but Sibley's
men lost their horses, and. as the In
dams received reinforcements. were
obliged to retreat for so miles over
rocks and rivers. chiefly at night. until
they finally reached Crooks main body
encamped under the shadow of Cloud
peak. General Crook, in forwarding to
General Sheridan the official report of
this affair, took occasion to express his
grateful appreciation to Mr.. Finerty
and two other volunteer guides for
their cheerful endurance of the hard
ships and perils such peculiarly dan
gerous duty involved.
Mr. Finerty, still acting for the
Times, accompanied Crooks column on
its awful cross-march from Tongue
river to the Yellowstone, and from the
junction of the later with Powder river.
east to the headwaters of Heart river.
beyond the Little Missouri, and thence
south to the Black Hills. over 600 cav
airy horses had to be shot or aban-
doned on this dreadful trip. which was
made without tents. 1t rained night
and day, and for two weeks the COM
mand eked out a miserable existence
in the everlasting mud. living on horse
meat. half raw. without salt, and
tasting OF the blanket" On the march
in. az a locality called Slim Butte. sit
uated on a branch of Grand river. the
advance under Colonel Mills encoun-
tered a party of Siooux under Ameri-
can Horse, and a sharp action resulted
Crazy Horse came up TO reinforce his
kinsmen. but by that time Crooks sup
ports had arrived and the naughty saw
age was driven from the field.
Finerty's action in this affair Is
graphically described in Capt. Charles
Kings interesting volume. Campaign
ing With Crook" A keen shot has just
succeeded in knocking an Indian out