The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-26
SAYS HE SAW CUSTER DIE.
A Miners Tale of the Massacre at the
Little Big Horn.

MINER Is on MS way TO washington, Wnere
he hopes to secure a pension. He claims to
have been with Custer at the massacre at
the Little Big Horn. Although it was sup
posed that there was no survivor of the
massacre Benjamin's story bears marks of
truthfulness, and the fact that he was held
as a prisoner by the Indians and driven
crazy by their tortures long prevented his
experiences from being made known. SEN
ator Stephen NJ. White is taking him to
Washington, and will try TO get pension
for him this winter.
ain the spring of 1876" says Benjamin, ST
was prospecting in the Black Hills for gold
with two other miners named Stone and
Kelly. In June we were camped on Clark's
creek, and as we were getting short of sup
plies Kelly and I went out to shoot game
for supper, leaving Stone in camp. When
we returned we found him dead and horri-
bly, mutilated. We knew at once that the
Indians were on the warpath, and that we'd
better get out. So we started at once for
Fosters ranch, but when we reached there
we found that the Indians had been ahead
of u.s. Every man, woman and child on the
ranch had been murdered, and all the bodies
had been mutilated. The house had been
burned and all the horses and cattle driven
off. We started for Cheyenne to give warn
ing of the uprising and on the way we met
a body of Clusters men, They asked us to
join in the pursuit, and I consented gladly,
but my partner, Kelly, decided to go on to
Cheyenne. Not long afterward we found his
body, scalped and cut to pieces, only a few
miles from where parted.
1--WE broke camp on June 16 and Major
Reno secuted the trail to the Rosebud and
struck a fresh trail where the Indians had
crossed. Gibbons was ordered to cross the
Yellowstone near the mouth of the Big
Horn and meet General Custer at the
mouth Of the Big Horn on June &c. On
June "A the trail of the Indians was scout
ed twenty-eight miles up the Rosebud.
That night council was held and the
troops left the, Rosebud and marched up
Dirty Womans creek toward the Big
Horn, ten miles, and went into camp, as it
was too dark to venture over the divide.
The next morning the troops were in the
saddle soon after daybreak, and about
o'clock the first Indians were seen by the
scouts from the top Of the divide. The men
were in great spirits because they had come
upon the Indians at last although the evil
dent indications were that we were out
numbered ten TO one. Captain Benteen was
sent toward some hills on the right to
scout the Indians and obtain a view of the
panies of the Seventh Cavalry. Our COM
mand then moved on one mile farther, and
Major Reno was sent to the left, with or
ders to skirmish and drive the enemy if
found. The main body was to protect or
reinforce him. as required. Captain Nc
Dougal was in charge of the pack train
and was left with one company one mile
from where Reno left us. On ahead of us
were great clouds of dust, which seemed to
indicate that the main body of Indians was
on the run, either driving away the horses
and cattle or getting. the squaws and chill
dren out of the way for the threatened bat
tie. General Custer, with the other four
companies, started for this commotion, and
swung his line toward the river, hoping to
cross, but found no good crossing.
I'VE then fell back to the second bottom,
where we were diSmounted to examine our
firearms and prepare for the battle. The
signal to mount was given, and Gen. Custer
at the head, with his hat in one hand,
pointed to the Indians with the other and
You ali and follow mel we Charged on a
dead run, but when we reached the river
we dismounted, and every fourth man held
the horses of the other three. Gen. Custer
led the advance with his aides, Boston Gus
ter, his younger brother and Artte Reed,
his nephew by his side Lieut.. Tom Gus
ter, his other brother, and Capt. Calhoun,
his brother-in-law, were at the front with
their commands. ,s.
'At first we met but few Indians, and
they quickly gave way before us. But soon
they swarmed upon us from every direc-
ton. They came upon us from front and
and flank, and every raVlne and every
bush and tree seemed alive with them. We
soon knew that we were doomed, and we
fought as men fight only under such cir
cumstanceS. perfect storm of arrows
and bullets was pouring upon us from every
side, but we fought our way back to our
horses, mounted, and in our struggle to
reach the bluffs we left the greater portion
OF our men dead or wounded on the field.
But ten Indians went down for every white
man who fell. The companies of Capt. Cal
houn and Lieut.. Crittenden were thrown
across our flank to protect our retreat
Gen. Custer was everywhere. and for
fiyY1a h111lp nrOOf
Keogh'S company was exposed to the herc-
est fire and his men were soon swept off.
retreat of quarter OF a mile: We made
our last stand on a little Knoll, which we
reached with only seventeen men out of
There the first thingSwe did was to shoot
our horses SO as to make breastwork be-
hind which we could fight General Custer
and his brother Tom and Lieutenant Cook
were among the last to fall. Custer died
with his revolver in his left and his saber
in his right hand, with a dozen dead In
dams piled around him. And indeed, almost
every man on that little knoll went down
with just such heap Of red bodies around
him. Charley Reynolds, a scout, and as
brave a man as ever lived, brought down
an Indian at every shot and as he fell ne
emptied his revolver still with steady
hand. The Indians were armed, in addition
to their bows and arrows, with the best
guns to be had.
Martin was sent back with orders to Cap
tain McDougal and Captain Benteen to
they done so and had Reno's men come up
to reinforce US, the result might have been
when 1 shot my horse a bullet struck
me in the head and / fell. In its death
struggles the horse rolled over on me and
protected me during the rest of the fight.
When it was all over and the Indians
swarmed over the knoll they CHANGED to
see that 1 was still alive They then bound
me hand and foot and took me to their
There they already had two other white
men, prospectors, and a young white wom-
an. They put these three through fortunes.
which / was compelled to witness. But
was reserved for the last because the exc
cution / had done in the fight had been
noticed. and they wanted to have revenge
for it. In fact, they named me Little
Thunderer,' and called me by that name all
the time was among them. The two pros
pectors were made to run the gauntlet again
and again. Each time the arrows We're
pulled out by force and fresh ones shot into
them One of the men finally resisted and
was Drained by tomahawk. When the
other became too weak to afford any more
sport of that sort he was bound to stake,
a slow fire was built on his abdomen, and
the bucks and squaws danced around him
laughing over his death agonies. Then the
woman was tortured to death.
Finally they began upon me. They tied
Goals of fire upon my head and left them
there until tainted. When came to they
put on fresh ones. When refused to open