The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-09

had been with Custer He beckoned TO us
very excitedly and we made haste to reach
the boat. when he dismOunted and Joined
us. Plainly something allied the Indian. he
hung his head groaned ard grunted dole
fully. We tried to learn what allied him,
but without avail for some time. he sat on
a medicine chest, rocking himself TO and
fro, until Captain Baker got piece Of pa
per and a pencil, and,' handing them to
Curley, indicated their use. We all gathered
around the Indian There were in the group
Captain Baker, Lieutenant Carlin, myself
and George Faux. Faux was the engineer
of the Far West, and is now working as en-
gineer on the ferryboat here in st. Louis.
The naked Indian dropped down fiat on the
steamboat deck, got firm grip on the PEN
Gil. and quickly drew a circle. Around the
circle he drew another larger one, and then
began making dots between the inner and
outer circumference. calling them Sioux,
Sioux, in dismal despairing tone. When
he had made a myriad of dots there he
looked around the group who were watch
ing him intently and then began making
dots in the inner circle. repeating sadly,
'Obso-ri-kee. obso-ri-kee' Grow for SOL
diers) We hardly realized the significance
of Curley's diagram until he took his fore
finger, described a circle about his scalp
lock, pulled at the tuft of hair vigorously
and then appeared to hang it at his belt
and execute war dance. Then it was we
realized what Curley was trying to tell US.
The diagram was meant to show that Gus
ter's men, the dots in the inner circle. had
been surrounded by the Sioux, the dots be-
tween the circles. The signs with the scalp
lock and frequent sorrowful shakings of the
head and repetitions of 'Obso-ri-kee' told
US that Clusters men had been scalped.
THE ONLY SURVIVOR.
at was a long and tedious process to
learn through the sign language further
particulars. In course of time we knew that
Curley was the only man of Clusters COM
mand who escaped. There were eight Crow
scouts with the troop but the other seven
were killed by the Sioux The scalp-lock of
~
heads like long pompadours. The Sioux
scalp-lock was long, like woman's braids,
and hung down on both sides of the war;
riors head. Knowing that he would be rec
ognized by the Sioux through his scalp
lock, Curley threw a blanket over his head
when the carnage was at its height,
mingled with the Sioux, and was able to es-
cape while the victims of the massacre were
being Scalped and otherwise mutilated.
I'VE could hardly believe that so great a
disaster had overcome Custer and his men,
and tried to get Curley to return from
whence he had come with dispatch, it be-
ing Captain Bakers intention to follow him
with an escort, but Curley refused to leave
the boat, refused to eat, and began mourn
ing for the dead in true Indian fashion. for
he was much attached to some of the 'obso-
ri-kee, as he called Clusters troopers. How
ever, we did not nave long to wait for the
confirmation of CurleyS account. The next
morning, just as day was breaking, we saw
a horSeman galloping toward the boat from
the north, while behind him was a pack Of
red devils yelling like fiends. The horseman
was able to gain the boat, as the Indians
gave up the chase as soon they saw the
steamer. The rider proved to be Muggins
Taylor. one of General Terrys scouts Tay-
Tor was nearly exhausted from his long ride
but when he recovered sufficiently gave us
the first news we received from a white
man of the Custer massacre. He told us
how Custer and his men had been defeated
and exterminated; how Major Renos COM
mand had been surrounded by Indians for
reasoned n
fantry under General Gibbons He then told
how the bloody field had been visited and
the bodies of Clusters men found stripped
naked, and each bearing the Sioux death
marks, slit to the bone from hip to knee
and among them was the body of General
Custer, his two brothers and the New York
Herald correspondent, men from whom we
had parted but a few days before
Muggins said after the battle General
Terry had sent two scouts to the mouth of
the Little Big Horn and two others to the
old camp further down the river but had
failed to find the Far West. AS his orders
had been for us to remain at either one or
the other of these places, he came to the
conclusion that we had been captured by
the Indians The scouts must have reached
the mouth Of the Little Big Horn while we
were journeying on up the Big Horn after
Captain Baker made the mistake as to the
mouth of the stream. Taylor was carrying
dispatches from General Terry to Fort Ell
lis. and when chased by the Indians found
the boat by accident
That night two scouts came to the boat
out to follow the river and try to locate us
They returned TO General Terry's camp
at once and reported our location. All
that time we had on board the supplies Of
both the cavalry and infantry. The pack
animals had all been shot to form a barri-
cade. so our safety was matter of consid-
cradle interest to the troops
BRINGING IN THE WOUNDED.
1.-The following morning two more scouts
came to the boat and brought orders for us
to prepare to carry the wounded down to
Fort Lincoln Men were put to work at
once cutting the tall grass which grew
along the shore. The lower deck of the Far
West was open from the boilers forward
and it was on it's level surface we laid the
grass to depth Of eighteen inches. Around
the edges we placed the medicine chests
When our work was done Dr. Williams said
we had arranged the best field hospital he
had ever seen. Just about dark we saw a
strange caValcade approaching along the
river banks some miles away, but darkness
shut out our view. L sent out some of my
men to meet what proved TO be the
wounded men from Major Reno's command,
with their escort. The ground was so
marshy and uneven that they We're unable
to proceed further by night. | ordered my
men out and they built fires along the route
from the boat to the caValcade, q distance
of three miles. The spectacle about mid
night, when the boat was reached, was a
most weird one. There were tifty-two
boat by their comrades of the Seventh.
Each wounded soldier lay in an improVised
ambulance. This was made by joining two
tepee poles together with tent canvas, rig
Sng a mule between the ends of the long
projecting poles, then placing the wounded
man on the litter thus formed. Each of the
wounded had an escort of four of his COM
radeS. Reaching the boat the men were laid
in rows on the grass which covered the
boats lower deck and were given medical
attention. Some limbs had to be amputated
and many of the poor fellows suffered in
tense agony. Five of them died on the way
TO Fort Lincoln and We're buried along the
shores of the Yellowstone.
The trip to Fort Lincoln was without in
cident. We brought 70 the fort the first alI-
thentic news of the massacre. Our wounded
were taken from the boat and given medical
care.
II remained at the fort until Colonel
Smith and his troops came from St. Paul
and then we started back with the Far
West into the Indian country. On the way,
at the Rosebud river, we found General
Crooke's command with Buffalo Bill as
chief of scouts. A few days later General
Miles came to the camp there with the
Fifth Infantry, from Fort Leavenworth.
Crooke and Terry started back down the
river, but General Miles. with his men, re-
NAMED to patrol the river and prevent the
Indians crossing to the southwark. The Far
West was held by General Miles and used
as his headquarters for weeks, forming
part of the river patrol | was thus given an
opportunity of becoming well acquainted
with both the general and Buffalo Bill ]
got to be an ardent admirer of the Teat
scout, and saw him go off on many eXpedi-
tons from which ii was thought he would
never return. General Miles told me one
day, in answer to question, that Bill was
the greatest scout and the braVest man the
West had ever seen. l was in charge of the
Far West with General Miles until Sept. 8,
when the water began to fall and | was
forced to take the boat back to Yankton.
1T was some years after the events /
have told you about that was master of a
boat which went up into the Big Horn.
which / had first explored. We made our