The sun., 1897-12-20
sAry ME sAw oUsrEn DIE.
A sulner.A Tais or tho Massacrs at the L,t,i,
niE Horn.

BiE norn.
Los ANoELEs, Dec. 13.-Georgo benjamin, |
n crippled and wounded miner, is on his way to |
Washington, where no hopes to secure a pom |
sion. He claims TO havo been with Custer at |
tho massacre at tho Iittlo Big Horn. AL |
though IL was supposed that thero was no sur. |
vivor of tho massacre Bonjamin's story bears |
marks Of truthfulnoss, and tho fact that he was
held as q prisoner by tho Indians and driven |
crazy by their torturos long prevented his OK
perienco from being made known. Senator
stephen M. White Is taking him to Washing. |
ton and will try to get pension for him this |
winter.
I'm the spring of 1876" says Benjamin, IT |
was prospecting in the Black Hills for gold |
with two other miners named Stone and Kelly. |
In Juno we were campod on Clark's Creek, and
as we were getting short of supplies Kelly and
I went out to shoot game for supper, leaving
Stone in camp. When we returned wo found
him dead and horribly mutilatcd. We knew
at onco that tho Indians wero on the warpnth
and that we'd better get out. So we started at
once for Fosters ranch. but whom we reached
there we found that tho Indians had been
ahead Of us. Every man. woman, and child on
tho 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
warming VI uprlblnE, anu Ou lu0 why Wo
met body of Clusters men. They asked US to
join in the pursuit and consented gladly, but
my partner Kelly, decided to 60 on to Choy-
enne. Not long afterward We found his body,
scalped and cut to pieces. only fow miles
from whore we parted.
1--WE broke camp on Juno 10, and Major
Reno secuted the trail to tho Rosebud and
struck a fresh trail where the Indians had
crossed. Gibbons was ordered to cross the Vel
lowstone near the mouth Of the Big Horn and
meet Gen. Custer at the mouth of the pig Horn
on June %. On June "a the trail of the Indians
was secuted twenty eight miles up the Rose
bud. That night council was held and tho
troops left the Rosebud and marched up Dirty
Woman's Creek toward tho Big Horn, ten
miles, and went into camp, as 1t was too dark to
venture over the divide. The next morning
tho troops wero In saddle soon after day break,
and about 8 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 evident
| indications were that we were outnumbered
| ten to one. Capt Benteen was sent toward
some hills on the right to scout the Indians and
obtain a view Of the country. With him ho
| took three companies Of the Seventh Cavalry.
| Our command then moved on one mile further,
and Major Reno was sent to the left, with Or
| ders to skirmish and drive the enemy II found.
| The main body was to protect or reinforce
him. as REQUIRED. Capt. McDougal was in
| charge of the pack train and was left with ono
company, one mile from where Reno left us.
On ahead of us were great clouds Of dust which
| seemed to Indie ate that the main body OF In
| dians was on the run, either driving away the
horses and cattle or getting the sauaws and
panies, started for this commotion and swung
his line toward tho river, hoping to cross, but
| found no good crossing.
I'VE then fell back to the second bottom,
and op the The signal to
mount was given. and Gen. Custer at the head.
with his M hat I in one hand. pointed 2 t9 the ~ In:
We charged on dead run, but when we
foar.h man held the horses Of the other three. three
Gen. Custer led the advance with his aides Bos.
his nephew. by his side Lieut.. Tom Custer.
his other brother. and Capt Calhoun, his
brother.inlaw. were at the front with their
"At first we met but few Indians, and they
m s
came upon us from front and rear and flank.
alive W1 soh ad s
we were doomed and we fought as men fight
only under IN % such sircI1mstances: ,1ns A perfect
% US from every side, su. we fought our way back
to our hoises, mounted. and in our struggle to
aon our men enc dead OF wounded we on lhe ed But ton
In%dians ms went down + for r. every white white man who
Crittenden were thrown across our flank to pro
tect our retreat
time seemed bullet and arrow proof. Capt.
Keogh's company was exposed to the fiercest
seemed as Il Ws were hours making that re-
treat OF Quarter Of mile Wo made our
with only seventeen men out of our entire COM
mand: .IThou. a., s.,. .,,,o ~. a., ,. J.. .o.
which We could fight. Gen. Custer and his
brother Tom and Lieut.. Cook were among the
his left and his saber in his right hand. with
dozen dead Indians 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, u scout, and
Indian at every shot, and as he, fell he emp
tied his revolver still with % steady hand The
before we went into battle Trumpeter Mar
tin was sent back with orders to Capt. Mo.
with their companies. Had they done 80 and
had Kenos men come pan up to reinforce US, the
the head iHS e 0Fis It's s5 'srSs struggles
during the resi- rest Of he light When tc It was All ali
oyer oyer and the indians swarmed p oyer the knoll
then bound me hand and foot and took me TO
their camp.
men, prospoctors. and a young white woman
They put these three through tortures, which
| was compelled 10 Witness. But was reserved
for the last, because the execution i had done
in the hsht had been noticed and they wanted
to have revenge for II. In fact they named
me Little Ihundercr,' and called me by that
name all the time l was among them. The
two prospectors were made to run the gantet
again and again. Each timo the arrows were
pulled out by force and fresh shot into
them. One of the men finally resisted and was
Drained with tomahawk When the other
became too weak to afford any moro sport of
that sort he was bound 10 n stake n slow fire
was built on his abdomen, and the bucks and
squaws danced around him laughing over his
death agonies Then the woman 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 fresh
ones. When refused to omen my mouth they
mashed my upper jaw and knocked out my
teeth with n hatchet. Then a squaw grasped
my tongue with rough phir OF wooien pinccrs
and dragged me over the ground in that way,