Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16
''LONESOME CHARLIE" REYNOLDS.
The Romance in the Life of General
Clusters FavOrite Scout.

Inc Romance the Life OF General
Clusters FavOrite Scout.
From the Chicago Record.
Lonesome Charlie" Reynolds, Gen. Gus
ter's favorite scout, was one of the most re-
markable men ever known upon the plains,
and had a romantic history. They called
him Lonesome Charlie because he never
had partner. Miners, hunters, trappers.
scouts and. in fact, all frontiersmen, for
| obvious reasons, go in pairs. but Reynolds
usually lived and Travelled alone. When he
did take a companion he usually selected
Bloody Knife or some other Indian of 10y
atty and intelligence
This popularity was due primarily to a
natural reticence and desire to be alone
for Reynolds, in camp or at a military gar
rison or at one of the frontier towns. re-
manned by himself when he was able to do
so. He was never found in a saloon or a
dance house. or at any other place where
people assembled. and when he sat with
others around a campfire he seldom joined
in the conversation or said word. except
in reply to a question. The tragedy of his
life undoubtedly threw shadow upon his
social nature, and. although he was always
cheerful and good-natured, there was an
air of melancholy in all his moods.
1t Is no doubt true, also, that his intelec-
tual and moral culture made the society of
ordinary frontiersmen distasteful to him
and caused him to prefer an Indian, who
could not talk the frontier dialect and had
| no interest in the gossip of the plains Rey-
nolds never drank whisky. never swore
never gambled and never used bad gram
mar. His vocabulary was simple and his
syntaX was correct His conversation at a
campfire was the same as it might have
been at dinner table at the White House
or in the drawing room of the most refined
society lie never lost his temper and was
never guilty of boastfulness, which is the
prevailing fault of frontersmen. So far as
we knew, he had no vices-not even an In
dian wife.
Reynolds might have told a great deal
about himself that people We're anxious to
know, but never gratified public curiosity
He was often asked to relate his history
but declined to do so, and all that was
known of his past was learned Incidentally
| or accidentally. Frank Bird Grinneil, the
naturalist, editor Of Forest and Stream. was
his closest friend. and respected his conf
dence, but I doubt if he knew as much of
did.
The generally accepted story was that
Lonesome Charlie was a Tennesseean
and member Of a highly educated and
wealthy family He was sent to Yale Col
lege and was nearly through his course
when the civil war broke out His father
and his brothers joined the confederacy,
| but he had imbibed northern ideas and de-
chned to do SO. At the same time his re-
sources were cut off he was compelled to
leave college. ard buried himself in the
| mining regions of the west in order to be
out of the way Of political discussion and
war news. After the surrender he return
| ed to Tennessee, found his old home had
been burned. his father and brothers killed
| in battle. his mother, the victim of sorrow
and suffering, lying in the churchyard and
| ms sister, the only surviving member of his
| family, married to some confederate officer
whose name he could not ascertain For
| several months he sought for her with no
| result, and. finding himself alone and
friendless with prospects in his native
country and the prejudice of the neighbors
| strongly against him because of his SYM
pathy for the Union, he returned to the
west. and from a prrSpector gradually be-
| came hunter. During the Indian troubles
| he offered his services to the government as
a scout because of his familiarity with the
| territory and the habits of the hostile
tribes
| Reynolds made his headquarters at Fort
| Lincoln. where the 7th Cavalry was sta
| toned for several years during the Indian
| troubles. Custer had more confidence in
MIN than in any other scout. and thew were
| constant companions but Reynolds would
| never go east of the Missouri river 1t is
| said that during all the years he spent at
| Fort Lincoln he never once visited the town
| of Bismarck. which was within sight and
| accessible by ferry boat He was a great
| reader. and had a remarkable fund of gem
/ eral information. being a naturalist a bot
| anist and geologist, and had an extraor-
| binary knowledge of Indian languages A
volume might be written of his adventures
| but the actual facts were never known to
| any one but himself. and he declined to re-
| late them. He accompanied Custer on his
| last campaign, and his body was found
| lying across that of the general on the hill
| where the last stand was made