Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-03-12
HITR M|IES MD aISTID.
An Orderly's Tale of Fighting Indians With the Two
 Famous Generals.
IS THE ONLY SURVIVOR
Was With Custer the Day He Was Killed and Narrowly Missed
 His Commands Fate.

General Miles Remarkable Bfaeery-- Rode
 Across aa opan Fisid Under tho Ffre of
 Eight Hundred Indlans- sieht Never
 to Be Forgotten Resulted ip f5is Promo.
 ai"" to srigadiership
 To a group Of frienassthe other even. lng, William t MeGee recalled some Interesting "reminiscences of the Gus ter massacre and Of the fight h the Bear Paw. when General Miles eaptur- cd the Neg Perces Indians under Chief Joseph.
 MT. McGee was General Busters or- derly on the day of the massacre and is the last man now living who saw that officer and is also the only sur vivor of the command with which Gus ter went forward. when he left Major Reno on that fateful morning Of June 25. 1876.
 Yes" said 0e, T was wgh Custer the day he was killed. was his order ly that day and narrowly missed the tragic fate he and his command met at the hands Of Sitting Bull and his horde of Indians. ] am the only sur yivor of the command with which Gus ter started out that morning, and owe my life to the fact that just few moments before the Sioux fell on him, he sent me back to Major Reno with orders to the latter
 About o'clock one morning the command halted and Custer and Reno held aaconsultation. l was only a few feet away 8s they were talking. being Guster's orderly that day.
 They compared their watches. and a moment later Clusters command was on it's way to the point where t met with annihilation When we were. E should judge. about a mile from Reno. Custer turned to me and said.
 Orderly. do you think you can find the way back to Major Reno2"
 T replied. Yes. SIT
 Go as quickly IS you can. be said. .to Major Reno: give him my compli- ments and tell him to wait 20 minutes more. He will understand that. I guess you will have to remain with him.
 Tt was that order that saved me from a grave out in Montana.
 As l wheeled my horse to go back he recalled me, and calling up tho reg mental trumpeter gave him practical 1y the same instructions and further remarked to us. pointing in the diree- ton of Reno's command, If you cut across there you may find it smoother going. If you prefer the trail. however. you may go that way. and use your own judgment
 We started. the trumpeter and my self. We had only gone 300 or 400 yards when he said to me: Mack. which way are you going?'
 Back over the trail. of course answered.
 .He had gotten it into his head that Custer had told us to cut across, and I argued with him in vain that the route was left to our discretion. He wouldn't have 1t that way, and starting of alone, remarked, 'Good-by, Mack: we'll see who gets to Reno first. The move cost him his life. He had gone only about 600 yards when heard sew eral shots in his direction. He had evidently run right into the Indians, and, as I afterwards learned. they had riddled him with bullets.
 By this time I could hear constant firing, both in the direction of Custer and Reno. l was getting over the ground as fast as my horse could car " me, and had a fine horse. too. Just as I got in sight of Reno's command I ran right into bunch Of red devils They were not more than 80 yards away, and instantly I could hear the ping and whistling of bullets all around me I was probably within 126 yards of Renos command. One ball struck my horse in the withers. and he went down l fell over his head. but fortunately my arm slipped through the reins and left me holding the horse
 He got up at once. and as I threw my right leg over the saddle another ball hit him. first passing through the calf of my right leg. It pierced my horses lungs He jumped forward and carried me within 60 yards of Major Reno. where he dropped dead jump ed as he was falling and ran the rest of the way There was a frightful din at this time, and as I saluted Major Reno he bent his head to hear my message. repeated she orders of Gus ter. and he said:
 Orderly, too late now. Take care of yourself
 Reno was then whipped and was be. ing pressed back on the hill, where for three days the command was sur rounded and endured suffering which Is indescribable.
 ssThe firing was hot and continuous We did not know what had become of Custer, and were expecting he would cone to our relief Shortly after We got up on the hill We heard three vol leys in his direction, a signal for aid, but We were powerless to respond, and could not go to him, although he was b,lf little nvar A mile away