Evening star., 1900-12-22
CUSTER'S LAST FIGHT
Frank Gourard Tells the Indian Yer
sion Of the Tragedy.
he WAS 4 SCOUT WITH RENO
Had Access to Pictures in Posses
sion of Indians.
WAR DEPARTMENT HISTORY
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| OMAHA Neb., December 10, 1900
| The War Department is preparing vol
! ume on the Custer massacre, in accord with
| the resolutions which passed Congress two
! years ago, and, as singular as it may ap-
| pear, some interesting facts concerning that
| terrible chapter in the Indian wars of the
! plains now developing, quarter OF
! century after the battle, and when most OF
| the principals in the sanguinary contest
| have passed beyond 1t Is no secret that
! for many years after the wiping out OF
| Gen. Custer and his three companies not
| an Indian could be found who would admit
| having taken part in the battle. AS no
| white man survived that terrible onslaught
it was with the greatest difficulty that the
facts leading up to the battle were learned.
From the position of the bodies aa they
| were found the average plainsman would
read the bloody details of the fight sufficient
| to show the desperate resistance of the
troopers. and show what the soldiers were
| terribly ouInumDered. yet the truth could
not be known except from tongue of the
Indians who participated in the fight. The
| vastness of the victory they had won ac-
| tually frightened the Indians and prevented
| them boasting of their part In the aWful
| butchery for years.
| Now it begins to look as if the minute de-
tails were about to be given to the world
! through Frank Gourard, the veteran scout,
| Indian fighter and pioneer plainSman. Gour-
| ard received his information absolutely from
| Indian sources. In fact, 1t is fitting that
| the public should learn the real story of the
| battle through old Frank Gourard, because
| as the grsly old plainsman admits, by
| rights his bones ought to lie among the
| little white headstones that gisten today IN
| the sunlight on the Custer battlefield.
Frank Gourard was scouting for Custer
| at that time, and but for an accident would
| have been with Clusters forces instead Of
Renos at the time of the fight and OF
| course Gourard would have been killed, as
| were all OF Clusters men.
Interview With Mr.. MeikIejohn.
Assistant Secretary Of War Meiklejohn
had long tolk with Gourard the sub
ject of Incorporating his story in the govern
! rnent story of the Custer affair soon to be
| issued. The conversation occurred this week
and Mr.. Meiklejohn met the veteran scout;
and Indian fighter in Omaha. Gourard had
| just returned from the Pine Ridge agency.
where he had discussed the Custer battle
with many of the survivors. The Indians
| have known GOurard so long that they
| trust him, even though they know the
| erring aim of the swarthy scout is respon
sble for many of their braves being sent
| to the happy hunting ground 1t was
| happy accident that resulted in two per-
| sons who participated in the campaign
which resulted in the tragic affair on the
| Little Big Horn meeting Assistant Secre-
| Cdry Melkle1Oln. Inc OtneT Was captain
| Arrasmith, now his way to join the 22d
| Infantry in Manila. Gourard and ARA
| smith We're with Crook through that mem
| orable campaign and their meeting In
| Omaha was the first that had occurred
! since they met in converging columns near
| the Custer battlefield a quarter of a CEN
| tury ago. Gourard contributed materially
| to the story he had to tell the representa-
| tive of the War Department by narrating
an experience he had a few weeks ago on
| the reservation at Pine Ridge. He had
met Indian who had fifty water colors
of the famous fight-Indan characters that
| could not be duplicated. The Indian who
exhibited them to Gourard said they had
long been In possession of the Pine Ridge
Indians and white man had even seen
! them before. 1t was perfect picture story
| of the famous battle, showing Custer
| through all his desperate charges, conclud-
, ing with the final struggle of a handful Of
| troopers and the dramatic final with the
| brave general blowing out his own brains
| rather than submit to capture and torture
! at the hands of his savage enemies.
Assistant Secretary Meiklejohn has writ
! ten the War Department suggesting that
| Dr. McGilicuddy, the former Indian agent
/ at Pine Ridge, as the most likely person
| to approach the Indians on such a delicate
| subject to be commissioned to make an ef-
fort to induce the Indians to permit the
department to copy this remarkable pic
| ture of the fight that it may be incorpo-
| rated in the government history.
Frank GOurard's Story.
Discussing the subject. Frank Gourard
! said: "As to the story, l give 1t to you
| in brief and still tell you many things you
. never near" oe4oie. hoo hiio"' VI 'oui
| Of the concerted effort made by the half
| dozen converging columns to hem the In
| diane In and cow them ont of their belliper-
| ont atttude Won know of how Custer
! strucIr tho trai, ono summer morning in '76
and how he, according to his usual tactics,
! divided MS FORCES with MAJOR Keno at the
crossing VI ,ne ~ ssuous nen parn oraaI! ~
His idea was to hem the Indians in. Gus
| ter never considered the number of his foe.
| He would have gone out with single com
| pany IN JUST the same way 10 Go!lpat tiie ii
sanoae sna sgS+ino them FROM both sides at
once
You know the story of Reno's march
| down the creek his crossing Of the river
and his sudden appearance before the tepees
! of the Indians, as much a surprise to him
as to the Indians, of his weak sort of an
! attack, his repulse and retreat in disorder
through the timber, there crossing Of the
river and his taking up a safe position on
| the bluffs opposite the scene Of the engage
| want ,,itb hut handful of Indians To