Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-01-03

- uSltI
solutlons which passed congress two
ars ago, and, as singular as 1t may
bnear. interesting facts concerning that
rribIe chapter in the Indian wars OF the
aims are now developing, a qusrter or
century after the battle and when most
the principles in the ~sanguinary con-
st have passed beyond.
il no secret that for many years al
the wiping out of Gen. Custer and his
rec companies not an Indian could be
ind who would admit having taken part
the battle. AS no white man survived
at terrible onslaught 1t was with the
--latest difficulty that the facts leading
10 the battle were learned. OF course,
ON the position Of the bodies strewn
Ler the plains the average plainsman
build read
The Bloody Details of the Fight
ficient to show the desperate resistance
the troopers and show that the SOL
ers were outnumbered probably five
inbred to one, yet the truth could not
known except from the tongue of the
dams who participated in the fight, The
stness Of the victory they had won
trlally frightened the Indians and pre-
nted them for years from Boosting of
cir part in the awful butchery.
Now. it begins to look as If the minute
tails were about to be given to the
brld through Frank Gourard, the vet
IAN scout, Indian fighter and pioneer
hinsman. Gourard receives his in
nmation absolutely from Indian sources.
fact. it Is fitting that the public should
hrn the real story of the battle through
Frank Gourard, because, as the
izzled old plainsman admits, by rights
bones ought to lie among the little
lite headstones that gllsten to-day in
3 sunlight on
The Custer Battlefield.
Frank Gourard was scouting for Custer
that time and but for an accident
build have been with Clusters forces in
lad of Reno's at the time of the fight,
! d Of course Gourard would have been
/ led. as were all of Clusters men.
secretary of War Meiklejohn had a long
!, X with Gourard on the subject of in
operating his story in the government
Dry of the Custer affair, som to be is
3D.. The conversation occurred this
kek and Meiklejohn met the veteran
put and Indian fighter in Omaha. Gou-
d had just returned from Pine Ridge
e ency, where he had
r Discussed the Custer Rattle
/ tn many of the survivors. The
iians have known Gourard so long that
~ trust him, even though they know
u~nerring aim of the swarthy scout
4 responsible for many of their braves
ng sent to the happy hunting grounds.
was a happy accident that resulted in
o persons who participated in the cam
e Egn which resulted in the tragic af-
r Of the Little Big Horn meeting Secre-
= Maik1ninhn Thn nthnr MN, Ca-t
nr Fasmith, now on, his way to join the
e Fenty-second in Manila Gourard and
A. rasmith were with Crook through that
emorable campaign, and their meeting
Omaha was the first that had occurred
zee they met in converging columns
pr the Custer battlefield a quarter of
century ago. Gourard contributed ma
tally to the story he a to tell to
a representative Of the wer DEPART
Pit by narrating an experience he had
OF lew weeks ago on the reservation at
nd be Ridge.
n. The Fight In Picture.
Q met an indian who had fifty water
prs Of the famous fighting Indian
%Rracters that could not be duplicated.
e Indian who exhibited them to Gou-
"a said they had long been in possess
of the Pine Ridge Indians, and no
lie man had ever seen them before.
\ was a perfect picture story of the ia
" us battle, showing Custer through all
desperate charging, concluding with
hnal struggle of a handful of troopers
the dramatic finale, with the brave
peral blowing out his own brains rather
II submit to capture and torture at
hands of his savage enemies.
ecretary Meiklejohn has written The
department suggesting that DR.. aIc-
lcuddy, the ex-Pine Ridge ndian
III and the most likely person to ap-
Paeh the Indians on such a delicate
PJect, be commissioned to make an
M ort 10 induce the Indians to permit the
Jth Pal'ment to copy this remarkable pic
ne, OF the fight that II may be incor-
in. ated in the government history.
oil Story Of the Fight.
he Plscussing the subject, Frank Gourard
- AS 10 the story, I can give It 10 you
prel and tell you many things you
er heard before. You know, of course,
e"e concerted effort made by the half
zen converging columns to hem the In
use u IN and COW them out of their hellig-
cts ~ attitude. You know OF how Custer
the y the traH one summer morning in
ana now he. according to his usual
Tics, divided his forces with Mai. Reno
lW the crossing of the Rosebud creek,
the fcn' by the way, we old fellows call
nse = creek. His idea was to hem the
her ians IN. Custer never considered the
ioers or his foe. He would have gone
with a single company In Just the
80 ? way to combat the whole bowling
IAN nation, dividing his forces and
.Hs them from both sides at once.
= know the story of Reno's march
age " te creek, his crossing of the river
MS sudden appearance before the
% OF the Indians, as much a sur
ia. " MIN as to the Indians, of his
ov. : sort or an attack. his repulse and
q IN disorder through the timber.
crossing of the river and his taking
ar . sate position In the bluffs opposite
sA ssehe OF the engagement, with but a
OF Indians to watch him a few
rs until night.
ard wv the Indians knew nothing of the
s,oh Oh the forces. When Reno took
,eet ~ position in the hills they intended
m ait until night and then assault and