, 1902-04-26
SATURDAY, APRIL &c, 1902.
AN APPEAL.

In urging the passage of a bill to pro
vide a monument on the site of the
Fort Phil kearney massacre i'll Wyo-
ming, Representative Mondell made
one Of the most eloquent speeches of
the session. A bill introduced by
Senator Warren had already passed
the senate. and its passage in the
house completed its Legislative his.
tory. The awaits the presi.
dents signature only to become a law.
In reference to the measure, Mr.. Mon
dell said:
Mr.. Speaker: In all the blood.
stained history OF this warning old
world there Is a record of but three
~battlefelds from which there came no
survivor of the vanquished. Even
Thermopylae had her messenger of de,
feat, but the land beyond the Father
of Waters has been the theatre OF
three conflicts where the story OF the
immortal valor Of American soldiers is
told only in the mute e%loquence OF
their self-sacrihce or by the Boosting
tongues Of the victorious enemy.
OF these three fields. unique In all
the history Of wars. two have been
marked and cared for: The Alamo has
her monument in the historic old
building from within whose wall the
intrepid Texans fought back the hosts
of Santa Ana with a grim and des'
perate valor, until the last brave heart
was stilled in death.
On the lonely hillside in the far
northwest, where the gallant command
er, surrounded by his faithful and heroic
band, fell before the murderous on
slaught of the savage Sioux. there is
planted . plain slab, eloquent with one
brief sentence: Here lies Custer
while all about the wrinkled surface
Of that sun-baked hill are placed the
simple headstones that mark the SLOT
where each valiant trooper fell. fight
ing to the last.
oAtt WI. oRC0ASls ASiS 40 " oSsA
field from which no American came to
tell the story Of stubborn defense and
overwhelming defeat. which is today
unmarked, and, except in the locality
of the field itself. almost unknown
and yet Of all the tales that have ever
been told of courage and valor and
heroism, and of all the songs that have
ever been sung Of devotion to flag and
duty. sealed by the last great measure
Of mems devotion. none have had a
more thrilling. dramatic and inspiring
theme than that of the battle fought
under the shadows Of the Big Horn
mountains hard by the old fort OF
Phil Kearney. Through the pitiless
rigors of q northern winter. guarding
the Boseman trail 200 miles from the
nearest support, the little garrison OF
Phil Kearney held at bay 5000 war
riors of the great Sioux nation under
the leadership Of the cunning and
crafty Red Cloud. On the 2lst day of
December, 1866, leaving but a hand
full men to gaurd the post, Col. Fetter'
man and his troopers issued forth from
the sheltering walls Of the stockade to
rescue a small detachment which had
been attacked a short distance above
the fort. A few miles out they were
set upon by overwhelming numbers of
Sioux; falling backwards slowly but
in perfect order to the post. they were
cut of and completely surrounded,
and then followed one of the most des'
perate and bloody conflicts in all the
annals of war. Dismounted. back to
back, the well armed troopers fought
with all the courage of despair. and
the valor Of American soldiery. Tn
ever Increasing horde of painted, hide
Gus, yelling savages, ten times theil
number, closed in on all sides. ant
though the troopers met them with {
murderous fire from their repeating
rifles, used here for the first time in {
general engagement. the savage!
fought with a reckless desperation ant
finally bore them down by shear force
of number completing the horrible
work of humiliation by torturing sucf
as fell into their hands alive.
A story is told Of hat battle which
deserves to be preserved and immor
talized as an example of the intrepic
and undying devotion to duty o.
the American soldier. 'Tis said that
when the remnants of the garrison
came upon the field Of confiict-the
victorious Sioux having withdrawn to
bury their dead and care for theil
wounded, they found their comrades
lying stark upon the frozen ground
mutilated in all the forms that savage
malace and hatred could invent: all
save one.
On the highestpart Of the field where
the last stand had been made. they
found lying amid the mutilated bodies
Of his nmrades that of q young trump
etsr. . blonde giant, stretched at full
lsnght. his sightiess eyes turned
heavenward, in his outstretched hand
his trumpet, battered and bloody, his
body undisturbed and unmutilated, the
only one On that field.
For pears they sought to ring from
the sioax who had participated In that
hattie an account Of the conflict and