The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-05

Every white man connected with the mas
sacre was killed and The Indians shaYe al
ways refused to talk or have told untruth-
ful stories OF the affair Therefore, the
work OF the braves were watched closely,
and, when sifted down, the story told to-
day in action, may some day appear as
the most authentic history Of that battle.
It has always been said that all Of Gus
I tiers men were killed, although in Sitting
Bulls camp in after years, the story was
| told that a half-breed scout managed to
| escape. Some of the Crows, their tongues
at last loosened on the subject by the ex-
citement of the past two weeks Of re-
/ that af-breed Grow, who was scouting
| for Custer, was among those who entered
| the ravine in which the massacre oc-
Cured. Custer expected to find 1000
Pawnees; instead he was attacked by
5000 Sioux, Crow and Cheyenne warriors
as well armed as his own men. When
I this scout saw the Crows. and before the
other Indians rounded the hill into view,
he guessed that the three tribes had con-
| solidated against the troops and knowing
| the band to be doomed, retreated before
! the real battle begun. He never returned
/ to the whites, and the Indians say he
went westward after the battle.
%~ Indians Were Realistic.
To-day the Indians fought like demons,
! and woe unto the soldiers had they been
supplied with, ball cartridges. The red
men were excited beyond description.
! The Crow reservation, until few years
! ago when the Burlington built its Pacihc
! line in the territory, was 50 inaccessible
| that few visitors and tourists came that
way. They are, therefore, probably the
least Used to civilized ways OF any OF the
northwestern Indians, and are held IN
| subjection more by the fear than the love
/ of the white. In the excitement Of the
1 sham battle, they would probably have
1 forgotten this fear.
l. In to-day's sham, Custer (Major
,saunders} attacked the indians, who re
| treated, drawing him up the ravine after
them. Expecting to meet not more than
LOCO redskins Of the Pawnee tribe, he
suddenly found himself opposed to the
combined Sioux, Cheyenres and Grows,
represented by 1,500 Grows in full war
paint and mounted on their ponies. The
Indians we're stripped and painted and
wore only breech- cloth.
A death fight ensued, lasting three
quarters Of an hour. at the close OF
which every soldier had been killed. A
feature was made Of the killing of Tom
| Custer, brother to General George Gus
| ter, by Iron Thunder, who, in pantomlme
| cut out the soldiers heart, and ate It,
Just as Rain-in-the-Faee did at the real
battle, fulfilling his oath to commit the
bloody deed in revenge for Custer arrest
ing him at one time.
Fine Horsemnnship.
Superb exhibition of horsemahship were
given by the Indians, at one time 500 OF
them circling around Custer and his mer
at breakneck speed, firing from every con-
ceivable position. At the close of the
fight, after the scalps were taken, a real
istic war dance Of great fury was given or
the battlefield. -, 3
| After the battle OF Custer, the soldiers
were buried where they fell, and a small
marble headstone marks the spot where
the different men were Inferred. Where
Custer lay, a large white cross stands
Some years ago, the bodies of the soldiers
were disinterred and buried beneath {
monument erected on the summit of tn
hill, by the government. Clusters bod!
| was taken to Arlington for burial.
The army records show Custer and 26
| men went into the battle. There are 26
headstones and the large cross gleaminl
in the sunshine on the battlefield to-day