The sea coast echo., 1905-03-18
HE SAN CUSTER'S FALL.
puGEER WHO ESCAPED MAssA-
GRE TELLS HIS EXPERIENCES.
John y. Martin Had Been Sent For
Aid-Returned Just in Time to
Witness the Horrors of the Fa-
nous BattIe-Description
of CHASTITY Scene.

4
| has been put on the army retired list,
says a Baltimore despatch, and is
spending the last days of his life in
selling refreshments to his former
comrades at little stand just out
side the main entrance to Fort Nc
Henry, this city.
| He served thirty years in the army
and for the last fifteen was the chief
musician at Fort McHenry. As
valued relic, his last bugle-not the
one he used in Clusters command, for
that, he says, is in the Smithsonian
Institution-hang by its red cord
upon the wall of his lunchroom, says
the San Francisco Chronicle.
John d. Martin, or Giovanni Martin,
as he was known in Rome, the city OF
his birth, owed his escape on that
summer day, June 25, 1876, when Gus
ter's command was cut to pieces, to
the fact that he had been sent with a
despatch to a point three miles away.
He returned with the troopers just in
| time to witness the close Of the mas
sacre.
At fourteen he was drummer with
Garibaldi's patriots. When he came
to this country, at the age OF twenty
three, he enlisted again. He was as
| signed to Clusters command, and when
| Custer crept upon the peaceful look
Ing Sioux village on that day in June
| he selected Martin to carry despatch
es to Major Marcus A. Reno and Capt.
F. w. Benteen, commanding the two
other divisions of the troop. The des-
patches ordered them to join Custer
at once. This is Martins story OF the
| day:
1--WE came upon the banks OF the
Little Big Horn at 1130 o'clock in the
morning, and across the waters we
saw village of several hundred te-
pees. Custer called halt.
Men, he said, pointing to the VII
lage. the streets Of which were de-
serted save for an occasional stray
, cur. half naked child, or bent old wo-.
man, we have ccme upon the Sioux
village while the warriors are away
hunting buffaloes. We will go down
there, take possession of the camp,
and fall upon the men when they re-
turn tired with hunting.
"The men all waved their caps, and
gave three cheers. Custer had a con-
sultation with his officers. Then call
ing me he borrowed paper and pehc'!
| from adit. Cook, and wro e this u. es-
; sage: Join me at once, bringing the
pack trains He told me to lind
Re.:o and Benteen, and deliver the
paper to them.
ut was hard ride Of three miles,
and my horse was wounded in the hip
by bullet from an Indian in ambush,
! but I pushed on until ! reached Capt.
Benteen. Soon after got to him Ma
| ior Reno came dashing up, calling TO
the captain that he had been ambush
ed, and had left fifteen men and two
officers dead upon the field, beside
number of wounded. When we reach
ed the scene of this engagement the
! Indians had fled.
"The two divisions Joined and
pressed on to Custer. We arrived at
about II o'clock upon bluff at the
head of narrow ravine down which
| Custer had gone to see the river bank
simply swarming with the naked,
painted forms of Sitting Bulls braves.
The end was just in our view, and /
remember we'll how close the forces
were to each other.
.The Indians had by that time en-
tirely surrounded Clusters men and
closed in upon them, fighting hand to
hand. | remember the hideous ap-
paarance of the braves in their
war paint, with the skins of wolves
and antelopes in their hands, which
they shook in the faces of our troop
ers' horses, rendering them unman-
ageable.
"You have often seen the paintings
tI Clusters last fight Well, they are
not exaggerated in their detail, and
with the terrible din the Indians kept
up you can well imagine that it was an
awful scene,
I do not remember seeing Custer
in the melee, for he was in the centre
of his division, which was formed in
a square. We also had little time TO
think, as the enemy pressed upon US
Immediately. Retreating to higher
ground, we formed a square, in the
centre of which the supplies Were
placed There we waited for the at
/ tack. 1t came, and we got enough Of
1t. For two days and two nights we
| fought, losing men every hour and
constantly seeing in our imagination
the time drawing near when We would
be burned at the stake or feel that
gripping in our hair.
From 2 o'clock on June 25 until
early morning of June '27 we remained.
Then, when the dawn was just streak
ing the sky, We heard great whirring
in our rear At first we thought that
| the numbers of our besiegers were to
be increased, and it did net cheer US
very much, You can be sure. But it
turned out to be our reinforce
ments, galloping nearer every minute,
and, I'll tell you, it was the sweetest
music we ever heard. Gen. Gibbons
and Gen. Terry were with our troops,
and we were saved
Eve found Custer lying partly Gov
| cred by two horses, just as if the men
had tried to form bTeastwork with
the animals. There we're two bullet
holes in his body, but it was not mutt
lated. The Indians refrained from
doing tnis cut of respect for his fight