The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1906-10-10
TOLD NATION NEWS
FIRST PUBLICATION OF DETAILS
OF CUSTER MASSACRE.
Helena Herald Printed Sad Story on
country's Natal Day-veteran
Editor Tells Story Of
Great Scoop"

Deputy postmaster A d. ciSh, vi
Helena, Mont. veteran newspaper
man. having with his brothers pub
lished Montana's first day newspaper
the Helena Herald-was in a
reminiscent mood the other evening.
and related the story of how the first
news of the Custer massacre was
given the world through the medium
OF a press association. Said he:
LAS was the custom in the early
days, the Herald did not publish IA pa
per on the 4th of July. and editors
and printers were supposed to put in
the whole day celebrating.
AT that time, in 1876, was the AS
ISOLATED Press agent for Helena,
position which 1 filled for period of
80 years, or up to two years ago.
About noon on the 4th of July.
1876, l came downtown to see If there
was any news of importance to wire
to the association. l was sitting in
the business Office, when in the door
walked Horace Countryman. dusty
dirty, with haggard eyes and looks.
and having the appearance of one
who was about all in
Il sprang to the counter, grasped
him by the hand, exclaiming: 'Coun-
tryman, what in Gods name is the
NATTER
Jack he replied, Custer and all
with him are dead-were massacred
on the Little Big Horn by the Sioux.
Muggins Taylor, the scout, brought
the news to Saltwater. He being ex-
hausted. / volunteered to bring the
N RnZnnnan Rove
man, l found the government wire
down, SO got a fresh horse and came
on to Helena
Il told him to come in and sit
down and wait for moment until |
could send out and try to locate some
printers in order that we might get
out an extra
Our foreman, the late William Nc
Catchey. was located, but it was per-
haps an hour before we had a force
getting ready for the extra.
Then Countryman gave me the par
ticulars of the dreadful affair. as con-
veyed to him by Muggins Taylor. To
this day | remember one of-his sen.
fences:
'Curley, the Indian scout and the
only person who escaped to bring the
news. said the firing was very rapid;
ii sounded like the swapping of the
threads in the tearing of a blanket
AT four O'Clock in the afternoon the
Herald's extra was on the streets of
Helena. 1t was the first news of the
awful event to be given to the public.
The excitement was so great and
time to send the news out of the city
until after the extra was out Then l
grabbed a copy of the extra and made
fast time to the Western Union tele-
graph office.
There was only one wire, but Man
ager-Operator Fredericks laid all else
aside and gave the massacre story
preference, with the result that on the
morning of July all the newspapers
of the country contained the news of
the massacre.
There was little rest for me the
night of July l. Every Is minutes or
so there would be ring at my door
bell. announcing telegram from
some paper demanding further de-
tails of the awful affair."
Il remember one New York paper
having authorized me TO send scouts
to secure additional news. | Informed
the papers that our complete story
had been given the press association
and that further details would come
from bismarck. when the scouts
reached that city, which they did on
the following day, and 1t was through
these couriers that on July the gov
eminent at Washington received its
official dispatches
Il disclaim any desire for notoriety
in the premises. but in history Helena
and Montana scouts and frontiersmen
should have the credit for furnishing
to the world the first news of Clusters
fate. and not the couriers who reached
bismarck on July 5. In my long ex-
perience as reporter and newspaper
man, this was my greatest scoop -
n. Y. Tribune