The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-19
'sC0OPED A WORLD ON
CUsTER's LAST FIGHT
Fisk's Feat at Helena Prompted
by Story Brought by Gal
liant Scouts.

Helena, Mont, Aug. 1S.-Deputy
Postmaster A. J. Fisk of Helena, for
years a veteran newspaper man, he
having, with his brothers, published
Helena Herald, from the time Of it's
inception until it's sale two years ago,
or more than thirty years, was in d
reminiscent mood the other evening,
and related the story of how the first
news of the Custer massacre was given
the world thru the medium of press
association. Said he:
"a little more than thirty years
ago Custer and his brave troopers laid
down their lives ON the hills surround.
4 ing the Little Big Horn, in eastern
Montana. | have noticed that every
year erroneous reports gain circulation
as to how the news of the massacre,
so-called, was first given to the world.
Being pretty well known in the state
as newspaper man of the earlier
period, my word will doubtless be
taken, but if anyone questions nay as
sertioas, I have the proof in the files
of the Herald.
GAS was the custom in the early
paper. on the Fourth Of July, and
i editors and printers were supposed to
put in the whole day in celebrating.
At that time, in 1876, was the Asso-
ciated Press agent for Helena. About
noon on the Fourth Of July, 1876, I
came downtown to see if there was
any news Of Importance to wire to the
association. I was sitting in the bust
ness office, when in came Horace Coun-
tryman, dusty, dirty. with haggard
eyes and looks. and having the ap;
In
p How News Was Broken.
81 sprang to the counter, grasped
+ him by the hand, exclaimin g: Coun-
tryman, what in Gods name is the
matter9'
q 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-
news to Bozeman. Arriving at Boze-
man, I found the government wire
down, so l got fresh horse and came
on to Helena
"The news seemed incredible, and I
inquired if he could give me the par
ticulars He said he could. I told him
to come in and sit down and wait for
moment until I could send out and
try and locate some printers in order
that we might get out an extra.
"Our foreman, the late William Nc
haps an hour before we had force
distributing type and getting ready for
the extra. Then Countryman gave me
the particulars Of the dreadful affair,
as conveyed to him by Muggins Taylor.
He spoke rapidly, fuently,r and it was
distance, as in those days the type
writer and stenography were unknown
in this section. To this day, renlem-
Der one Of his sentences:
'Curley, the Indian scout, and the
only person who escaped to bring the
news said the firing was very rapid
it sounded like the swapping Of the
= s Everybody Excited.
cat 4 o'clock in the afternoon the
, Herald extra was on the streets of
Helena. It was the first news Of the
awful event to be given to the public.
The excitement was so great and our
force so limited that did not find time
to send the news out Of the city until
after the extra was out. Then I
grabbed copy of the extra and made
fast time to the Western Union tele-
but Manager Operator Fredericks laid
tall else aside and gave, the massacre
story preference, with the result that
on the morning Of July all the news
papers of the country contained the
news of the massacre.
'FThere was little rest for me the
night of July 4. Every fifteen minutes
or so there would be a ring at my door
bell, announcing telegram from some
paper dema nding further details of the
awful affair, I. remember one New
~ rk paper having authorized me te
send out scouts to secure additional
news. I informed the papers that oul
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 it was
thru these couriers that, on July 6, the
government at Washington received its
official dispatches
never before been published"
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