The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-05-07

Auch. GUl Oh che OctdslOU 0c UeiDeO
me to the greatest piece of news ]
ever handled and enabled me to make
q clear 500 by one days work This
was III 1876, when | was reporter on
Chicago evening newspaper. l was
IN the habit Of calling at Drums office
every day for army news. If | was
hcky enough to meet General Sheridan
or Fred Grant or Colonel Corbin. |
came away with all the news that was
accessible. IF / came face TO face with
Drum / got just what he thought ii
was proper 10 give me, which was new
Ct very much
In the latter part of June. 1876
there came TO the Office early in the
day a bulletin from Cheyenne. saying
There is rumor here that General
Custer and his entire command have
been slaughtered by the Indians
There was great excitement In the office
and | went at cnce with the dispatch
10 army headquarters. | handed ii to
General Drum, who for once dropped
MS mask. lie was as excited as I was
lie became 1T once obliviOus so far as
was concerned. He went into an
inner room and General Sheridan and
Colonies COrbin and Forsyth came out
Drum pulled down some large mill
fary maps that were on rollers and the
four officers forgot all about me and
proceeded to FIX the location on the
maps OF the scene of the massacre, and
TO theOriZe as To Clusters plan of at
tack and his preliminary movements.
"All were familiar With the terri
tory, particularly General Sheridan
who took the lead in the discussion
He described wildly the scene of the
hattie and showed how Custer prob
ably made the attack and how he was
caught in trap. The others expressed
their opinions and each one gave some
Information as 10 the strength of Gus
te.'s commend, the probable strength
OF the hostile Indians. and the char
acter of the country. 1 stood and list
ened. asking no questions. saying not
one word but when 1 left the room !
had more Information as 10 the battle
Of the Little Big Horn than any other
newspaper nan in this country. In
fact. | had sill that the General COM
manding the department and his Adju-
tant General and aids could give.
81 went Mt once 10 the Office, wrote
mp an account for my own newspaper,
communicated with the papers in New
York, ST Louis and other cities and
sent long specials to several OF them.
Sferidan's hypothesis as to the battle
was correct. and my dispatch read like
IN account written on inside Informal
ton. General Drum was probably at
q loss to understand now any reporter
came TO be so thoroughly posted. He
forgot that for once his own tongue
was loosened. and that under the ex-
eitement of the hour he gave the full
est possible Information to a newspaper
man.''
Newspaper men Of the Civil War
period" said the Major. ''were deposit
tories. as 1t were, Of secrets. govern
ment and personal In all the inves-
tigation leading to- the exposure OF the
knights Of the Golden Circle. Sons of
Liberty and other organizations of the
Kind newspaper men were active. but
for the most part reticent In that day
there was a little schoolhouse few
miles from Newcastle. Ind. in which
the Knights of the Golden Circle held
their secret meetings. As a rule the
meetings were held between 10 and l
o'clock at night, and there was never a
Hight IN the schoolhouse One night
Julius Benbow, OF Newcastle, a stanch
Republican and bitter opponent of the
eUpperheads and knights. suspected that
q meeting was 20 be held at the school
house mentioned.
"Bentow rode out to the schoolhouse,
tied his horse at a safe distance, crawl
cd under the schoolhouse floor. recog-
nfzed the voices Of those present. heard
their plans, which contemplated the
taking OF a certain train on the Belle
fontaine road for indianapolis, the kill
ing Of Governor Morton and other Off
cfaIs, the capture Of the arsenal. and
the release OF the rebel prisoners held
10 camp there. Benbow went at once
90 persons who notified the authorities
ut indianapolis, and United States
troops were drawn up under the shed
nj the station ready for the knights
when they came in.
Another detachment of troops guard
fng section nj artillery moved out a
mile or SO from the city. A cannon was
placed i'm the middle of the track and
Me teiin at the order Of the commander
Of the troops came to a standstill. Ev.
sry suspected person was taken out and
put under arrest, and all except one
were taken to Indianapolis. Through
she influence Of L. r. Martindale, Mr.
BenbOw's brother-in-law and law
yartner OF Governor Morton, one OF the
was struggled through the lines, was
given a horse and his escape connived
ut. He rode to Newcastle, spent night
and day secreted In Mr.. Benbow's
Aouse, and finally made his escape.
Mr.. Martindale was a newspaper
man. The story Of the capture of the
knights Of the Golden Circle was told
In detail, but there was no reference
whatever to the escape Of one Of the
party, who afterward became promi
nent In Indiana Affairs. Benbow knew
nearly every one of the men arrested
Some OF them were his close persona
friends. others were business acquaint
snces. but his loyalty to the govern
nent put duty before friendship, excep
Nm the case Of one man. Chicago 1ntel
Ocean
Unwritten Army Incidents.
~Wbat puzzled me-" said the Ser
geant, twas that so few OF the old army
correspondents got hold of the anec