Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-08-23
Who WROTE THE
FIRST STORY OF
CUSTER MASSACRE
back to nature
CONTINUED from page 81

CONTINUED from page 81
shot through the head and body,
seemed to. have been among the last
to fall, and around and near him lay
the bodies of Col. Tom ana Boston,
his brothers., Col, Calhoun, his
brother-in-law, and his nephew,
young Reed, who insisted on accom-
panying the expedition for pleasure,
Col Cook and the members Of the
non-commissioned officers, all dead
all striped of their clothing and
many of them with bodies horribly
mutilated. The squaws seem to have
passed over the field and crushed the
skulls Of the wounded and dying
with stones and clubs. The heads
of some were severed from the bodies
and the privates of some were cut
off, while others bore traces of tor
ture, arrows having been shot into
their private parts while yet living,
or other means of tsrrure adopted.
Officers Killed.
The officer who fell were as fol-
lows: Gen. G.. A. Custer, Coils. Geo.
Yates, Miles .Keogh, James Calhoun,
w. w. Cook, Capt. Mcintosh, A. e.
Smith, Lieutenants Riley, Critenden,
sturgis, Harrington, Hodgson and
Porter, Assistant Surgeon DeWolf.
The only citizens killed were Boston
Custer, Mr.. Reed, Charles Reynolds,
Isaiah, the interpreter from Fort
Rice, and Mark Kellogg, the latter
the Tribune correspondent. The
body of Kellogg alone remained UNI
stripped Of its clothing, and was not
mutilated. Perhaps as they had
1earend to respect the Great Chief,
Custer, and for that reason did not
mutilate his remains, they had in like
manner learned to respect the hum
Bile shower of the lead pencil and to
that fact may be attributede the re-
suit. The wounded were sent to the
rear some fourteen miles on horse
litters, striking the Far West some
sixty odd miles up the. Big Horn,
which point they left on Monday,
July 8, at noon, reaching Bismarck,
nine hundred miles distant, at II
p. M, Wednesday, July 5. asSs T..
RuriaJ of the Dead.
The burial of the dead was sad
work, but they were all decently In
tered. Many could not be recogniz-
ed; among the latter class were some
of the officers. This work being done
the command worked its way back to
the base, where Gen. Terry awaits
supplies and approval of his plans
for the future campaign.
The men are worn out with
marching and fighting, and are al
most wholly destitute of clothing.
The Indians numbered at Least
eighteen hundred lodges in theil
permanent camp, while those who
fought Crook seemed to have Joined
them, making their effective fighting
force nearly four thousand. These
we're led by chiefs carrying flags Of
various colors, nine of whom were
found in the burial tent on the fiele
of battle. Many other dead were
found on the battle field, and neal
it ten squaWs at one point in ra
! vine evidently the work of Rec Of
Crow scouts.
The Indian dead were great ii
numbers, as they were constantly as
saulting an inferior force. The camI
had the appearance of being aban
doned In haste The most gorgeous
ornaments were found ON the bodie
Of the dead chiefs and hundreds D
finely dressed and painted robes ant
skins were were thrown about tn,
camp. The Indians were certainI.
4 severely punished.
Names of Wounded.
We said none Of those who wen
into battle with Custer are living
one Crow scout, Curley, hid himsei
III the field and witnessed and sur
yiyed the fight. His story ii nlaus