Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-08-23
Who Wrote the First Story ofthe Custer Massacre?

SITenStn, tnough the estimate ran
into several THOUSAND, for it wasI
known that the indian agencies were
practically deserted by the young
warriors.
One who was present when Custer
received the order says he exhibited {
great satisfaction, and throwing his
arms around one of his officers, said:
Custer is himself again, and what
ever glory there is in this campaign
shall be for Custer and Clusters
friends
Mark Kellogg's Last Dispatch.
They located the enemy. Custer
took those companies commanded by
friendly officers, and after disposingl
of the other companies SO as to pre-
vent their immediate participation,
gave battle. And all the glory won
in the campaign was indeed for Gus
ter and Clusters friends. They won
the only lasting glory that war brings
the glory of death. And Kellogg
was, as he predicted in his last dis
patch, at the death. He said
80 I: = $50 ***
: I'VE leave the Rosebud to- :
= morrow and by the time this !.
= reaches you we will have met I.
$ and fought the red devils, with !.
: what result remains to be seen. !.
go with Custer and will be at !.
: the death - T." @-s@34.-s#
50 Z: $3.50: *:**
He had written Of the events Of
the expedition, of the preparation for
the morrow, and of the incidents Of
personal interest, up to the very mo-
ment of marching, and, as was his
custom, had his dispatches ready for
the first departing courier. He was
personally known to many of the In
dams and known to be their friend,
and to be the man who makes the
paper talk. His body was found not
mutilated in the slightest degree.
His notes were gathered up and
brought to Mr.. Lounsberry without
a missing page. General Drisbin, of
Gibbons command, the first to reach.
the field of carnage, filled a pass book
with incidents as he saw them on the
battlefield, the position and condi-
ton Of the dead There were no
wounded in Clusters party. All were
slain save the Grow scout ,Curley,
who gathered UP Sioux blanket and.
managed to escape completely dazed.
Brisbin's contribution was brought
by Dr. II. r, Porter, with the request
that It be given to the New York
Herald. It was but a small part of
the story as given to the Herald, and
to the world through that great
newspaper. Other papers had brief
bulletins: The Herald had it all;
their telegraph tolls amounting to
some $4,000 for the single story sent
by one newspaper, correspondent.
But every Officer and every man was,
ready and anxious to assist I. y
When Gen. Terry reached Bis;
marck he filed his official dispatches
and at the same time aroused Col.
Lounsberry, whom he caused to be
furnished with an official list of the
dead and wounded and with all pos
sible facts. His staff officers were
equally courteous. DR.. Porter, Fred
Girard and score Of others contrib
uted to the story begun by Kellogg
in his brief dispatch from the Rose:
bud. a. '-' tH.~-' ."~ .s~s. s,5 e
John M. Carnahan was the manag-
er of the Bismarck telegraph Office.
s. B. Rogers was his able assistant.
First Account OF the Battle.
Printers were scarce, but here is
absolutely the first account, as it
came hot from the field Of battle
and dropped from the lips Of those
who saw the dead and participated
in the affair with Reno, or in other
incidents of the expedition. And
Grant Marsh, whose boat fairly skip
ped on. the surface of the waters of
the Missouri, coming down at the
rate of 20 miles per hour, also con-
tributed his mite to the story.
The battle was June %. The Far
West arrived at Bismarck at IL p.
M, July 5. Before her arrival there
was uneasiness at Fort A. Lincoln.
The expected courier did not come.
There was reticence and strange ac-
tions on the part of the Indians In
the vicinity 1t was felt that they
had heard some news or that they
were contemplating an uprising, but
no whisper OF the great disaster was
heard. Bismarck shared the anx-
iety of the post. Longing eyes were
cast to the west in the hope that the
expected courier might appear From
Salt Lake eafne a Jirn NOR that a hat