Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-08-23

! ways u BOplc sOI interest WIN 8OlQ 4
timers and many and varied are the
stories WRITTEN by Stirring, artists.
Although the entire command was
wiped out of existence and only an
Indian scout, Gurley, survived, here
and there i'm different parts of the
world almost monthly appears news
paper or magazine article based up
on the interview with some sole:
survivor OF the awful massacre.
Recently Mr.. o. Swan, superinte
ent Of the Western Union Telegraph
company, with Headquarters at st.
Paul. while making trip over the
Northern Pacific. met his old friend
and pioneer newspaper publisher, A.
E. Fisk, now deputy postmaster at
Helena, but formerly editor of the
Helena Herald He also met j. w.
Carnahan, now operator at Bozeman,
back in the 70's and for man years
manager OF the Western Union tele-
graph Office at Bismarck.
:
The discussion of the stirring
events in the frontier days, when the
railroad ended at Bismarck and He
lena and other Montana cities and
mining camps were reached by
stages and the Missouri river brought
up the question of how the news of
the Custer massacre first reached the
outside world, from the bloody field
of battle, SO far away from telegraph
lines and avenues Of communication
Did the first news Of the Custer
massacre reach the east through the
Bismarck Tribune or the Helena Her
ald---through Mr.. Carnahan, then
manager of the Western Union Office
at Bismarck, or the operator at He
lena at the instance of Mr.. Fisk Of
the Herald, who was also correspond
ent of the Associated Press? n
This discussion makes an excuse
for the publication of two articles
herewith-one from the Helena Rec
ord of June 20, 1908, and the other.
from the pen of Col. g. A. Lounsber-
ry, who in 1876 was editor of the
Bismarck Tribune and special cores
pondent Of the New York Herald.
It seems to be settled that while
brief bulletins Of a battle having
been fought on the Little Big Horn,
from information received by car
rier overland, were first sent on the
night of July 4, 1876, the first de-
tailed account was sent from Bis
marck to the New York Herald July
18th, appearing ii the Herald Of the
9th.
Clusters Last Charge.
The following article from the pen
Of Col. G.. A. Leunsberry, quoting
the Bismarck Tribune July 6, 1876,
recently appearing In the North Da-
kota Magazine of August, 1907, will
be read with interest in this con-
neetion:
'sThe story Of the Custer massacre
is a part Of the history Of North Da-
kota not only because Of its effect in
opening up the western part Of the
state through the extension Of the!
Northern Pacific railroad, which was
regarded as d military necessity, and
the forced amendment Of the Sioux
treaty which followed but because Of
those slain on that day, June rs, 1876,
every one had friends. or acquaint-
ances at Bismarck. Some had wives
and children there, others sWeet-
hearts. All had friends, and friend
ship seemed closer then, when Bis
marck was a frontier city, than now.
The people Of Fargo and Moorhead,
and jamestown, were neighbors then,
but Bismarck's closest neighbors,
4 and the nearest and dearest friends,
were at the military posts. The FAM
lilies of the officers and men at Fort
A. Lincoln were part of the social
life Of Bismarck Forts Rice and Blu
ford were also always taken into
consideration and were considered
our next best friends and our next
nearest neighbors
The Sixth United States infantry
had its headquarters at Fort Buford.
the Seventeenth ait Fort Rice. Both
had companies at Bismarck or Lin
coin. Mrs Gen. W. B. Hazen, now
4 Mrs. Admiral Dewey, then a bride,
passed through Bismarck In the
spring Of 1873 to join her husband at
Fort Buford. She landed at Bis
marck during raging snow storm
early in May, and passed up the river
by ambulance to Fort Buford
Only construction trains were then
being run between Fargo and the
end OF the track, some 40 miles east
OF Bismarck, and there was no reg
ular communication between there
and Bismarck The mails were car
sriad NV the mart arm a ar az dana RI