Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-19

was an example OF gallantry and courags
unequaled in Indian warfare.
'"Ten Eyck and his men never wavered
for an instant and any statement to the
contrary is unjust uncalled for and wholly
unkind. 1 have come half way across tho
continent from my home in Boston to do
justice to my dead captain and comrade
Captain Ten Eyck, and vindicate his name
and memory He was a soldier unfaltering
in his duty and of undaunted courage. /
plead with you people of Wyoming to dis
believe the unkind story that he might have
saved Fettermsn and his men. 1t is not
so. No one but God could have rescued
that devoted band. They were overwhelmed
in almost an Instant. They were crowded
and huddled among these rocks surround
ing you on this spot, and their destruction
was a saturnalia of blood unparalleled In
the rapldity Of It's accomplishment in the
history of any war. Could Ten Eyck and
his command have reached the ground a
few moments sooner they would have met
the same fate. ] believed then and do
believe this day that before Captain Ten
Eyck and his party had fairly crossed Big
Piney Fetterman and his command had
been killed and their rescue after disap-
pearinE over Lodge Trail ridge was a
mortal impossibihty,"
Following General C~arrington's address
the surviving members of the Fort Phil
Kearney party stood on the rock where
the massacred men lay in CHASTITY groups
and bowed their heads in silence while
Bugler Problosh of Company II. Nine
teenth infantry, from Fort Mackenzie,
sounded the retreat and taps in memory of
the dead who fell there.
This closed the exercises at the monu-
ment and the great throng returned 20
Kearney, where a picnic dinner was served.
Fred F. Newcomer, a former member Of
the Third battalion of the Eighteenth in
fantry. but serving during 1876 at Fort
Bridger, Utah, and now a sturdy ranchman
Of this vicinity, acted as the host Of the
Darlington party at a most delightful picnic
dinner.
After dinner the throng adjourned to the
grandstand erected in the woods, where
CONGRESSMAN Frank w. Mondell delivered
the principal address OF the afternoon. He
was followed with a brief address by Gen
eral and Mrs. Darlington and Samuel Glib
son. The latter told Of the famous wagon
box fight Of August, 1857, when thlrty-two
men OF the Twenty-seventh infantry, under
Major Powell, were engaged with a couple
OF thousand of Indians under Red Cloud
and his nephew, Two-Face. all day. Mr..
Gibson, punctured the old and ridiculous
story that the wagon boxes were con-
structed Of boiler iron" with loop holes
for convenience in firing. The wagon
boxes" said Mr.. Gibson, were Just plain,
common. everyday government wagon
boxes, with no iron about them but the
nails and bolts used in their construction. A"
In this fight several soldiers were badly
wounded and Lieutenant Jenness and
three men were killed, The soldiers used
for the first time the new breech-loading
Springfield rifles in this fight and wrought
the most terrible execution on the Indians.
thus in a measure compromising for the
tragedy Of the Fetterman massacre.
A varied program Of music and a drill
by sixteen young women, all natives OF Inc
vicinity Of Ksarnsy, was given on the
platform. which closed the exercises here.
Later in the AFTERNOON q new flagstaff
was raised on the same spot where the old
flagstaff was erected forty-two years ago.
The new flag was presented for the occa-
sion by ths Sheridan Chamber Of Com
marco and was pulled To the staff head BY