Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-03-08

udu tuiSdtSuSo W Kill ION custer
some day and eat his heart, literally
carried out his threat.
Near debonair and handsome Tom
Clusters marking stone is that of an
other. officer, which reads: "W. w.
Cook, Lieutenant, Adjutant, Seventh
U. S. Cavalry, Fell here June 25th,
1876" Also near by is a stone mark.
ed: "A. e. Sweet, Lieutenant, Seventh
U. s. CCavalry, Fell Here June 9th,
1876" A few feet distant is another,
bearing the words: "W. Van w. Reil-
ly, Lieutenant, Company e. Seventh
U. S. Cavalry, Fell Here June 25th,
1876" Tom Clusters marking stone
is Clipped and battered, seemingly as
if with hammer.
A short distance from Custer S
cross, perhaps ten or twelve feet, is
stone marked &c. w. Yates, Captain
Company F, Seventh U. S. Cavalry,
Fell Here June 25th, 1876.". This
stone marks the closing scene in the
life of one who was one of the most
popular officers in the army and once
a great social favorite in Washing
ton. The stone at the place where
he received his death wound is chip
ped and mutilated by miscreants who
have no reverence for the memory
Of those who gave up their lives that
these very vandals might, in January
last, be enabled to visit the valley
of the Little Big Horn with no more
danger to their lives from bloodthirs-
ty Indians than if in the heart of
any large American city.
The marking stones of number
of enlisted men and no-commission-
ed officers are close by those of Gust
er and the other officers, for these
Americans, whether they wore Shout
der straps or not, stood up like men
on that bloody day, and, back to
back, faced the foe, with regret, no
doubt, that they would never see
their dear ones again, but you may
be sure with no craven feeling in
their hearts.
Monument Shaft
of Stone and Cement.
Immediately behind the place
which marks the final and culminat.
ing point in the battle Of the Little
Big Horn stands the monument shaft
made of cement and stone. Beneath
it lie the remains of the enlisted
men and noncoms who fell in the
fight, and also that of Lieutenant
Crittenden, whose father, Gen. Crit
tenden, a retired officer of the reg
ular army, preferred not to have his
sons body removed to his former
home for burial. "Let my boy rest
where he fell, doing his duty like a
soldier the old general is reported
to have said, when the subject o.
! burial was discussed. The shaft
which is surrounded by square iror
railing, bears the names Of ever,
officer and enlisted man who fell il
the fight, as well as of those civil
ians who lost their lives on that day
It also has the following inscription:
''In Memory Of. the Officers and Sold
iers Who Fell at This Place Fighting
With the Seventh U. s. Cavalry
| Against the Sioux Indians on the
25th and 26th day Of June, 1876
| a. D."
Thirty feet from where Custer fel
two old battered, weather beaten
wooden crosses mark the spots, it /.
said, where Kellogg and Boston Gust
er fell. 1t is not known if the New
York daily newspaper which kellogg
represented as correspondent evel
caused his body to be disinterred.
| Five hundred yards from the scene
of Clusters fall, and just over the
brow of the ridge from there, in the
direction of where the craven Major
Reno was located with several troops
of the Seventh, are fifteen stones
marking the spot where the gallan,
Captain Miles Keogh and fourteen oil
his men of Troop /, fell. 1t is said
they were coming up from Reno's
command to join Custer and s'taks
| pot luck" with their commander, but
| 600 Northern Cheyennes, under Tive
Moons. headed them or before they
could reach their objective. and th<
end was soon at hand.
Many stories have been told Of the
events leading up to. the fight and
later. It Is known that Custer wal
not in the good graces Of Secretar,
Of War Belknap and that there wa.
talk OF action being taken agains
him because OF his criticism OF the
secretary. Chatting under this con
sciousness there are those who be
lieve that In attacking ths Indian,
on June IS. 1876. ne hoped to ef
feet such brilliant victory "a Wot,It