Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-01-07
''Curley continued his partomine by

"Curley continued his partomine by
grasping his scalplock with one hand
while with other he described a circle
around it, then made as if to jerk it
off and hang 1t to his belt, meantime
executing a Sioux war dance. But his
absorbed observers already realised
that they were receiving the first news
Of a great battle, in which many SOL
diers had been surrounded, slain and
scalped by the Sioux. Having learned
so much as a beginning, they we're
able to bring the sign language into
use for acquiring further particulars.
! 1t was a very slow process, but by it,
in the course of hours, they gradually
gathered details from Curley, each
one of which added to the appalling
nature of the news.
CARRYING HE NEWS TO THE WORLD.
Cooperating with Custer had been
another squadron Of the Seventh cav
airy under the command Of Maj. Reno
which lost three officers and more
than fifty men killed. Fifty-two of
his wounded were brought to Capt.
Marsh's steamer for transportation TO
Fort Abraham Lincoln, nea Bis
marck. Nearly a week was required
to attend to all the duties demanded
of the boat in the vicinity of the bat
tie, and on July 3 it got away, making
the run to Bismarck, 40 miles, in tif-
t~y-four hours, a record never equaled
on the Missouri. OF the arrival at
Bismarck the Book records:
The boat had barely touched the
bank when her officers and men were
off, running up the streets and rOusing
the sleeping town. 1t was like the
night that Concord Vas startled from
slumber by the hoof beats of Paul Re-
vere's horse, galloping down the elm
Swallowed streets on his mission of
warming. Men ran from their houses
half dressed and dishevelcd, in every
direction lights flashed at the window.
The first men routed from their beds
were G. A. Lounsberry, the editor of
the Bismarck Tribune, and J. M. Car
nahan, the telegraph operator. They,
together with Capt. Marsh, DR.. Por-
ter, Capt. Smith and a number OF 9th
erS from the boat, hurried to the tele-
graph Office and Carnahan took his
seat at the key, from which he scarce
y raised himself for twenty-five hours
The tidings fell on the other world
like a thunder bolt. No previous
news of a credible nature had reached
the country that such a disaster had
befallen. Before the official dispatch
es from Gen. Terry to Gen. Sheridan
had been given out the press Of the
whole nation was demanding that the
government prosecute the campaign
against the Indians until every hostile
should be either dead or disarmed.
And the government obeyed the de-
mand.
After attending to the dispatching
Of official kilograms the boat swung
across from Bismarck to Fort Lincoln,
where the wounded were placed in the
hospitals, and Mrs. Custer and numer.
Gus other widows OF both officers and
soldiers were informed of the tragic
death of their husbands. The Far
West had brought the first tidings of
their dreadful bereavement, and the
fort o became a house filed with
stricken mourners. The heart-rend-
ing scenes that followed the revela-
ton of the awful Intelligence were too
poignant to be described. Mrs. Custer
sent to Capt. Marsh an invitation for
that officer to call on her, but the cap
tain says she could not bear the
thought of witnessing her grief"