The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-09
PEEL RECALLS
old WRECK
Veteran Captain Speaks Of Time
When steamer Everett Sank
to Bottom Short Distance
Above Burlington.
THE CUSTER MASSACRE
According to information From State
Historical Department, Captain Of
North Star Has information
About it.
THE CUSTER MASSACRE


stream with the bow boat Everett in
front, recalled the sinking of the
last named craft to Captain Thomas
Peel, veteran steamboat man. THAT
Is the boat referring to the Everett
tnat went down with sixteen persons,
including my D-other, Captain Vincent
Peel who was drowned . the veteran
stated. ut was on April 6, 1889, that
the disaster occurred, a short dis
lance above Burlington. The boat
was going north light, and was struck
by big wind, that turned it over.
Eight persons we're drowned
!. In order to find the bodies and to
raise the boat more speedily the cabin
was wrecked and was never rebuilt.
The craft has been used as bow
boat ever since
Captain Buisson's Story.
According to information from the
historical department. of the state
Captain Joseph Buisson of the North
Star rafting outfit, has valuable knowl-
edge of the Custer massacre. The fol-
lowing article from Iowa City relates
to Captain Buisson, who is we'll known
here:
Upon the death of the last Sioux
Indian engaged in the Custer mas
sacre the story of that darkened chap
ter in American history will be made
public. A complete account of the en-
gagement which resulted in the death
of every man of Gen. George A. Gus
ter's force is in the hands of Major
James Mclaughlin, chief of the Unit.
ed States Indian service, and of his
brother-in-law, Joe Buisson, half
breed Sioux Indian and one of the best
known pilots and steamboat captains
| on the upper Mississippi river.
The story was picked up here and
| there from one survivor and another
of the band of Sioux which annihilat
ed the white soldiers, but all infor
nation given was with the stipulation
/ til after the death of the last Indian
engaged in that famous fray. Only
two Sioux survivors of the massacre
are living at the present time, ane
with their death the story will become
a part of History.
All that is known of the Custer mas
sacre is that in June, 1876, Genera
4 Custer set out with five companies o.
cavalry numbering 700 men to move
band of Sioux from one reservation
/ to another. The Sioux were engaged
in the neighborhood of the Little Biz
/ Horn river, in Montana, and not ;
white man escaped alive. 1t was tt,
most famous massacre in the histor.
of Indian warfare, and at the sam,
time the one about which the leas
is known, for the white men coult
| not speak, and the Indians would not
] Major Mclaughlin has been sta
toned at Indian posts all over thu
country, and a great deal of his tim,
has been spent among the Sioux
But even with the confidence whicl
he enjoyed. 1t is not likely that h
alone could have drawn from the In
dians the story of the massacre. Jo
DulSoCH, ITO Is liz
son of French-C Canadian and Siou
squaw. His boyhood was spent amon
the Indians, he is master Of tn
Sioux language, and has been especia
ly interested in gathering Indian lore
From his kinship and associatio,
with the Sioux he was enabled t
secure the interesting facts connect
ed with the massacre.
None of the material secured "a
been made public. by either of tn
two men, nor will it until the India
survivors pass away
Joe Buisson is now captain of tn
steamer North Star, engaged in TOW
ing log RATS from Lake st. Croix t
the lumber mills at Keokuk. He ha
been on the Mississippi since his DO.
hood, and has been engaged for man
years as a pilot for rafting steamer:
Most of the material secured b
Major Mclaughlin and Captain Buis
son has been in their possession fc
number of years, and its publicatio
will be awaited with great interest