The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-08-24

CARRYING others, While dlrectlne the
flight of others. The men were
hurriedly going to the fight, prepar-
ing as they went.
:" i caught a white horse, and
gathering my weapons, started SLOW
ly up the valley towards the Sioux
camp, | called to the fleeing ones
to go slow and take their time for |
would keep the soldiers out OF camp.
By the time ! reached where they
were fighting, quite number OF my
warriors were ready and gathering
also.
1.-The soldiers had come to the
edge of the Sioux camp, got on their
horses and gone into the brush and
timber. The Sioux had stopped
their charge. l rode in front OF my
warriors and told them that today
we had to win the fight or I would
die. Wheeling my horse and calling
them to follow, l charged through
the soldiers. Then the soldiers went
back (retreated) and as they went
one man left the rest and started
across the valley in the opposite di-
rection. / followed and knocked him
off his horse. The rest crossed the
river and started up the bluffs with
the warriors all around them. The
pack drivers came up at the same
time.
81 caught soldiers horse, soon
after the fight started. 1t had many
cartridges and other things tied to
it. There was a round can on him,
too, and it was half full of whisky.
Soon other warriors began to cap
oil 1ci0 m
when they run back to the hills, and
all had whisky cans. But only a
few were full; most were nearly
empty.
And l went back to quiet the
camp and rode around calling the
victory, and telling the warriors to
get ready for the big fight. About
the time all were ready and prepar-
ing to mount, we saw another bunch
of soldiers coming down draw to-
wards the camp.
1T was Custer.
Again there was much excite
ment for we knew we had to fight.
We hurriedly crossed the river and
some went up and some down, to get
on each side of where the soldiers
were intending to come. They came
to the edge and stopped, then almost
in an instant the guns commenced to
go, increasing to roar like thunder
Custer had started his last fight.
They dismounted and slowly
moved back up the ridge with their
horses on the inside and the soldiers
around them We circled around
and around. We had them sur
rounded and first the Sioux and then
the Cheyennes would charge them.
In our first big charge, when we all
swept in together nearly one whole
band was killed. (From the loca-
ton and grouping of the markers on
the field, it appears that this was
Company I, under Captain Keogh.
I rode back through my men telling
them to fight hard and shoot good,
and to prepare for the next big
CHARGE
For the next few moments he sat
in silence as if we were waiting for
the closing act of great tragedy, as
if he could still see himself at the
height of his career. with all the
courage of victory-mad leader, rid
ing at the head of his revengeful
warriors, charging and shooting
down the last of their hated enemies.
We could imagine the intensity of
their battle cry when we thought of
their women and children suffering
from the unwise but victorious at
tack of Crook on their camp, and of
this the closing climax of their final
revenge. Presently he raised his
head and said:
In the next big charge when
we all went in together, they we're
done fighting in a little bit,' and in
language of the plains he rubbed
one hand across the other meaning
that the soldiers were all gone. Then
he added: The grey bunch were the
last killed.
"'Custer was a brave man.
give him that credit for attacking a
people that vastly outnumbered his
but something was the matter
with his men. They did not run nor
seek shelter, but stayed right out in
the open where it was easy to shoot
them down. Any ordinary bunch of
men would have dropped into a water
course or draw, where they could
have fought for long time. They
acted and shot their guns like some
thing was wrong with them. They
surely had too much of that whis-
key That bunch of men should
have fought for long time, but it
did not take long to kill them all.
That is all of Clusters fight,
and it is just as have told you; we
did not expect to fight that morning.
AT the age of SO I came to
Keogh and took charge of the scouts
again. And at Al, with my people, I
came to our northern land, and have
ben here for 26 years.
That is ALL
GAS he relapsed into silence he
reached again for his long pipe, and
as he smoked we silently withdrew,
leaving him lost in the long ago that
has forever gone, the past that is so
dear to the hearts of all the Indians
of the old life"
Stop That Dandruff
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