Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-23
DEADWooD DICK AN oUTcAsT.
Man Who Was With Custer at the
Massacre at Little Big Horn Has
Had Remarkable Career.

TIdO SdTCCTs
"All the worlds a stage and all the
men and women only players;
They have their exits and their en-
frances"
And no one believes this more today
than Walter Richard Morrison, at
present an inmate of the county jail.
AS Deadwood Dick his entrance on the
stage of the world was to play lead
ing part in one Of the most exciting
dramas the west has ever known. AS
Walter Richard Morrison his exit In
the world is to play the lowest part on
the stage Of life as it is found in every
large city in the country. Today he Is
a Vagrant in the West Side jail
From the honored place of scout to
General Custer up to almost the very
time when the fighting commander
fell with his men on the bloody battle
field Of the Little Big Horn, Morrison
has fallen to become a figure well
known to the police and Jail officials
of Denver.
His life history Is one full of ro-
nance and pathos In his younger
days he was one of the men who aid
ed in the making of the great west
Today he Is an old man, past three
score and ten, for whom life seeming
ly holds but little. But even In his
present condition he is not dishearten-
ed. Although, to use an everyday
expression, he is down and out" he
still finds something to live for, but
his greatest joy and pleasure Is in tell
ling Of the DAYS when he was q scout
with Custer.
Deadwood Dick has been a familiar
sight in Denver for Is years. He was
at one time wealthy, and until seven
Years ago he was in comfortable cir
cumstances. But since that time he
has been eking out an existence by
manufacturing and selling an insect
powder. The old man Is a pitiful
sight as he sits In the jail He has
long, black hair that almost reaches
his waist, and this he says is the pride
Of his life
Il stood it all when 1 lost my mon
ey," he said, but it would kill me If
l should lose my hair. 1t is the only
comfort l have"
Deadwood Dick tells a remarkable
story Of his experience with General
Custer. Il was with him during all
the trouble on the Little Big Horn"
massacre l told Custer that there was
but one way to get away from the In
dians. At that time we thought there
was but 1900 red men. But instead
of that there were more than 5000.
Most Of the men were under Sitting
Bull. Custer told the men that there
was no danger, and the best thing for
us to do was to stay right where we
were.
"A scout by the name of Texas Jack
and myself left the camp to take a
look about. This was on the day be-
fore Custer and his men were killed.
Texas Jack and myself rode for some
distance up the river. l felt sure we
were about to be captured. So l told
him l would give the Sioux war cry.
for him to answer with the coyote yell,
for by doing this all the Indians would
go in the direction of their chief. 1t
worked out just as / thought 1t would.
''All the Indians started in the di-
rection of the chief and we started up
the river. which was the only means Of
escape. We ran across one small
group of Indians headed in the direc-
ton we were going. We made up our
minds that the only thing to do was to
shoot until our ammunition was gone
and then run. We did this and man
aged to get through. On the next day
the Indians. under Sitting Bull, killed
Custer and his men. We were the
only two who escaped. If General
Custer had taken my advice Clusters
last fight would never have taken
place"
Morrison refers to many of the prin-
| Icipal warrior chiefs.
While Sitting Bull was the big chief
and the ruling spirit over all the In
IdianS. Crow King, Black Moon, Low
| Dog and Crazy Horse, along with
many others, were to be feared. These
! Indians which Morrison speaks Of are
| all mentioned in the history of Gus
| terS last fight
Morrison, or DeadwoOd Dick, and
Texas Jack stayed together for some
time. They went into Mexico in a
prairie schooner. which they obtained
| by trading their ponies. They got one
horse and a mule with the schooner
for their ponies.
THE mule was a fast one" said
Deadwood Dick, and l entered him
| in a race There was considerable
money up and when the mule came out
i'm the lead / cleaned up lot of mon
Iey. Texas Jack left me soon after
that and don't know what became Of
| him. He was much older than | was
| / guess he must be dead.
II started to travel after he left me
| and | have been all over the country.
went back to Montana and got lot
| of sheep. | was wealthy twice, was
almost a millionaire once. and the sec
Ond time | was worth more than $780,
900.
Il married and had one child. a
daughter. My wife died about a year
after we were married. After my