The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-05-09

Horn, June 25, 1876? The belief
firmly prevails among the old war
riors of the Southern Cheyenne and
Arapahoe tribes in Oklahoma that
Custer was slain by Yellow Nose, a
Ute Indian now living on his allot-
ment on the North Canadian river,
near the town of Geary, Okla. The
Indians have believed this for 35
years. Yellow Nose, who is not a
boaster, merely says that he killed
a man, an officer, who, other Indians
said, was Custer. Yellow Nose had
never seen Custer prior to the battle.
This man, whose tribesmen SO
resolutely declare he took Clusters
life, is now about 65 year old and
we'll preserved, save that he has been
blind for many years from a blow
across the forehead in the Little Big
Horn fight, which eventually Destroy
ed his eyesight. His body is SCARED
with many wounds received in
battle. He will open his shirt
and point to a hardened spot on his
chest where bullet tore through
him when McKenzie's men gave bat
tie in Powder River Canyon. Yellow
Nose was peering over an embank-
ment, not suspecting that danger
was near at hand, when he was shot
from ambush.
When Yellow Nose was four years
old he was captured from his people
by the Northern Cheynnes, one of
whose women he married. He was
a scout under General Lawton at
Fort Robinson, and later was given
similar employment at Fort Reno.
In the plains country he met the
French-Cheyenne scout, Edward
Guerrier, and their friendship
brought Yellow Nose to Oklahoma
in the early seventies. There was
constant passing to and fro of the
Northern and Southern Indians in
those days.
Yellow Nose tells circumstantial
story which old warriors in Oklaho-
ma support with their own testimony
as evidence that he was the man
that killed Custer. A number of
Southern Cheyennes from Oklahoma
were visiting the Northern Chey-
ennes at the time of the battle. and
took part in the engagement. They
brought numerous relics from the
battlefelds to Oklahoma. In the
neighborhood of Cantonment, Okla,
may still be found guns taken from
the dead troopers of the Seventh
cavalry. For number of years
George Bent, a mixed blood Chey-
enne, who lives at Colony, Okla,
owned Clusters pocket compass,
given to Bent by Bull Hand, a
Southern Cheyenne. Bent sold the
compass in 1879 to Geo. Reynolds,
of the Indian trading firm of Lee &
Reynolds, then at Camp Supply,
Okla. AS the story runs among
Oklahoma Indians, Custer and his
men were first decoyed to the To-
cality broken by ravines by Long
Sioux and a companion. Long Sioux
lives near Cantonment.
When the grass began greening on
the plains in the spring of 1875, Yel-
low Nose started with his wife to
visit her relatives in the North.
Throughout the Sioux and Northern
Cheyenne country there was great
unrest among the Indians, and it was
apparent that war was at hand. Yel-
low Nose fingered until it was un-
safe for him to attempt the journey
home, as small bands of Indians were
in as great danger of losing their
lives as were white men, if caught
travelling through the country. About
IuS VI JuuG wal dILlSS US-
gan bringing in reports of the pres
ence of troops in the Tongue river
country, and Yellow Nose went sew
eral times with scouting parties to
observe the soldiers. Finally the In
dians gave battle on the Rosebud,
and then retired in the direction of
the Little Big Horn, Yellow Nose
moving with them. :.
A report spread among the In
dians that troops were advancing
with Shosshone scouts, and, mas
much as General Crook had retired
to the southwark, the Indians ex-
pected the advance from that direc-
tion. To their utter surprise the
troops came from the east under the
command of Custer. There was
much bitterness against Custer
among the Indians because of his
alleged massacre of the Black Kettle
Ci11aoe of Southern Chavonna on