The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-23
BELIEVES ne KILLED CUSTER
OKLAHOMA INDIAN SAYS HE STRUCK FAMOUS GENERAL ON
HEAD WITH sABER AT LITTLE BIG HORN BATT1E.

lSCOk FAMOUS GENENA1 ON i
LITTLE BIG HORN BATTItS.
troops eastward across the river. The
C~heyenhes divided. some going to re.
sist Reno while others. including yell
low Nose. crossed the Little Big Horn
where q small stream or gulch de-
bouched from the east.
Climbing to q promontory formed
by this gulch and the river. the In.
dams saw troops advancing toward
them along the crest Of the divide that
ran back from the Little Big Horn.
yellow Nose was mounted on a fleet,
wiry pony In advance Of his COM
nanions, whom the soldiers evidently
thought were few in numbers. as the
The mistake OF tho soldiers became
quickly apparent when Indians were
seen literally springine from the
ground. The %galioping cavalrymen
pulled down to q trot. The Indians
grew intensely excited and set up their
war whoops. The Cheyennes were not
so we'll armed is the Sioux. who car
ried quantities of ammunition fasten-
ed around their waists. chests and
arms.
The soldiers fired first from their
horses. dismountins only after they
say that the Indians were not intimi-
dated. The regimental band began
playing, to h astonishment Of the In.
dams. but the musicians threw aside
their instruments for guns.
The soldiers changed from a stand
to q retreat as they were crowded up.
on BY increasing and overwhelming
made three stands. 1t was the pur-
pose of the Indians to get in the rear
Of the troops and gain the cover Of the
east slope of the ridge. This the SOL
dfers bravely resisted, and in their
fury to dislodse the troops tho In
dfans percipftately exposed themselves
to a calling fire in the open. 1t was
not until the close OF the night that tho
soldiers were driven to the west slope
OF the ridge.
At first the soldiers knelt ana took
deliberate aim. each fourth man hold
ing the horses. Some stood up and
shot like this" said Yellow Nose,
leaning far forward and clutching an
imaginary gun. AS the confusion, per.
haps despair, increased after the re-
treat from the first stand, each soldier
possession OF his own horse, pos
sible to be better able to escape. IL
the battle went against them.
Yellow Nose declared that this
merely hastened the disaster that fol-
Owed. The held horses grew wild
with fright. and their rearing and
plunging made it impossible for the
soldiers to shoot with steadiness and
accuracy, many pulling tho trigger
while their gun pointed straight
above them. Riderless horses stam-
peded in every direction, leaving their
dead behind, and were caught by the
Indians and taken across the river.
NnIInuy NNGN taol rNSsAs .~4r r,~-
He twice encountered the man whose
body was found after the battle and
identified by the Indians as that OF
Custer. Yellow Nose had shot a
trooper. and in accordance with 1ndi-
an custom. was running forward to
strike the body with a stick, which in
the Cheyenne language is called
''koos." The soldier called for help
when he saw his enemy bearing down
upon him. and several mounted COM
rades rushed to his rescue. One of
these men fired at Yellow Nose at such
close range that his eyes and face are
still specified with the powder. The
bullet missed Yellow Nose, woundine
his horse in the neck. Yellow Nose
struck a heavy glancin1 blow
across the forehead with the gunsight,
binding him for the moment and fll-
ing his eye with blood.
AiiiS satIie nan VINO nA0 nreo At
him was e seen by Yellow Nose at
a small mound on the ridge. and on
foot. with about thirty me gather.
ed round him. He a bareheaded,
and armed only with a pistol. As tho
Indians bore down upon this group.
a number Of the soldiers apparently
lost courage and ran to lower ground,
close to the base Of the mound. The
officer shouted loudly to the men, and
drew nearer to them when he found
that they did not hear, or were unwiil.
ing to obey him.
The appearance of this man was 80
striking and gallant that Yellow Nose
decided that to kill him would be a
feat OF moro than ordinary prowess.
yellow Nose was armed only with an
oid cavalry saber. having lost his CUR.
Ihis saber had belonged to a boyhood
friend. a Shoshone. at whose death his
mother had given the saber to Yellow
Nose. The battle had gone against the
soldiers SO heavily at this point that
the on1cer stood finally alone. With
his saber drawn. yellow Nose rode
headlong upon his enemy. prepared
to cut him down at a stroke.
Already wounded, and TREMBLING
with fright. Yellow Noses pony bolt
cd when the officer fred at close n
with a small pistol. but Imissed both
ilah ana morse. Getting his pony in
hand again, Yellow Nose CHARGED 4
second time. and again the oficer
nred. n the pony sprang aside and
neSond him. Determined to ret with.
IN striking distance. Yellow Nose sath-
cred himself for a third ONSLAUGHT. Al
he drew near the pistol wa not ifred
1T was empty. He came s~duareiv
upon the officer. who bent his knees
az II to ward of tho blow OF the up-
lifted saber. Yellow Nose struck him
with terrific violence on the bAck Of
the mead. and the ma sank to the
ground in a heap.
When questioned closely Yellow
Nose said that the man BETRAYED No
fear, but that he remembered SEEING
tears In his eyes. He was unable to
tell the extent of the wound, an he
rode onward in pursuit Of tueftfyes.
Many dead soldiers were hea ned
around this mound. and this fact drew
crowds Of curious Indians to thaf
point after Custer and all his men hed
been destroyed. Yellow Nose saw the
body OF his adversary lying In n de-
preston, dressed in a buckskin suit, in
the fringe Of which were red. bad
like berries. which frontiersmen used
for that purpose. The body was strin.
ped OF the coat and trousers. The IN.
dams said that this man was C,Istsr
1t would be impossible to Convince
many old warriors now living in Okls.
hon1a. but who were in the battle ~
the Little Big Horn, that yellow Nosa
did not give Custer his mortal hiov,