Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-12-21

Reno'S men, Custer came along the
ridge, and we We're called off to figh,
Custer. We kept circlng around Gus
ter, and as his men came down the
ridge we shot them down And then
the rest dismounted and gathered in
bunch knccling down and shooting
from behind their horses. We circlcd
round and round, firing into Clusters
men until the last man was killed.
Il did not see Custer fall for all
the Indians did not know which was
Custer. one reason why he did not
scalp Custer was because the Indians
and the white soldiers We're SO miXed
up that it was hard to distinguish one
man from another; and another rea-
son was because Custer was the BRAY
est man OF all and we did not want 10
touch him. as he made the last stand.
This Is also the opinion Of Raiu-m-
the Face.
"Regarding the cause Of the Custer
fight, T-must say we We're pursued by
the soldiers we were on the warpath,
and we We're on The warpath with the
Crows and other tribes. We were try
ing grounds, and the soldiers came
upon us and we had TO defend our
selves We were driven out Of the
Black hills by the men seeking gold,
and our game was driven off, and we
started on our journey in search Of
game. Our children were starving
and we had to have something TO eat
There was buffalo in that region, and
we were moving simply camping here
and there and fighting our Indian
enemies as we advanced in order to
get the game that was I'm this coun-
try We fought this battle from day
light up until O'Clock in the after
noon, and all Of the white men were
killed ! think that Custer was a very
brave man TO fight all these Indians
with his few men, from daylight until
the sun was almost going down
Fight Justified by Indians.
Runs-the- Enemy. another Sioux
chief, says in part:
when we had killed all the sol
diers we felt that we had done our
duty, and felt that il was a great bat
tie and not a massacre. With refer
ence to the real reason for this fight.
| may say the talk among the In
dams was that they were going to
compel us to STAY on the reservation
and take away from US our country.
Our purpose was to move north aud
go as far north as possible, away from
the tribes. our object was not to
fight the Crows or any other tribe.
l.,4t 10 ha
getting after us to try to compel us
10 go back on the reservation, and VIC
were trying to get away from them.
During the Custer fight our tents
were not attacked. but after the bat
tie the women gathered up their dead
husbands and brothers and laid them
out nicely in the tepees, and left them.
| understand that after we had left
the tepces standing, holding our dead,
the soldiers came and burned the te-
pes. According TO my estimate there
were about 1000 able-bodied warriors
engaged in this fight; they were all I'm
good fighting order. The guns and
ammunition that we gathered from
the dead soldiers Of Custer's COM
mand put us in better fighting condi-
tion than ever before, but the sen,i-
ment ran around among the Indians
that we had killed enough, and we
did not want TO fight any more.
There has been good deal Of die
rute about the number Ct Indians
killed. About the closest estimate We
can make Is that fifty Sioux were
killed in the fight. and others died
shart time nfterward from their
wounds.
'IIad Ia right" Thcy Say.
chief Two-Noons says:
"The whole valley was filled with
smoke ard the bullets flew an about
us. making a noise like bees. We
could hardly hear anything for the
noise Of guns when the guns So 90
firing. the Sioux and Cheyenne aud
roldicrr. one falling one w3y ana oI-
f.iiing another, together with tno
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