The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-03
IN CUSTER BATTLE.
"CurIey the Crow Tells How He
Caught Heroic Soldier.
Haifbreed Sioux Scout, Only Survivor
of Massacre, Relates How Famous
General Fell Dead in
His Arms.

ST. Louis-Curley CCurley the
Crow. the halfbreed Sioux scout,
now in his seventy-second year, is the
only survivor Of the Custer massacre.
At the Planters hotel here he gave
some interesting details, some Of them
new, of the battle Of the Little Big
Horn on June "a, 1876, in which Gus
ter and practically all Of his command
persisted.
A large Autograph of Clusters Last
Stand" represents the scene truly in
all respects but one. Curley says.
The artist should not have shown
scalped and mutilated American SOL
diers on the battle field" Curley re-
marked. There was no scalping and
no mutilation. Four hundred and
seventy-three soldiers were killed and
not a mark was found on them that
was not made by bullets.
Il was General Clusters scout. He
and the other white men knew me as
Curley. By some Of the Indians was
called Bloody Knife. Though l was
scout for the army, l was in no dan
ger from the Indians except the dan
ger of being accidentally shot in bat
tie The Indians never purposely
KILLED a scout Spies they would Kill,
but not scouts. They respected scouts
who could speak the Indians lam
guage, too. I knew eleven Indian Ian
guages. and l could so from the white
soldiers camp to the Indians and
smoke the pipe with the chiefs.
"On the evening before the battle |
ate with Rain-in-the-Face. He was my
uncle, brother of my mother, who was
a full-blooded Sioux. | knew Sitting
Bull, but dbl not see him just at that
time. He was the high priest Of the
Sioux, not their leader in battle. He
told me there would be a battle, and
said l must keep out of it. l said
| would stay with General Custer, no
matter what the danger was.
That night l was sent by Custer to
summon Colonel Reno and Captain
| Bentine, with their commands, to re-
| inforce him.
Il reached Reno first and he refused
to go, saying he and his men could not
get across the river. Had he started
ter. l afterward testified at the court
martial which dismissed him from the
service.
| Il went on to Captain Bentine and
he started his command at once. They
crossed the same stream which Reno
| had been afraid to try and came in the
| morning to where a high hill sepa-
rated them from Clusters men. | took
one way over the hill and Bentine
| took what he thought was a
shorter way. He did not reach the
place, but his men, under subordinate
| officers, got there in time to perish
with Clusters men.
AS | got on the other side of the
! hill | was in range of the Indians
guns. While | was still a long way
off my horse was shot under me, and
I got down and ran until l came into
the thick of the fighting.
LAS / got there | saw the soldiers
| were lying dead right and left. Those
473 had been surrounded by 5000
Sioux. l saw Custer fighting with his
| saber, and | thought he was the last
man alive there. but | soon saw that
his brother, Lieut.. Tom" Custer, was
fighting beside him. He fell and Gen
eral Custer stood alone.
The Indians could have killed him
easily before that, but the purpose was
| to take him alive. The reason for
that purpose is known to me, and
shall tell of it in a story l am going
to write. Fourteen Indians whom he
slashed and gashed with his saber
lay near him, most of them dead or
dying.
Then I saw Rain-in-the-Face. He
said harshly: 'Curley, l told you to
keep out
az couldn't get away l replied;
my horse was shot
Il called to General Custer, meaning
to tell him of Reno's refusal to come
and he said: You here, Curley:
Well fight to the end
Those were his last words. A big
Sioux seized his arm and Custer turn
ed on him and dealt a terrific sabeI
stroke that half cut his head off. AS
he did this the son Of the Sioux fired
his rife at Custer and the bullet went
through his heart.
In the familiar picture there is ar
Indian seen pushing his way through
toward Custer as he fell. That mar
was myself. l held his head as he
sank back dead"