The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-12-09
A WAYNE COUNTY MAN
WAS A GEN. CUSTER SCOUT

Colorado. While there he worked at
the carpenters trade, helping to
build houses in Butte City. He did
not remain very long in the West on
those early trips, soon finding his
way back to the friendly faces and
familiar scenes of his native county.
Mr.. Williams had ample opportun-
ity in those days to observe and
study the characteristics of the In
dians. He tells of one Sam Case, of
New York city, professional boxer,
whose delight was in doing things"
to the noble red men when he could
get up little boxing and wrestling
tournament with them. The chief
would order his braves to face him
in cambat; but they knew nothing of
the science of sparring and did not
stand any chance of defending them
selves at all. Case knocked them
down, and then as he was brutal in
his makeup, he would kick them
about the ring, while the old chief
would grunt, laugh, and declare,
" Braves no good"
When Williams would remon-
strate with Case for his i'll treat
ment of the Indians, the boxer from
New York would swear and declare
that he wished he could kill the
whole lot of them.
Scouting With Custer's Men.
Mr.. Williams said he went to Ne
braska in 1876 along with Levi and
Everett Thayer, two young men of
Smith Hill. They went to Nebraska
to take up government land, and in
thnra r1n1rah ahnino
land open to actual settlers.
When the three Wayne Counteans
reached Nebraska they found condi-
tions very much unsettled. Indians
were stealing and running off the
cattle, and life there was very eXcit-
ing, to say the least. In order to be
protected from the depredations of
the Indians companies of scouts were
organized, and Williams was at
tached to one of these bands, doing
work in that capacity for several
months.
The leaders of these companies
of scouts were such famous men as
Wild Bill, Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill,
Texas Jack and Dashing Charley.
When the massacre at Death S
Valley, on the Little Big Horn oc-
CURED the company to which Will
liams belonged was about 10 miles
away from the scene. News reached
them soon, and in about hours af-
ter the battle, or massacre, ended
they were on the scene. The Indians
had all disappeared. The ground
was strewn with evidences of the
terrible conflict. Dead men were
lying all about, the majority of them
having been scalped. Strange as it
may seem, the body of Custer had
not been mutilated or his scalp re-
moved.
Mr.. Williams only lived in the
West about two years. In conjunc-
tion with two others they took up
sections, or solid mile of land.
Williams took one section and was
given another for setting it out to
timber. During his two years resi-
| dence he never gathered a crop from
his land. 1t was during this time
that the grasshoppers were such a
plague. They destroyed three grow
ing crops for Mr.. Williams. The
vegetation grew rank and fine, but
the hoppers got it all. They were
so thick that when they flew they
were like a cloud and the sun was
darkened. They ate down trees, and
even board fences were eaten by
them
Finally he sold his team to the
Thayer boys and came East; but his
wife would not go West with him,
and he remained here in the East.
At present he resides in Luzerne
county, near Harvey's Lake.