The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-01-14
FIRST NEWS
or CUSTER MASSACRE
OPERATOR LIVES IN MlssouLA-
IS pENsloNED AFTER so
YEARS SERVICE.

A Missoula special to the New York
Herald gives the following account Of
how John M. cornahan. Of that city,
sent the first news of the Custer mas
sacre to the outside world:
When the news of the Custer massa-
ere was told to the world in 1876 II
was to the Herald the article was sent
The man who sent 1t was John M. Car
nahan, then manager and operator in
the western Union Office in Bismarck,
Dakota After active service of more
than SO years, Mr. Carnahan retired
from work and entered upon the en-
joyment of a pension granted to him
by the telegraph company which he
had served so long.
! Mr. Carnahan began his career as
telegraph operator in 1851 That was
the beginning Of the civil war and dur
ing the four years of that conflict he
! was close to the border between the
north and the south.
carnahan Was the Man.
In the fall of 1872 the Northern Pa
citic railway line had been completed
as far west as Bismarck, N. d. Mr..
Carnahan was asked to go to Bismarck
and manage that office. and in the
spring of 1873 he went there and the
big chapter in the story of his eventful
life began. For 1t was while he was
at Bismarck that he sent to the world
the account of the Custer massacre on
the Little Big Horn in July, 1876,
There have been a good many claim
ants for this honor, but the omlial rec
ords establish the fact Gid, It was
John Canadians key that clicked of
the news which told the world of that
terrible slaughter.
Fort Abraham Lincoln, the post OF
the Seventh Cavalry and the head
quarters OF Brigadier General Custer
was at Bismarck. Mr.. Carnahan won
General Clusters friendship and he be-
came the personal friend of the officers
at Lincoln. And so it was that he ant
the post surgeon rode out from the ole
garrison with the Custer expedition
when it started in June, 1876 to pun
ish the Sioux. The surgeon and the
operator made the first IL miles witt
the Seventh Cavalry Then they turn.
ed back with the last dispatches which
General Custer sent.
U.nr1 anna haoLy n TQicya ral
from the Seventh Cavalry and its com
mander. But that occasioned no sur
prise. Expeditions of that sort wer
a common occurrence in those days
hear anything of the Seventh Caviar,
until it should ride back to its post
dusty and ragged. but with the usua
report that the Indians had been fore
ed once more to be good.
Steamboat Brings News to Bismarck.
1t was on the night of July whel
the steamboat Far West came dow
the river to Bismarck. The Far Yves
brought the wounded of Reno's com
: mand and the official dispatches whiel
told of the complete humiliation 0
the Custer command.
on the morning of July Mr.. Carna
han found on his desk in the telegraph
office a carpet bag filed with officia
dispatches. There was an immense 10
of them. He flashed" the news to tn
east and then settled down to TIL
transmission of the official story to tn
department of war in Washington. |
was o'clock in the morning of Jul
G when he began his tremendous task
Not until o'clock the following morn
ing, 81 hours, did he leave his instru
ments. Then for three hours ne slep
the sleep of utter exhaustion. He re
turned to his work and for 20 hours h
sat at his key. 1t was o'clock tn
next morning when he checked off tn
signature of the last dispatch in tina
old carpet bag He had sent 5000
words in the two shifts.
Has Had an Eventful Career.
For Two days the eastern newspaper
had been clamoring for news, and Their