Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-06-26
INDIANS SPARED
BODY Of CUSTER
OUT OF RESPECT
Story Of Identification and
Burial Of Gallant Band Told
at Anniversary Ceremonies
Now Being Held,

Billings, Mont, June 25.--The story
OF how the bodies Of Gen. c. A. Gus
ter and his band were identified and
buried on the field where they fell IN
battle with the Indians was rec0unted
today by Gen. r. $. Godfrey at the
| fortIoth Anniversary OF the battle OF
| the Little Big Horn. General Godfrey
was a member Of Major Reno's com
mand sent to the field three days
after the battle. Relating the exper-
fences OF that band General Godfrey
said
asrhe dav after the arrival ~ Gem
eral Terry's relief column and three
days after the battle which we now
commemorate, the Seventh cavalry
under Major Reno broke camp TO
march to this field TO bury the dead
| ON reaching the yonder hill the high
est point OF this field, the command
was dismounted to receive instrue-
lions. With the CLINT Of Of the early
morning sun the inequalities OF the
ground were brought out In striking
relief. We saw IN hewildered aston
ishment what appeared TO bc white
houl1ors scattered all over the field
What are theyT Are those rocksT
| These were almost universal eNcla-
nations as the troops successfully ar
rived on til. top OF the hill An Of
fieer raised ha field glasses, in mo-
ment his arms dropped limp by his
side and he said with suppressed feel
ings; My God they are the bodies OF
1.-THE dead Colonel Weir, standing ny
my side exclaimed with emotion: on
how white they look How white
they look II was some minutes be-
fore the silence was broken. The
trumpet signal Of attention was the
stern call to duty and we received our
instructions The hill on which this
monument stands being the most
prominent landmark on the field, was
lseicrted rs the quite point on which
the troops Of direction should march.
The troops on the right and left were
severally assigned sectors OF me
ground, within the limits OF when
each was to bury the dead.
The First BODY.
1T so happened In the advance that
the first body we came to was Withn
my sector, the body of Sergeant But
Ter. He was not altogether stripped
he had several wounds, was scalpcd
and otherwise mutilated. Sergeant
Butler had been soldier In the Brit
fish army before coming TO this coun-
cry; he had served in the civil war
and In his ten years service IN our
regiment we knew him to be a brave
and good soldier. When we liften
his body to place II in the shallow
crave we found underneath II large
number OF empty cartridge shells
This fact and his several wounds gave
evidence that he had sold his HE
dearly, that his body was farthesl
from command and nearest To Reno's
! tsfgs m tha gnTmlNg that
he had been sent as a messenger Ia
Reno with the Macedonian cry, HEN
or We perish. But with Reno's fnl-
ttcring advance ana panic retreat, the
enemy crossed the ford 10 cut Keno
off. and Sergeant Butler ran into
Them and there gave UP his life, The
last body To come within my sector
| 10 bury was that of Boston custer
| Youngest brother OF the general
| While experimenting this Major Rene
| sent for me to come to TINS mn 70
! identify the dead thereon, All tht
bodies were stripped naked ana az
were acalped ana muuiatcd cNcep'
one, General custer, which made Il
difficult to recognize them. Gcnerh
Custer was shot IN the temple anu
i. left breast, either of which wounds
, believe would. have been fatal. Thert
| were no powder marks on either wouho
= which would give the lie to assertions
: that death had been self-mflicted, ana
: because the indians have n suporstl'
ton against not scalpmg a suicide.
Finding Clusters Body.
MIR Fred Girard, our interpreter
and scout, told me that when he frs
came TO General Clusters body II wa'
5. In a sitting posture between the bodies
/ OF two soldiers one across the other
with the generals right elbow rest
, ing upon the upper body, his face II
. the palm of his hand az If in a posi-
!. ton of rest When / came upon th'
body 1t had been laid out and ms
!. countenance had calm, almost TIT
: umphant expression | asked Chle'
. Gall why General custer had not beer
: scalped. lie replied instantly re
. cause he was the big chief and W.
= respected his position The bodies o
the other officers killed on this hui
: Yates. Cook, smith aud Reilly. were
/. readily Identified That OF Capt Ton
= Custer would not have been idenullet
' excent for the fact that we found MI
. initials tattooed on his shattered arm
His whole scalp had been removed
his SCALP crushed H. his head anC
lahdomen shot full OF arrows, his al
domeu had also been cut OPEN an
1 his bowels nrotrnded It has been sal,
! that Rain In the Face IN the excite
ment Of d war dance had exclaimed
that hp had cut ont ana eaton Ton
| Clusters heart in revenge Tor Scl2lnl
+ him and carrying him 90 Fort lincoll
{ and putting him IN the guard house
e The bodies of heough, Calhoun
A and Crittenden were Identified am
. buried In the other part OF the iteld
= The bodies OF Porter, Harrington, Or
/ Lord aud stureis were not Identified
6 IN destroying property IN the lndlai
! camps ! found the underclothing o
5 Sturgis. the bucksldn blouse of Por
ter aud pocket instrument case o.
pr Lords The shot holes IN th'
fclothine of Porter and Sturgis LETT nc
E doubt ms 20 their fate. Ian the Nillagei
= | found number of behoaded bodies
: perhaps of those who had fought ihel
. way into the camps, hut they were 81
, nutilated as to bc unrecoHn
Earth ia Earth
When huying the dead We ha(
but few implements, less IMAM
J dozen spades and picks. but to show
| our respect for our dead comrades
( with these aud with hatohets, l(nive'
| aud tin cups, We dug FOR each bod,
a shallow trench In the hard drN
lgronnd. poured over them the loose
soil and the Earth go earth and dus
ta dust we left them IN this ther
wilderness to the elements and wolves
Captain Nowlan had taken the pre-
, caution 10 drive a stake ~ the grave
! Of each officer. He placed The nam'
, in an empty cartridge shell drove =
2 on the stake and mapped the ioca'
I ton The following year hc was Sent
with q porty 40 eNhume the remains
} land all except those OF Lieutenant