The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-11-25

when the second was leaving he moti0ned to
Chief Rain-in-the-Face to come. They made their
escape soon after taps had blown and all lights
were then out at the post.
.RaanIn-ths-Tace started towards Standing
Rock. keeping away from the trail and travelling
by night When he reached his old camp the In
dams started him for the hills for fear the soldiers
would come and get him. small party accom-
panied him and they later became known as Rene
gade Sioux. Their band increased until their num-
Der ran up in the thousands. The next time Rain
in-the-Face met Captain Custer was June 25, 1876.
on the Little Big Horn river, in Clusters fight.
Contrary to reports Chief Rain-in-theFace did not
hate General Custer. but liked him and his wife.
They often talked with him while he was in the
guard-house. However, the chief did hate the
generals brother and sought vengeance against
him.
"At one time l asked the chief If he had seen
Captain Custer and he remarked that he had
looked for and had found him. The Indians told
me that the chief had mutilated the captain after
the big battle. Tom Clusters heart was not cut
out the reports have It, General Benteen stated
In a letter to me that he would make an affidavit
to that effect. General Benteen and Doctor Porter
the two men who Identified him. Captain
Clusters body was horribly mutilated."
There was blizzard the night Rain-nthe-
Face made his escape" Mr. Barry declares fur
ther. II hesitate to comment knowing Mr.. Shields
very well, but historians will grab such stuff as
this and pass 1t on as authentic.
Doane Robinson. secretary and superintendent
Of the department Of history Of the State of South
Dakota, writes to the Literary Digest:
"when Rain-in-theTace lay dying at his home
on Grand river, South Dakota, he was constantly
attended by Miss Mary c. Collins, the very notable
missionary who was a doctor of medicine well
as Of souls. He professed great remorse for the
sins of his life particularly his sins Of mendacity
and confessed that 1t had been great satisfaction
in his sinful career to invent whoppers for the
edifcation of the whites.
~ There is no record that Rain-n-the- Face
killed two men at Standing Rock agency in 1874
The offense which got him in bad with the mill
tary was the killing of Holznger, the veterina-
rian and Baliran the sutler of General D. s. Stan
ley's expedition to the Yellowstone. This occurred
August 4, 1873
49, The next winter Ran-in-the-Face appeared
at Standing Rock agency and boasted of the muir
ders he had committed. Word was sent to Fort
A. Lincoln and Captain Tom Custer brother Of
General George A., went down to Standing Rock
to apprehend the culprit. He found him trading
in the suffers store, and slipping up behind him
threw blanket over the Indians head and leap
ing upon him soon had him securely bound and
took him a prisoner to Fort A. Lincoln. Whatever
vengeance Rain-in-the-Face was harboring at this
time was against Captain Tom and not against the
general
"S Rain-in- -the-Face escaped from the prison.
am not informed Of his whereabouts during his
freedom; he may have taken himself to Woody
Mountain. If so, it not nearly three hun
dred miles the crow flies
"a. Rain-in-theFace took no part in the Battle
of the Little Big Horn June %, 1876. He was
away during the entire day but returned that
evening.
"b. The body of General Custer was not mutt
lated, nor was that of Captain Tom, whose heart
Rain-in-the-Face had vowed to eet. If he ate any
body's heart that night It was not that of either
Custer"