Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-28
cusTER's LAST FIGHT
Continued From Page one.)

causing him to go hungry and cold.
It vas from him and his friends and
relatives that they withheld food and
blankets and money. that was due
them under their treaty, and Grudg-
ingly gave them bones" and rags"
and. 40 per cent" instead. 1t was
his friend. they had Inundated by ar
rest and Imprisonment unjustly. All
this was followed by q further series
Of abuses until there was a general
uprising of all the Dakota and neigh-
boring tribes IN relation. Because
they had begun to show this spirit OF
retaliation, and had left the reserva-
tion, American troops were ordered to
drive. them back into the bondage they
had deliberately. and as they consider
ed, rightfuliy, Abandoned.
It was in this rounding UP" opera
ton that Custer met his fate. Justly
or unjustly, it. was war, and Custer
was not inexperienced IN Indian war.
fare, He closed a campaign against
the Cheyennes in 1888 by the crushing
victory of, Washita, where 103 war;
riors were killed and the tribe forced
to return to their reservation. Fol-
lowing this he fought a number of
battles and opened up the Black Hills
country. Therefore we may now draw
a mental picture of the several indian
tribes consolidating in and about the
junction Of the Little Big Horn and
the Big Horn rivers In various camps.
while American soldiers are surround
ing them to force their surrender or
perhaps ,annihilate them. Custer rode
out with his cavalry, intending to
move around to the south and up the
Rosebud, driving the Indians down the
Little Big Horn into the grip of the
strong force marching against them.
Now let us learn just what happen
ed, according to this last surviving
chief on the Indian side, He told 1t
to me in simple straightforward
fashion without show OF resentment.
1t must be remembered that this old
chief does not speak English, nor is
he able to write. and his story was
translated and prt down. exactly as
he related It after. several days, of de-
liberation. Here is its substance:
.."We started from Fort Robinson
and travelled up into Montana. There
we. Joined the Cheyennes and four.
companies of Sioux Indians. They
were. under four. chiefs. We all camp
ed on the, Little Big Horn River. up
the river from where the fight took
place. Before this fight we had had a
little fight with the United States SOL
diers and a-few Grow Indians on Rose
bud Creeks they Killed three Of our
men and we killed nine of their men.
1--WE left them and went back to the
village and broke camp and moved
down to where the battle with Custer
took place.
ut was a nice summer morning.
Before noon we saw a cloud of dust
rising in the air up the river. A cry
was raised that the soldiers were COM
ing, and we all started for our horses.
We caught them and mounted. About
this time they were nearly on top of
us, firing into the village. The wo-
men and children ran down the river.
Every warrior was ready by this
time so we charged the soldiers in the
face Of their bullets. We whipped
them back into some holes they had
dug. We killed many of that bunch.
They We're called the Reno company.
Some of the Indians rode up to us
and said Custer was Coming up the
river with his command, heading Off
the women and children. So we all
charged down to where Custer was
coming up. When. we got close to
Custer's command they dismounted
apd commenced firing on us, but we
would not stor, so they started to
mount and retreat. But we were al
ready among them, shooting them
down with arrows, knocking them off
with war clubs, pulling them off by
hand. They must have been scared
out Of their wits, as they showed no
fight after the first fire.
After we got them on the run, we
chased them about a mile till only n
few were left. We ran those into the
river Many were drowned, the re-
mainder we killed. We lost 80 killed
in the battle.
1.-THE next day scouts were sent out:
they reported that General Miles was
coming with his command. The chiefs
said we would not fight Miles, as he
had too many men. So we broke
camp and got away from there"
AS this statement contained no ref
erence to mutilating the bodies OF the
dead soldiers. the chief was asked to
speak on this point definitely. In a
letter dated December 5, 1921, he says:
You ask me another question about
the custer fight: They did not cut out
the heart from that soldiers body;
just took off his clothes and we ran
away. The big chief all dead. All the
soldiers were killed in about one half
an hour"
The statement must stand or fall